FENG J. High Jewellery brand is founded by FENG J, a prominent high jewelry artist from mainland China to the world.
Feng J. two pairs of High Jewellery earrings. All images courtesy of Feng J.
Feng J.'s visionary approach to high jewelry is brought to life in her Place Vendôme atelier and Shanghai studio, where she produces extraordinary, one-of-a-kind treasures on par with the top jewelry houses in the world.
This January 2023, Opera de Paris and AROP (Friends of the Paris National Opera) joined Sotheby’s Paris for an exceptional event, “Auction for action, Bid for creation!” The sale held inside at Grand Fayer Palais Garnier, for the benefit of creation and the sharing of art with all.
The art jeweler Feng J from Mainland China had the honor of donating her art work "Coeur Blanc" and successfully selling it with other offered lots, including luxury experiences from Chanel Haute Couture to Rolex, Chaumet, Prada, and Gagosian Gallery Paris, among the featured 34 lots estimated from EUR8k to lot no. 23 artwork by Anselm Kiefer sold at auction for EUR436,000.
"For me, the Palais Garnier is a spiritual monument because I engage in artistic activities. Through this donation, I hope to show that there is a link between creating a ballet and creating jewelry: it is a tribute to humanity."
said Feng J.
When jewelry meets ballet
Through the introduction of Opera de Paris, Feng met the renowned film director James Bort, who shot a series of short films for such famed houses as Hermes, Piaget, Balmain, etc. Monsieur Bort’s wife, Dorothée Gilbert, is also an Étoile, the most prestigious dancer of Opera de Paris. Monsieur Bort was very dedicated on this shoot, not only for his passion for ballet but also for his tremendous appreciation for Feng J’s art jewelry: "A piece of art jewelry is another kind of expression of the spirituality of humanity, same as what ballet does."
Première Danseuse Bleuenn Battistoni of the Paris Opera Ballet holding the Feng J ‘Blooming Dragonfly Diva’ brooch.
The story of the film was "When Jewelry Meets Ballet’, which was inspired by Feng J’s Day Dream, a mental adventure tour at the Palais Garnier. Four elite ballet dancers from Opera de Paris, Guillaume Diop, Bleuenn Battistoni, Mickal Lafon, and Adèle Belem, were lined up with Feng J as prestigious casting to perform in the film. Two versions of 1.5 minutes and 45 seconds and a series of portraits are the fabulous results of this project.
THE ART WORKS
Two signature pieces created by Feng J, "Blooming Dragonfly Diva" and "A Dragonfly Wearing Moonlight," were inspired by the poetic interpretation of ballet dancers from the Opéra de Garnier. Feng J also loves to use the motif of the dragonfly for her creations; she considers the dragonfly to be the natural dancer on earth, elegant yet effortless.
‘A Dragonfly Wearing Moonlight’ artwork by Chinese jeweller Feng J.
In these two pieces, by envolving her recognizable "Floating Set" technique into a new stage, the "Standing Mounting," brought to life by Feng J, is rather daring to mount stones in a vertical way and erecting from different angles, to open a new window for developing possibilities of jewelry mounting, in both an aesthetic and crafting way. It’s merely an attitude to disrupt oneself from conservatives who believe that creativity stands for anything possible, just as ballet is a salute to the civilization of humanity.
Feng J ‘Blooming Dragonfly Diva’ brooch with ‘Floating Set’ double rose-cut gemstones and the innovative ‘Standing Mounting’ technique to create a painterly style.
On March 15th, 2022, Feng J’s "Feuille de Ginkgo" brooch was accepted as one of the permanent collections in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, which made her the youngest jeweler to have art work appear in this prestigious art institution.
In 2016, Feng established her art jewelry brand in Paris. Feng’s creative mind when designing art jewelry is painting with gemstones, as if the impressionist painted the light, hue, and shadow. Her painterly style is originally creative, with very creative color combinations from "double rose-cut" gems to give a sense of cutting-edge aesthetic. The "Floating Set" technique is an innovation from Feng; its non-metal-base structure allows gemstones to seem incredibly floating in the air, letting the light go through the jewelry maximum and making the jewelry less weight.
