Name: Sally Leung
Brand: Lyleu Jewellery
Location: Gadigal country (Sydney, Australia)
Website: https://www.lyleujewellery.com/
Social Handle: @lyleujewellery 

Current favourite material or tool:
Kate Wolf and Ferris’ gold wax and Kate Wolf’s micro carvers. I invested in the micro carvers about a year or so ago to do more detailed work. My next addition would be the regular sized carvers by Kate Wolf as well. I can’t recommend the carvers enough. They’re worth it! 

Short description of your work style or philosophy:
I find inspiration from horror movies, mythology, art, nature, and personal experiences. If I feel like I’m having a creative block, I’ll watch my favourite horror movies and just try and sketch something with no particular goal in mind. This process frees up any feeling of hesitation or anxiety about starting something new.

Above image from Heavenward - Photography by Britt Murphy

How does your creative process influence your day-to-day life?
Everything can become a source of inspiration. Being a jeweller makes me notice the jewellery other people are wearing or even just the way someone styles themselves, can sometimes inspire an idea. Watching movies is probably one of the biggest influences on my work, as well as art.

Could you describe a recent moment in the studio that sparked a new idea or approach?
I’ve had an idea to expand on the Hilt ring, one of my popular ring designs, and play around with scale and shapes based on the main features of this ring. The design was initially inspired by the cross section of a sword, and is quite minimal. I want to expand on this idea and see where the original features can evolve to as I play around with the shapes and scale in wax. I’ve been thinking about revisiting other older designs and updating them with the techniques I know now. This idea has been particularly motivating for me at the moment.

Current Projects / Work in Progress 

Are there any concepts or pieces in progress that you’re particularly excited about?
My most recent collection, Nature’s Return, has been a collection in progress that I’m really excited to develop. The concept is about physical human defence mechanisms being handmade, like armour and weaponry, and how plants and animals develop physiological defence mechanisms just through evolution. I’ve always thought of jewellery as “armour” in a way, because of how humans have attached sentimentality and symbolism to jewellery throughout time. Jewellery in ancient times could be thought to have special powers or be cursed, and they were also used to show someone’s social or relationship status. This concept is about combining these hand forged metal wearables with plant and animal physiology to show how we naturally look back at metaphysical concepts and symbols in nature to find meaning in our lives, and then imbue them into the jewellery or clothing we wear.

Above image from Nature's Return - Photography by Sally Leung

How do you decide which ideas to develop next?
I look at what I’ve done before and what is missing from those concepts. I usually have an idea brewing in my mind for a while, and if I don’t manage to flesh that out for one collection, I try again in the next. As a result I think each collection has shown signs of the one that comes after. Sometimes I go really far back and I can remember what I was trying to do in another collection that I didn’t have the technical skills for at the time and try to rethink it and apply what I know now to it. That applies to both technical skills and conceptual ideas. I also apply just a general feeling that I’ve had in that period of my life and try to make something that feels expressive of that or empowering in some way.

Are you experimenting with new materials, tools, or techniques at the moment?
Hand engraving has always been a dream of mine. I have started to put together some engraving tools and instructional books, or look for tutorials online to get me started. It’s really hard. But I’m determined to just get good at straight lines for now!