115. JOEY ZHONG: A SPACE BETWEEN SEARCH AND BELONGING.

An interview with jeweller Joey Zhong - Jewellery Market Summer Exhibition - Dover Street Market - LONDON.

Joey Zhong, ‘Wrapped Topaz Ring’, sterling silver, white topaz, copper, 2024. Image originally by Joey Zhong - reprinted for a limited edition book for the Jewellery Market Summer Exhibition for Dover street Market, London, featuring 34 emergent designers, curated by Mimi Hoppen.

…My pieces tell a personal story of my family’s journey of migration from China to Australia… It is through motifs of basketry and the idea of seeds scattering that I visualise diaspora; a physical and metaphorical journey of the search for belonging. J.Z.

What is your relationship with jewellery and what does it mean for you as an object?

The very nature of jewellery is intimate, in the way it is crafted, acquired, and worn. It is arguably one of the most intimate of objects. It is layered with meaning.

Jewellery, for me, is about storytelling. As a designer and artist, jewellery is a medium through which poetic understandings of people, objects and place are translated. I see my pieces as metaphors that speak to explorations of identity and shared human experiences. I design and create wearable objects of art that aim to find resonance with people through tactility and the adornment of the body. There is a vulnerable beauty in the passing of a narrative from the artist to the viewer or wearer — a symbiosis where meaning is reinterpreted, allowing a story to form a life of its own. 

You have a particular approach to using certain materials within your practice…

I have a fascination with objects made for holding and carrying. They serve as a metaphor for paths travelled. The need to hold and carry is embodied through the craft of basketry, a process that is inseparable from the hands that weave it. In my recent work, my pieces tell a personal story of my family’s journey of migration from China to Australia. I developed experimental ways of setting gemstones that reference traditional methods of weaving and wrapping. Here, gemstones and pearls play the role of seeds. It is through these motifs of basketry and the idea of seeds scattering that I visualise diaspora; a physical and metaphorical journey of the search for belonging. Dispersing from their homeland, the journey of the seed is like the migration of people: the carrying of belongings, memory and a longing for home.

My practice embodies my interpretation of jewellery as a celebration of artistry and sensibility towards materiality. The true beauty and value lie within the treatment of a material, in the ability to highlight a material’s natural beauty. I do so in the sensitive weaving of materials and gemstones. I bring together my appreciation of traditional jewellery craftsmanship with the language of contemporary design and a desire to weave jewellery convention into something new.

What have been your signalling moments of learning within your creative journey?

I think the wonderful thing about the creative journey is the endless learning. Learning through action, but also through observations of art, history, culture and interactions of the everyday. 

A specific moment that opened my eyes to what jewellery could be resided in the pages of a book, stumbled across at the Central Saint Martins library. I remember finding ‘Unclasped: Contemporary British Jewellery’ (Costin, Gilhooley, 1997), during my first year in London while studying my Foundation Diploma. At the time, I was still trying to find where I could see myself situated in the creative context. As soon as I started looking through the book, I was completely mesmerised by the striking images of silver wires, seemingly pierced through the mouth and neck. It was, of course, the work of Shaun Leane for Alexander McQueen. Seeing Shaun’s work truly unlocked a path of discovery into this incredible world of jewellery, which could be macabre but beautiful, fashion yet reminiscent of traditional jewellery craftsmanship. Full of contradiction and contrast yet harmonious. It was a signalling moment that led me to pursue jewellery design. It challenged everything I thought I understood about jewellery, and it still excites me today.

I have since had the chance to express my admiration to Shaun in person, as I had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside him during an internship in 2023. It was every bit as magical and surreal as I thought it would be.

Do you have certain pieces of jewellery which you wear, and if so, can you express how they came into your life?

I can’t quite recall much jewellery being worn amongst my family growing up, or be able to pinpoint specific pieces of jewellery. It is an interesting realisation to be had. Perhaps the most meaningful pieces of jewellery to me are those that are not so often worn but can be found stored carefully at home, each with memories attached. 

I have a very close relationship with my grandparents. They immigrated to Australia to care for me when I was born, and they have indelibly shaped who I am. I attribute much of my early creative curiosity to my grandma. I have fond memories of her making beaded rings, bracelets and necklaces, which she learned at our local community centre. She would make them for me to wear and even more for me to gift to my friends. There was a chunky pink lariat, rings in the shape of flowers and bracelets where strands of beads wove in and out of each other. They were made using ordinary, affordable plastic beads. I rediscovered them on my most recent visit home. I adore them not because of their material value, but because of the hands that crafted them. I have kept them for so long that the nylon threads had become brittle, so much so that some of the pieces snapped when I tried to pick them up, with beads scattering everywhere. I think there is beauty in their interaction with time.

What are your signals for change? 

The beauty of change lies in its nonlinearity, unpredictability and open-endedness. Sometimes, the signals for change occur quite intuitively. In a particular moment in time, I might be guided towards a new direction that simply feels right. It is a feeling that sometimes escapes the confines of rationality. At other times, obstacles are encountered that necessitate adaptation. These often initially present as a failure or setback, but I choose to see these moments as a chance for reorientation. If it were thought of as a line between comfort and fear, when given the choice, I try to follow the path that challenges me more.

Change is inevitable. It is a matter of whether you choose to fight or embrace it. 

Extracted pages of a limited edition book by Joe Richards, made for the exhibition featuring works by 34 jewellery designers, including Caitlin Murphy, Joey Zhong, Els Op de Beeck, Emily Francis Barrett, Jet MCQUISTON and Miya Kumo. Available from Dover Street Market, London.

JOEY ZHONG

Jewellery Market Summer Exhibition - Dover Street Market London - Until 4th August 2025. Curated by Mimi Hoppen.

With thanks to Dickon Bowden, Mimi Hoppen, Daisy Hoppen, Richard Windsor and Lixx Dias and DSM London.

M-A (A SPACE BETWEEN) Issue 4: Signals is available now.