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Jeong-Yeon Lee proudly represents her country and her craft
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Jeong-Yeon Lee, G.G., G.J.
Photos courtesy of Jeong-Yeon Lee
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By Emily Stegman
A lot goes into choosing Korea's leading next-generation designers each year.
Members of the country's Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) first analyze candidates on scholastic ability, personal character and the state of their current business. Then, the designers give a presentation about their ambitions and how they would use their title to further develop the Korean design business.
The MOCIE must trust that the five or six designers they choose will be able to represent and develop Korea's design fields through the many appearances they will make, the cash prize they receive and the design business they work to develop throughout the year.
Jeong-Yeon Lee, a GIA Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) and Graduate Jeweler (G.J.) diploma holder, made the most of her year as one of the MOCIE's 2007 selections. She visited several trade shows, including BaselWorld and JCK, spoke to jewelry design students about her work and upcoming trends, and served as a judge for the "Good Design Award," which encompasses all fields of design in Korea.
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“Lotus Flower’s Seed Bag,” a necklace and earring suite from Lee’s “Minwha II” series made of 18K gold and rubies. Lotus flowers usually live in dirty ponds, Lee says, which reminds people that even if they live in an unclean world, they should strive to lead clean and beautiful lives.
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"I've been given so much support, in many different ways, by the Ministry of Commerce and made so many connections from all around the world through my fellow winners," Lee says.
Lee also worked to develop new design approaches by analyzing jewelry trends and created a jewelry collection, "Minwha II," that exhibits aspects of traditional Korean artwork through minimalism. The Seoul native plans to use what she's learned in this role to help start an export business.
"When I heard the news that Jeong-Yeon Lee was chosen as one of the young designers of the year from the Korean government, I was very happy and proud of her accomplishment," says Seung-Hae Moon, GIA's managing director of Education for the Asia Pacific region. "I thought, finally her hard work has been recognized."
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This necklace and brooch are part of Lee’s “Maze II” design made of silver and turquoise. She first sketched the design, which is based on her memories of playing with maze puzzles as a child, while taking GIA’s Jewelry Design Course. Mazes are a fitting model for dealing with real-life problems, Lee says, insisting there’s always a way to get past life’s roadblocks.
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Lee worked at a craftwork studio for two years after earning a bachelor's degree in ceramic art and a master's in metal craft. But, she said she was embarrassed when visitors to the studio asked questions about the jewelry pieces there and the different design aspects used to create them because she had little knowledge of both.
That's when the advice of a friend led her to start the G.G. program at GIA's headquarters in Carlsbad, California.
"Although I had some trouble with communication since I was a foreign student, I really worked hard because I didn't want to miss anything," Lee says of her time at the Robert Mouawad Campus.
She went on to complete the G.J. program at GIA and, after subsequent jewelry design, enameling and counter sketching training, earned one of her first international design awards: first place in the "World Facet Award" student category in 2002.
This was a source of encouragement for Lee and she has entered several design competitions since then. First place in the fifth South Sea Pearl Design Competition for her piece titled "Vincent Van Gough" in 2005 and third place in the 29th International Pearl Design Contest for "Destination of Love" in 2004 are among her other design honors.
Named after a mythical bird, Lee’s “Phoenix ” design is also inspired by Minwha artwork. It can be worn as either a pendant or earrings and is made of diamonds and 18K gold.
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After finishing her gemological education at GIA, Lee traveled back to her homeland to teach jewelry design at GIA Korea for just over a year – an experience that she says was the foundation for her work as a metal craft lecturer at Seoul National University of Technology.
"I want to instill faith and kindness in my students, just like my teachers at GIA did for me, and of course help them become more creative and imaginative," she says.
The young designer has also had three solo exhibitions, the last of which was in Osaka, Japan, in 2007, and participated in other group exhibitions including "Loot! 2006" at the Museum of Art & Design in New York and "Le Forme Del Gioiello" at GIA Florence.
Lee says her design concepts begin on paper because she enjoys the chance to sketch freely and express her emotions through her drawings. She sells these designs to companies and individual clients through her business, Lee Jeong Yeon Jewelry Design, which she established in 2004.
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“Carp,” a necklace of 18K gold, coral and golden pearl designed by Lee in 2007. She says the oversized pendant is a trend in jewelry design.
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One big source of inspiration for Lee, and the basis for the collection she created last year, is a folk painting style from late 18th-century Korea called Minwha. The style was popularized during the Lee Dynasty, when common citizens didn't have access to artists living in the palace and wanted to create artwork for their own homes.
"Minwha artwork is not drawn very well, it ignores composition, the color is very vivid and it sometimes looks like a child's painting," Lee explains. "But, it also shows ordinary people's hopes, their satirical views of high society and love - it's a chance for the artist to express all of their emotions."
Lee has developed two series of Minwha-inspired jewelry: the first exhibits more colorful, trendy and detailed pieces; the second combines minimalism with 2007 trends, such as large pendants and earrings. She is developing a third series for mass production, which she hopes to unveil at the 2008 Hong Kong Jewellery & Watch Fair.
Lee says she is looking forward to her future in jewelry design and is grateful for her time at GIA and the opportunities it has given her in the industry.
"When I see my GIA Alumni Association card holder that says 'Proud Member' in my office, I'm grateful for all of the times I had in Carlsbad and miss all of the friends and teachers I met," Lee says.
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