By Cynthia Unninayar
With her two passions as inspiration—one for jewellery and
one for flowers—designer Ji-Eun Kim created a very original
and beautiful collection of fine jewellery using real blossoms.
For Korean designer, Ji-Eun Kim, traditional jewellery did not go far enough
in expressing her love of Nature. “On earth, there is nothing more
beautiful than Nature, especially its colourful flowers,” she muses. “I
wanted to capture this beauty in gold and precious gemstones.” She
and her team at Vajra experimented with various casting techniques to
try and cast real flowers and leaves.
“The first challenge was to find flowers that did not wilt. The second
was to give the right colour to the flowers once they were cast,”
she explains. In addition to capturing Nature’s blooms in precious
metals, she set out to find eco-friendly materials and manufacturing
techniques. After all, immortalizing Nature in flowers and leaves is
one thing. “But it is also important not to harm the environment in the
process,” she insists.
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The result is a special precision casting technique using
gold or platinum that realizes the actual form and texture
of the natural living flower or leaf without using any
artificial treatments. Innovative and original, this
technique has received several patents. When
you think that a leaf or flower’s thickness is
approximately 0.2 to 0.3 mm, the reproduction
of the blossom is quite amazing. “All of our
jewellery is carefully handcrafted in our
workshop in Korea, and we often have
customers who bring in flowers that have
a special significance for them. We will
cast them, put in the right colours, and provide
them with a beautiful piece of jewellery. It is a
memorable keepsake of an important occasion
that they can cherish forever.”
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Vajra’s Gina Collection is sold in the brand’s
own boutiques in Korea and China, as well as
through retailers in Hong Kong, China, Japan,
Taiwan, Singapore, Dubai, and the United
States. The brand is also present at the major
trade shows in Korea, China, Hong Kong, Dubai,
and JCK Las Vegas. Are there plans to expand? “Yes,”
adds Ji-Eun Kim. “We are now starting to explore the European
market.” Where, it is sure, customers will appreciate the eternal blossoms
of Vajra’s Gina Collection.
gina4u.com
