[From amulets that bring good luck and beautiful and useful accessories to works of art that look good just by looking at them.. A multipurpose world of jewelry that you can enjoy as you wish]

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It is the individual story of the artist that makes it possible to endure the tedious process of selecting, cutting, and arranging jewels in a world where humans' large and small roles are readily entrusted to machines. In the end, only that survives for a long time.

Artist Lee Jung-hyun has been making sculptures and crafts with leather for a long time, and now he is presenting jewelry made using wax carving and precision casting techniques through his own brand called 'Ape Object'.

“The back of the pendant, which embodies the head of a mythical figure or a Buddha statue, vividly contains the skull, brain, and cut surfaces of bones.

In contrasting images, the idea that everything is not absolute is projected.

All symbols cannot be interpreted with only one meaning. It comes into contact with an individual’s life and creates new meaning.” 

What matters is the story. It increases the collectible value.

“I want to make jewelry that can be owned and appreciated in the future. My works are not just accessories, but I think of them as objects or small sculptures that will be placed on someone's skin". 

Junghyun Lee's studio located in Seoul can be regarded as a training space for an ascetic. On the narrow desk, it was as if the layers of time he practiced while carefully fiddling with materials with a fine needle passed by. In this way, jewelry becomes an art piece that moves people's hearts.

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Editor. GAYEONG RYU
Writer. AREUM KIM