In traditional jewellery-making, the crown of a gemstone often takes centre stage, proudly shimmering on the fingers of the newly betrothed and becoming an iconic image. Yet, for jeweller and Central Saint Martins’ graduate Lois Lo, this singular focus on one facet of a stone doesn’t capture its full splendour.

Through innovative setting techniques, Lois shifts the spotlight to the often-overlooked facets of gemstones, unveiling their hidden depths and unique characteristics. Her method brings out the intricate interplay of light and texture, revealing the full complexity of each stone in ways traditional settings may overlook. Influenced by her background in product development and a deep appreciation for architecture, Lois’s early industrial aesthetic has gradually evolved into a style that echoes the elegance of the Art Deco movement.

For her distinctive and thoughtful approach to jewellery-making, Lois has been honoured with a spot in Shine 2024, an annual showcase celebrating emerging talent in the jewellery and silversmithing industry.

From Product Design to Jewellery: Lois Lo’s Journey into the Industry
I first came to London with the goal of becoming a product designer, but I had the opportunity to try out different subjects, and fell in love with jewellery making. I got bored of just woodworking. I've been making objects or products in wood since I was in high school, over six or seven years, and I had the opportunity to work with metal for the first time. I fell in love with the material, and so decided that I should switch to jewellery.

I saw jewellery as a miniature version of product design. I went to Central Saint Martins for jewellery design as my BA and then after Covid, I applied for the Royal College of Art to do a master’s degree there in jewellery and metal.

Shift from Industrial to Art Deco and Modernist Styles
I think my style shifts between Art Deco and modernist. It's definitely inspired by buildings and geometry - my jewellery is like miniature architecture. Due to my product design background, I started out with a very industrial style, with a lot of nuts, bolts, and screws, but slowly, I’ve become more contemporary and more fluid with my lines and shapes. Slowly, over the past two years, my design style has evolved to become more Art Deco and modernist.

Sources of Inspiration
I started looking for inspiration in packaging design. I was first inspired by an artist called Otilia Andrea Erdelyi. She redesigned an egg carton with less material, hence making it less wasteful. I found the idea of being sustainable in our daily lives and redesigning things that already exist interesting. Improving pe-existing designs is what I wanted to do with jewellery, rather than approaching jewellery with traditional skills. I wanted to challenge those traditional skills. Specifically, during my MA at the Royal College of Art (RCA), I wanted to challenge the relationship between the stone and the setting and approach the setting in a different way.

So rather than just manipulating the metal to fit around a stone, I wanted to find a balance - where the stone can make space for the structure. So I actively carved into the gemstones to make space for my wires to sit, and that way I could set my stones at different angles. During that project, I made it my mission to set stones only showing the girdle, which is the side of the stone on a baguette cut, to emphasise that characteristic. Other facets in a stone are as equally important as the top-facing gemstone facet. I used the gemstones as a building block to build my jewellery.

My inspiration started from there, and slowly became a more visual interpretation of architecture.

Shine 2024: The Significance of Being Chosen
Being chosen for Shine definitely means a lot to me. It's given me a lot of confidence, and  makes me feel I'm being recognised. It exposes me to customers that might not otherwise discover my work.

I really wanted to get a position in Shine because I know that the programme offers a lot of training in how to present myself and branding. I am quite shy and I can be scared to release my work to the public, so I think this will be a really good opportunity for me to face my fears and polish up my presenting skills.

What to Expect from the Collection
The collection I'll be debuting at Shine is an extension or a development of my collection that was done at the RCA. I've continued to use stainless steel as my main collection material, and continue to use laser welding.

I would say the Greenhouse Ring is definitely one of my favourites in the collection because it was so difficult to make, all the stones had to stack on top of each other precisely. Every time I finished one of those rings, it gives me a sense of accomplishment.

My other favourite one would be the Temple Ring. I had an idea for this ring in my mind I thought it was absolutely ridiculous, but I made it anyway. To my surprise, it came out so beautifully that I wanted to wear it every day.

Breaking New Ground: First Experience with Stainless Steel and Laser Welding
Well, this is actually my first time using stainless steel in my collection. I've always enjoyed using non-precious metals in my creations, as often, precious metals are quite soft. The way that I approach setting - I call it creative setting - requires the material to have really hard characteristics, so I enjoyed using brass previously for a very long time, and this is my first time using stainless steel and combining it with the laser welder. So it’s definitely been a learning curve for me.

I would be interested in developing my work, not only in stainless steel, but also mild steel, and actually further down the line, in platinum as well. Mainly, I think my focus from creative setting has now slowly shifted to working with manipulating the metal better, learning techniques from machinery and combining new technology with old traditional methods. So I would specifically like to choose material that works well with the laser welder, so I can continue to make my structures that way, whilst testing out different metals.

Design Process: From Carving Stones to Creating Wearable Art
Currently, my first step is carving out my stones, carving different locations on the stone itself, and then laser welding structure upon structure to test out whether that works. At the end of the  day, the stone has to be secure and stay in place, otherwise, there will be complaints from the client. After that, I would slowly build on top of the foundation made at the first stage and evolve that into a wearable piece.

I'm quite a hands-on person. I just pick up a stone and I carve, or I pick up wires and weld them together. It's rare that I actually sit down and write down my measurements and calculate precisely, except for when I know that a particular stone setting method works. Then I might articulate carefully how each stone stacks upon each other, or how the structure would work. I would say however that 90% of my collection comes from me simply picking up material and playing with it. The first time making something might be a test, and then the second time, I’ll tweak details to make it more comfortable to wear or to fix any minor issues. 

Bold and Statement-Making: The Audience Drawn to Lois Lo’s Unique Designs
I think someone who enjoys a really bold style. Some of my pieces are not as commercial as others, a lot of them are statement pieces. So possibly someone who always has events to go to, or enjoys wearing eye-catching jewellery.

Looking Forward
Currently, I have a few exhibitions that I'm working on, like the Cockpit Arts Award, and I’m also doing their Winter Open Studios this November, as well as next year in the summer. I also have a couple of friends I want to open a private exhibition with. I’ll be looking out for competitions and open calls, and hopefully, by next year, I have the courage and confidence to apply for Goldsmiths’ Fair.