Jewelry designer Wing Yau created WWAKE in 2011 in the most artistic way possible. A sculptor at heart, Wing likes to experiment with texture, movement and flow, creating something truly unique. Her minimalistic style has stirred up a cult following, and I was easily one of them!
I was honored to catch up with her before the craziness of Couture!
I’m developing a small collection of simple engagement rings and wedding bands and working on the next WWAKE collection. I’m interested in exploring simple, yet surprising stone settings with my upcoming work. Lots of opals too!
I’m actually trained in sculpture, not jewelry. Back in school they encouraged us to make large sculptures out of bronze, wood and clay. Though it was kind of overwhelming then, it made making jewelry quite natural. All of my experience in jewelry comes from applying those basic sculpture techniques into a small scale.
WWAKE started by experimenting with rope sculptures, and how to make them wearable. As I continued to make pieces that were more “challenging” in terms of traditional jewelry, I also understood the timeless value of wearable, metal jewelry. Everything just snowballed from there!
I like making little sketches out of clay and seeing how the forms relate to each other. I look to a lot of painting for inspiration.
Just a lot more jewelry! I hope to grow the WWAKE with an awesome team behind it and keep offering the world inspiring things.
It’s a simple & beautiful ivory ring from my grandma.
