Late in Autumn, the sky is clearer, the nights are longer, and the leaf colors are richer. Autumn is a very beautiful season. Initially, I had planned to write about autumn waka poems that describe what ancient people thought while looking at the beautiful nature, but I want to share with you a personal story that has become a milestone for Ki-Chu New York.
Last week, I attended a beautiful dinner on the 54th floor with stunning views of New York, hosted by contemporary fine jewelry brand, Authorne. This brand was founded by a very talented Canadian-Chinese jewelry artist, Rachel Bu, just last year. In fact, she was my first client and has been supporting Ki-Chu New York ever since. She is a visual artist and has a deep love for Japanese culture, so I have been sharing all that I know with her.
Her jewelry features contemporary designs using 18K gold, diamonds, and emeralds. So when she asked me to collaborate on an event, I had no idea how fine jewelry and traditional Japanese ceramics could work together.
Then, she showed me her collections. What struck me was the incorporation of traditional Japanese techniques, such as raden and maki-e, into some of her contemporary jewelry. She asked me to wear raden earrings at the dinner. Raden (螺鈿) is a decorative technique that uses the iridescent inner layer of abalone shell, turban shell, or pearl oyster shell, and it is typically used in traditional Japanese art pieces. I had never thought it could be incorporated into fine jewelry. It was the moment when I could see that my thoughts unexpectedly took out a wonderful way.
I am the founder of Ki-Chu New York, and we specialize in helping people enjoy traditional Japanese culture. Specifically, we sell ceramics and urushi ware. Our mission extends to workshops and events, where we share Japanese traditions and foster cultural appreciation in everyday life. We are dedicated to preserving and passing down our rich cultural heritage.
On that night, I wore the raden earrings. At the end of dinner, I explained the reason for removing all jewelry in the tea room, removed the beautiful earrings, and served matcha to all the guests.
This was a casual way, but it was a great opportunity for the guests to experience a sense of Japanese traditional culture.
I believe Authorne represents a fresh approach to utilizing these techniques—a rich cultural heritage passed down since ancient times—paving the way for the future.
It was the beautiful autumn night in NYC.