Making the Persimmon Tree

Inspired by the principles of 花鳥畫 (fa-niu-wa), or bird-and-flower painting, the Persimmon Tree is a freeform sculpture of a twisty winter branch, on which a curious bird inspects a bright sapphire fruit.
There's something to look at from every angle, but my favourite perspective is the bird's point of view. Persimmons ripen in the coldest months of the year, just as other trees and crops are becoming barren. To find a plump persimmon must be such a winter treat!

 

Designing jewellery through play

I make all of my solid gold jewellery using the lost wax method, which involves handcarving a model out of jeweller's wax, then having the wax model cast in precious metal.

For this project, I decided to focus on expressive and natural handcarving without a particular design in mind, allowing things to take shape organically over time.

My favourite part of carving is watching a shape emerge from what used to be nothing :)

 

Creating a versatile composition

Once I had a few elements on hand (leaves, branches, and a little bird), I began to sketch out some possible compositions. I knew wanted to make something that would look balanced with or without a necklace chain, with clean lines and a sense of sparseness (inspired by East Asian art). After seeing some photos of the "nuthatch pose", I decided on something like this:

 

Details of the wax sculpture

Ultimately, I wanted to create something that would let the subjects (bird and fruit) as well as the materials (metal and stone) interact within the design and composition. My favourite expression of this idea belongs to the persimmon stem, which floats right above the four-lobed leaves of the fruit:

The fruit part is actually a gemstone setting, as seen here:
This particular arrangement of stem and setting allows the fruit to look as if it is growing naturally from the branch. The stem is carved so that it just barely floats over the skylight of the setting (the hole between the four-lobed leaves), leaving enough space for light to pass through the stone:

 

The overall effect is that the face of the natural pink sapphire represents the persimmon fruit, with consistent details all the way through to the other side. As a necklace, the design is reversible, but more importantly, the design can be viewed from any angle as a sculpture in its own right!

In the beginning, I had looked for an orange stone, but ultimately chose a vibrant pink because I thought it would contrast better with yellow gold... the same way that a natural persimmon shines brightly against dark branches or snow :)

Learn more about jewellery design and wax carving

If you'd like to know more about my studio work and craft process:


Thanks for reading!

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