Chinese Contemporary Jewellery Design

Cao, an internationally renowned artist residing both in the US and China, puts the work in context for the Western jewelry world by offering background, and exploring the contributions by renowned forces in jewelry design—including Norman Cherry, Anja Eichler, Mary Lee Hu, and Shannon Xin. Cao explains jewelry design’s history and development in China during the periods from 1990 through 2020, including phases of Early Exploration (1990–1999), New Voice (2000–2007), Adaption and Communication (2008–2012), and Great Flux (2013–2020). With more than 350 photos of important works, learn how the contemporary artists of China are offering the world one-of-a-kind design styles as they absorb, shape, and reflect the inheritance and innovation of Chinese tradition.

About the author

Dr. Bifei Cao is a maker and educator who lives both in the United States and China. A native of China, he has been living in the United States and Australia for over ten years, holding a permanent status of Alien of Extraordinary Ability in the United States. Cao received an MFA degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania under Lynda LaRoche and a Ph.D. in research from the ANU School of Art, Australia. By utilizing traditional Chinese crafts and its related philosophies, he creates jewelry-based objects and hollowware that reflect his personal life experience and an approach of bringing traditional techniques into contemporary life. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including nine solo exhibitions at Australia, the United States, New Zealand and China. he has received the 2018 AJF Artist Award from Art Jewelry Forum with serving as one of three juries for the 2020 AJF Young Artist Award. He has worked as residency artists at the Peters Valley School of Craft, University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Craft Alliance in the United States and the Wellington Asia Residency Exchange in the New Zealand. He also worked as a visiting professor or artist that taught contemporary jewelry and metals at universities both nationally and internally. He is currently working as an associate professor in the School of Art and Design, Guangdong University of Technology, China.