YUKI MITSUYASU

Believed to have been discovered during the 7th century, Japan’s ominous Mount Fuji is the country’s tallest mountain at over 12,000 feet.

The frigid region was once the training location of samurai warriors, and in 1867 Lady Fanny Parkes was the first woman to ascend the peak.

Japan is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Yuki Mitsuyasu.

The creation of jewelry in and of itself is an undertaking of patient forethought whether a designer performs the task single-handedly or has a team of artisans to help him or her.

When a jewelry designer takes on incorporating an additional element of surprise, like movable or detachable parts, this definitely brings jewelry making to a whole other level.

Irish jewelry designer Alan Ardiff, Michael Berger (South Africa), Yael Sonia (France), and Tania Patterson (New Zealand) are just a few designers who create kinetic forms of jewelry.

While the aforementioned designers’ jewelry is playful in tone, Mitsuyasu brings a soulful twist to functional modern jewelry. A graduate of London’s Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Mitsuyasu had a propensity for creating three-dimensional objects even as a child.

“In 2001, when I was 18, I took a course at Saint Martins called Foundation in Art and Design. Since I was a child I loved creating things, particularly 3-D designs so I was very excited about taking the course,” she says.

Like the jewelry of her contemporaries, beneath the sleek, classic outlines of sterling silver or 18-karat yellow gold vermeil is finely engineered components of innovation. The simple, 18-karat gold vermeil star pendant necklace from her Shine Collection, for instance, holds a sweet secret.

“A lot of my designs are inspired by personal experiences. Shine is a very personal collection for me as it was inspired by the words of my father who told me that religion, nationality or wealth does not matter when choosing a life partner. He said that if a man can let me shine then he is a man worth being with.

The star pendant is actually two separate halves that have heart-shaped magnetic clasps at their center. The clasps symbolize two hearts; two people. The two parts are bold and unique from the other; when the magnetic clasps or two hearts connect the two halves become complete in the form of a star.”

Based on the items featured on her website, each jewelry piece holds an inventive mechanism in the guise of popular trendy jewelry styles such as a heart pendant necklace, gold ball chains, or hoop earrings.

Mitsuyasu takes a bold, contemporary approach to fashion jewelry that is filled with great spontaneity and romanticism.

“Many things really excite and affect me and I want to share and express them through my designs.”
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Photo 1 (top right): 18-Karat Gold Vermeil Star Pendant Necklace from Shine Collection
Photo 2 (center): 18-Karat Gold Vermeil Eclipse Necklace from Pendulum Collection
Photo 3 (bottom left): Silver Sterling Small Necklace from Bow Collection