The butterfly effect: Cindy Chao’s masterpieces take flight
For most of us, a piece of jewellery is a treasured heirloom or a momentary indulgence. For Cindy Chao, jewellery is timeless art—miniature architecture sculpted by light, movement and the echoes of a 20-year journey. As her eponymous brand celebrates its anniversary, the exhibition Twenty Years in Art: A Retrospective Journey at Taipei’s Fubon Art Pavilion is not merely a showcase; it’s a crystallisation of Chao’s metamorphosis from an artisan of wax to a master jeweller whose creations defy boundaries.
The crown jewel of this exhibition is the 2019 Black Label Masterpiece I Aurora Butterfly Brooch. Suspended as if mid-flight, this titanium marvel glows with pigeon’s blood Burmese rubies and rose-cut diamonds, an ode to the vibrant auroras that inspired its creation. Its levitating display within a sculptural forest at the exhibition is poetic, capturing the essence of nature’s fleeting beauty and Cindy Chao’s love for the ethereal.
2019 Black Label Masterpiece I Aurora Butterfly Brooch (Photo: courtesy of Cindy Chao The Art Jewel)
2013-14 Black Label Masterpiece I Ballerina Butterfly Brooch (Photo: courtesy of Cindy Chao The Art Jewel)
2022 Black Label Masterpieces X & XI Spring Cardamom Brooches (Photo: courtesy of Cindy Chao The Art Jewel)
Cindy Chao's 2007 Black Label Masterpiece Winter Branch Necklace and Bangle (Photo: courtesy of Cindy Chao The Art Jewel)
What sets Chao apart is the artistic influence of her family—a daughter of artistry and architecture, she stepped into a male-dominated European craftsmanship scene with nothing but her sculptor’s hands and unyielding vision. Wax sculpting became her calling card, a method learned from her grandfather’s architectural precision and her father’s emotive sculptures. These origins pulse through her works, seen in the intricate folds of the Winter Leaves Necklace or the dynamic antlers of the Stag Brooch.
The Aurora Butterfly, however, feels deeply personal. It is a reflection of both her brand’s evolution and her own—a departure from her earlier monochromatic solemnity into vibrant, unrestrained mastery. The butterfly, a motif Chao revisits yearly, embodies transformation. For her, it’s an emblem of the artist she has become, her creations now lighter, freer and brimming with the quiet confidence of one who knows their craft intimately. Since 2008, the Annual Butterfly series defines the brand's artistry, showcasing Chao's evolution. Two pieces in prestigious museums, this coveted collection remains exclusive to brand collectors until 2028.
Twenty Years in Art: A Retrospective Journey at Taipei’s Fubon Art Pavilion (Photo: courtesy of Cindy Chao The Art Jewel)
As the exhibition spans three creative epochs—Emergence, Taking Wing and Artistic Mastery—it invites visitors to trace Cindy Chao’s growth. From her monochromatic solitude in 2004 to today’s architectural treasures, every piece resonates with her relentless mission to defy the ordinary.
The exhibition was housed in Renzo Piano’s “urban forest”, and could not have found a better home. Chao’s pieces, like nature itself, resist being contained, unfolding in sculptural, organic lines. Her Black Label Masterpieces, particularly the Aurora Butterfly, serves as a testament to two decades of passion, artistry and connection to nature.
Cindy Chao’s creations aren’t merely worn; they are lived—jewels that transform the everyday into a stage for artistry, where beauty flutters effortlessly between the extraordinary and the intimate.
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