Feng J., artist jeweller
Feng has frequently exhibited at exclusive art fairs, including La Biennale des Antiquaires Paris 2022, PAD London, Salon Art+Design (New York), Design Miami, and ART021. Her jewelry works are sought after by celebrities and art connoisseurs around the globe.
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In January 2023, Chinese art jeweller Feng J contributed one of her unique creations to Sotheby’s Paris to raise funds for Opéra Garnier. From this moment, an appreciation flourished between Feng and renowned director James Bort. Together, they have produced an enchanting film that transports us to a dreamland of high jewellery, opera and ballet, including signature pieces with innovative settings and craftsmanship. Let’s take a trip to the ballet together…
"Opéra de Paris" auction hosted by Opéra National de Paris, AROP (Friends of the Paris National Opera) and Sotheby's Paris in January 2023. The occasion was designed to raise funds for Palais Garnier (also known as Opéra Garnier), the French home of music and ballet, first built in the late 19th century at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III. Feng J donated a special piece to this worthy cause - ‘Coeur Blanc’ – a piece of pure art crafted at her atelier in white enamel, double rose- and brilliant-cut grey, purplish grey and black spinels that echoes her dynamic, avant garde style, coupled with an original drawing of the unique piece.
Through the auction event, Feng was introduced to renowned director James Bort, who has created fabulous campaign films for Hermes, Piaget, and Balmain, among others. His wife, Dorothée Gilbert, is a principal ballet dancer at the highest 'Étoile' level at the Paris Opera Ballet, which means he has a unique sensibility for the craft of ballet and artistic performance. Their conversations led to an idea – to blend the universes of jewellery and ballet into a short film featuring esteemed ballet dancers of the Paris Opera House.
Just a handful of months later, the film was brought to life, directed by Bort and featuring four incredible talents: Guillaume Diop (Étoile), Bleuenn Battistoni (Première Danseuse), Mickaël Lafon (Corypheus), and Adèle Belem (Quadrille). It tells the story of Feng visiting the Palais Garnier and being transported into a daydream of dancers who appear like magical illusions within the walls of the historic opera house. In addition to the short film, eight portraits were also commissioned of the elite dancers holding and wearing unique Feng J creations, including the 'Blooming Dragonfly Diva' and the 'Dragonfly Wearing Moonlight'.
The dragonfly is an important reference point for Feng J and a recurring theme in her jewels. She describes the winged insect as a "natural dancer" because of the way it dips and darts through the air with such lightness. There are clear parallels with ballet dancers, whose graceful movements can sometimes appear gravity-defying! She's produced two special pieces to interpret the physicality of ballet dancers in her own way: the pink-hued 'Blooming Dragonfly Diva' inspired by the Première Danseuse, Bleuenn Battistoni, and a more masculine blue iteration – 'A Dragonfly Wearing Moonlight' – using Guillaume Diop, the first black person to reach the rank of Étoile in the history of the Paris Opera Ballet, as the original inspiration.
In terms of construction, ‘A Dragonfly Wearing Moonlight’ did not start with the traditional method of carving wax before casting. Feng created the piece like an artist sculptor, using titanium, copper and gold to produce a framework in perfect harmony, like individual dancers working together to create something beautiful. The piece is finished with silver powder to evoke the shimmering of a lake beneath the night sky.
In both pieces, we can see Feng J's recognisable 'Floating Set' technique, which uses an extraordinarily lightweight skeleton structure to make double rose-cut gemstones appear as if they are poised in mid-air. Her palette of gem hues is also notable for its similarity to Impressionist art – almost like a watercolour painting – which is why Feng J is described as mastering a "painterly style" in high jewellery.
However, these two creations are special for a different reason. They demonstrate an elevated gemstone setting style and innovation from the Feng J atelier: the 'Standing Mounting'. Especially in the ‘Blooming Dragonfly Diva’ we see gemstones that are not laid flat but rather set vertically and facing outward at varying angles. These individual ‘standing’ gems are placed in cluster-like structures, as if myriad pastel-hued petals are blooming and growing in real-time, just like in the natural world. The ‘Standing Mounting’ innovation has the effect of adding volume and dimension to each piece without adding unnecessary weight. This is yet another example of how Feng J pushes the boundaries of high jewellery design while maintaining her romantic and whimsical aesthetic.
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