Spot the Designer - Ziqing Wei/ USA

What did you want to be when you were a child?

To be honest I was always dreaming to be a fashion designer when I was a child. I would cut my own dress to make a new one for my doll. However I was really good at science courses which means I didn’t have much choices as an Asian kid.

When have you started creating jewelry? How did this passion come about?

 I was majored in gemstone identification and metalsmithing for my bachelor degree. It sounds very close to jewelry design but it is actually a engineering program. Gemstone were valued by their weight, color or cutting qualities with very strict standards. I saw a lot of beautiful stones set into bad designs. At that time I started to thinking what’s the real value of a jewelry piece and it brought me to SCAD to learn how to create impressive jewelry pieces.

What was your first project or significant piece for you and from what point of view?

For this piece I was inspired from an ancient poem that every Chinese knows 《静夜思》（Thinking in the Silence of Night）. I was trying to picture a scene: when you were lying in the bed and look out of the window, you can see Moonlight fell on the leaves with wind went through it.

In this piece I want to Express the yearning for my hometown. In many ancient Chinese poems, Moon was a typical symbol of missing because no matter where you go you can always share the same moon with people you love. I used springs to replace some of the twigs so the leaves could shake a little bit when the brooch moves. The circle behind the branch could be seem as a traditional Chinese wood window as the pic

Or it can be seem as “The moon dims or shines; it waxes or wanes. Nothing is perfect, not even in the olden days”

For me it is Chinese romance “ I told the moon how much I miss and the moon would relate my words.”

How do you charge your batteries? What other passions and creative interests do you have?

Traveling would always cheer me up when I stuck in my current life. Different view and people from different countries can bring me a lot of inspirations.

I am really good at cooking and baking and I’d like to share my food with some friends. For me cooking and baking can makes me feel I’m alive and it’s another artwork of mine.

What does the connection between manufacturing tradition and contemporary design mean to you?

I always think that we should learn about the history, not only those big events but also try to understand how would people think, feel and do with those specific background. Needs always go before desires, but when needs are satisfied people would desire better designs.

Is there a self-portrait piece that speaks most about you?

This is my self-portrait brooch I made for myself. In real life we have to play different roles, sometimes we like the role sometimes we don’t. I learnt to cover some shortness of mine when I talk to people, but at the end I have to face the real me. I could be very aggressive and it hurt others, so I softened my sharp edges. I have a highly emotional disposition but I know emotional stability is what adults should try to maintain. That’s why I put the “porker face” in front of the slant one. Learning about myself is my life goal and that the only way I could get rid of loneliness in those time people don’t understand me.

Which material have you not yet used is a temptation and a challenge for you?

Glasses. I used a lot of glasses in my pieces and I still learning how to handle this material. Those colorful, crystal glasses really attracted me however they are also very heavy and fragile. It is also very tricky to change the shape of glass, they kept cracking while cooling down. I try some stone setting methods to combine silver and glass some of them worked some didn’t. I will keep working on these techniques.

How was the pandemic period for you as a jewelry designer?

It was extremely hard I have to say. As a international student, I was not allowed to use the studio during the pandemic. For almost one year all I could do was watching videos and taking online classes. It was a disaster for jewelry making. I prefer to get inspiration from making and playing with different material. I tried use some materials in my apartment but still I wanted to work in studio.

How do you see the future of contemporary jewelry?

Cultural diversity is now becoming more and more popular around the world which I think will create a very friendly environment for contemporary jewelry.

Find more about the designer Ziqing Wei