Dickson Yewn is what you would call a character. He is completely unafraid to speak his mind or put forth provocative views, which makes for a refreshing and interesting interview. He regards jewellery as just a “commercial venture” that is a means to an end. “Jewellery has never been what I want to do,” he proclaims. “And I hate custom orders. A client just chased me for a quotation that I should have sent five years ago.” Yet he remains one of Asia’s more prominent jewellers, whose claim to fame was having former American First Lady Michelle Obama sport one of his jadeite rings at a state dinner hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth in 2011.
If he had infinite resources, what would he like to do? “I would sponsor all the universities in China to scrap Western courses and teach the Chinese craftsmanship and techniques instead—from cloisonné enamelling to lacquer to porcelain to bamboo weaving to carpentry,” he replies unhesitatingly. In this regard, he is consistent. His passion for, and dedication to, Chinese art and heritage has remained unwavering, and it informs each and every creation that bears his name—his latest Literati collection included.
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Looking to the Chinese scholar-officials who held immense sway over the culture of Imperial China, Literati is heavily influenced by Chinese artists and references their works through the flowers featured on its rings and bangles. Painter Bada Shanren inspired the Day Lily Square ring with rutilated rock crystal, and the black ceramic Plum Blossom Square ring. His interpretation of Zhao Mengjian’s narcissus paintings is realised in the Narcissus Square bangle with purple sandalwood (one of about 80 species of wood that Yewn uses in his collections). Tang Yin provides the inspiration for the collection’s first piece, the Hibiscus by the Water square ring in diamonds and porcelain, its shape and feel reminiscent of a mahjong tile. In true cheeky Yewn fashion, there are other creations with blooms of his own choosing (including a Vanda Miss Joaquim Orchid for Singapore) that hint at his rightful place among these intellectuals.
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“The literati were an elite class of people in China that has been lost. Before, everything was decided by them; they were the people who taught the emperors how to write calligraphy, how to paint, how to appreciate art,” the Hong Kong-born heritage custodian, 54, explains. “My collection [serves] as a wake-up call to all Asian—especially Chinese—designers, to create with the mindset of a literati, and not a Westerner. You can have Western techniques, but the spirit has to be your own cultural roots. If not, you will never be appreciated.”
While some designers might find Yewn’s words a little hard to swallow, one has to admit that the exquisite Literati designs make it a lesson worth thinking about.
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On His First Jewellery
“It was before 1997, and I had a Hong Kong client-friend who was on the board of many charities in those days. She was attending a Renaissance ball and had Barney Cheng [celebrity fashion designer who has dressed Michelle Yeoh] creating a $200,000 evening gown for her already. She thought why not do a whole set of Renaissance jewelry to go with the occasion? So she gave me some baroque pearls to start with. That was my very first piece of commercial jewellery.”
On the Literati
“The formula behind the whole collection is always my signature square. Not only am I incorporating Chinese techniques—filigree, gold inlay, cloisonné enamel, and reverse hammering are all Chinese—but I also incorporate many modern, non-common materials. I use porcelain, carbon fibre, and more than 80 species of wood.”
On His Signature Square
“Women’s fingers are not [actually] round; the bones inside their fingers [their knuckles] are not round. And also, the square allows me to propose an opposite point of view: Why must rings be round? Yes, the world only has two poles, left and right, yin and yang, yes and no. But why only stick to these views?”
On Designing Jewellery
“So the whole purpose of me creating jewellery is not for jewellery itself. It’s a wake-up call for Chinese designers to return to their roots. It’s an example to Chinese designers that they need to go back to their roots and that they can survive doing this. Jewellery ended up being a good medium because no one uses it to express what I'm trying to say."