Soldering sterling silver, Wei Yi Lau has crafted 22 stunning brooches, pendants and earrings holding agate stones with intricate fern-like patterns for her latest handcrafted jewellery line Dendritic.
Often called by collectors as the stone of plenitude, dendritic agate is a translucent to opaque stone with branch patterns formed by naturally occurring maganese and iron oxide, and is often associated with abundance, prosperity and growth.
“I chose the dendritic agate in developing my latest line because it captures intricacies yet maintains an elegant, minimalism that’s beautiful with silver,” said Wei Yi. “The design of each of the silver pieces that hold the stone have branch-like protrusions that complement the natural patterns within the stone.”
The first Bruneian to take jewellery design at Curtin University, Wei Yi crafts her pieces solo at her home studio. Initially balancing making jewellery and a job with an insurance firm, Wei Yi recently left the corporate world to pursue her craft full-time, and is looking to launch a website selling her creations that she hopes will service not only the local but international market.
“I’ve put out four lines so far in addition to individual pieces and custom orders,” said Wei Yi. “What sets apart the jewellery (from more mainstream brands) is that each piece is crafted individually making each one unique. No two pieces are alike.”
The collection, priced mostly between $300 to $400, was launched this weekend at Avenue 41, Kiarong under premium electronics and furniture retailer Sejalin’s SENSES campaign, which looks to promote the creations of local entrepreneurs alongside international brands.
You can get in touch and check out Wei Yi’s full collection at @wyljewellery on Instagram.
