Wallace Chan has been working with his hands since he was just 8 years old. Growing up impoverished, he started working at a very young age to help the family put food on the table. Repetitive tasks were fitting for his small hands and tough as it was at the time, it honed his skills for this second coming.
Now 59, this Hong Kong craftsman has the “honor” of creating the world’s most expensive necklace – estimated at $200 million USD. With 11,551 diamonds and jade pieces which create butterflies and bats (favorites of Chan’s), the total weight is 383 carats, and the centerpiece diamond alone weighs 104 carats. This project began in 2010 when Chan was commissioned to find a place for an unpolished 507-carat diamond that was found in a South African mine. 22 craftsmen worked alongside Chan to complete this creation that took 47,000 hours of work.
Called by Christie’s Asia Pacific chairman, Francois Curiel, a “Renaissance man in the best sense of the word- a scientist, designer, sculpture, but my best description of him is as a visionary” is high praise. Auction houses have benefited from Chan’s beautiful works… and fan favorites remain his whimsical and humorous pieces… it’s jewelry after all, and it doesn’t have to be serious!
Living simply and abiding by the desire to leave a lasting legacy, Chan only sells to people that he likes. Since each work comes directly from his mind, heart and hands, he wants to make sure the “child” he’s created goes to a proper home. We are sure that Chan’s pieces will become an intregel part of the history of Chinese jewelry that’s been going strong for 6,000 years.
Wallace Chan holding one of his creations, a beatuiful jeweled butterfly.
Image courtesy of: Blouinartinfo
“The Great Wall” necklace is worth roughly 56 million euros with an imperial jadeite central stone adorned with maple leaves and diamonds. It was displayed at the Biennale 2012.
Image courtesy of: The Jewelry Editor
Chan’s “Vividity” brooch, with a rare elbaite tourmaline in the center, was designed from a vision Chan had during a meditation session.
Image courtesy of: Geneva Seal
In addition to the white diamonds, Chan utilized 72 pieces of mutton fat white jade, 114 pieces of icy green jadeite and nearly 600 pink diamonds. Around the 104-carat diamond is a circle of white jade to symbolize the confluence of east and west cultures. Diamonds have long been coveted in the west while jade has been always revered in the east. Five years in the making… wow, what an amazing accomplishment!
Image courtesy of: The Jeweler Blog
