The Jewellery Mastermind Behind "Unbreakable Porcelain" - Artist Wallace Chan spoke to The Telegraph

Carl Sagan said that if you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. Jewelry artist, sculptor and innovator Wallace Chan agrees. In this video, Wallace Chan reveals to The Telegraph the story behind his latest innovation, The Wallace Chan Porcelain, a material five times harder than steel, and how he creates the Wallace Chan universe, all from nothing.

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Chinese master jeweller Wallace Chan left school at the age of 13 to support his family, and became a sculptor’s apprentice at 16 before setting up his own workshop. That was in 1974; over the last 45 years he has become one of the most visionary and influential forces in the world of high jewellery.

As much a scientist, alchemist and philosopher as a jewellery artist, Chan prides himself on pushing boundaries with materials. He became renowned for the ‘Wallace Cut’: an intricate form of intaglio he invented in 1987, in which an image is carved on the inside of a gemstone and reflected by the stone, creating a 3D, holographic effect.

Chan was one of the first to experiment with titanium in high jewellery: a breakthrough that has influenced design and craftsmanship across the industry. He also pioneered ‘invisible setting’ techniques, and patented a technique to enhance the luminosity of jadeite.

He was the first Asian jeweller to exhibit at TEFAF and the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris, and his work commands seven-figure sums at auction. Around 20 pieces a year are made in his laboratory-like Hong Kong workshop; the majority are snapped up by collectors who may have been waiting years for a piece.

His latest innovation is a super-strength, ‘unbreakable’ porcelain, the result of seven years of research and development. Said to be five times stronger than steel, the innovation stems from Chan’s desire to “redeem himself” for breaking a porcelain spoon when he was five.

Read the interview here: https://bit.ly/324861I

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