Peony with a Rock brooch

Stainless steel, fine gold

Joungmee makes contemporary jewellery that is inspired by, and references, Korean folklore, traditional wrapping cloth (pojagi) and metal inlay techniques (iybsa). Her work has technical references to stitching, patchwork and layering as well as symbolic references to happiness, blessings and yin and yang philosophy. She often uses the simple forms of circles and squares (circles representing heaven, sun and females, and squares representing the earth, moon and males). Joungmee’s pieces can be identified by the characteristic layering of textured chiseling, giving the metal a velvety surface. The chisel marks both conceal and reveal layers of imagery.