Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Bio: Jennifer Ming Yu Wang (@MingYuWangNewYork), Jewelry Designer and Founder of Ming Yu Wang
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
Studio Location: Brooklyn, NY
Describe what you make: I design statement jewelry through my love of form and structure, and follow an ethical approach of using recycled metal, gemstones, and freshwater pearls.
When I started my brand I decided to use my Chinese name. It was a way for me to define my work life living in New York and give a new identity to the characters that my grandparents chose for me when I was born. Incidentally, Ming Yu Wang means King of Jade so maybe my path to making jewelry was always present.
The idea of wearable art was first introduced to me as a child growing up in Taipei, watching my mom and her friends playing Mahjong stylishly on full display until the early hours. At the table all the attention is on your hands and the subtleties you make over your next moves. I remember just staring quietly at how fabulous everyone looked when they transformed into glittering movie stars on these rare nights. There was a deep connection to my heritage in these memories that I couldn’t place until recently. I feel that the inspiration for my designs came from this moment. Our family, culture, style, and our stories, all on display at one table. This is how I envisioned statement jewelry then and for now.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: I was really touched when my friends Diana and Nick asked me to design their wedding bands, but when they chose one of my classic signet rings to be their symbol of love, it caught me by surprise. This ring means so much to me and to know that they wanted this to symbolize their bond, it just put another perspective on what I’m creating and how some people interpret it and make it their own. After a lot of exploring I decided to encrust the rings with diamonds. Nick’s ring had a border of 1mm brilliant cut diamonds on the face of the ring while Diana’s was filled in with micro pave. They loved how their rings complimented each other and symbolically completed them, true to their loving personalities.
Describe the problem your work solves: For me, reducing environmental extraction is my priority so I use recycled metal like sterling silver and cultivated freshwater pearls. I don’t believe that our creations and what we’re producing needs to be at the cost of our planet. I was always exploring safer ways to achieve certain design challenges and when I became a mom, these reasons became even more personal. Reducing harmful waste and the condition of our planet that I’m leaving behind for him became a necessity.
Describe the project you are working on now: I am expanding my collection into home goods and objects like chopstick holders and incense burners using recycled sterling silver. This new challenge has given me a lot of joy and a place to play. I can’t wait to share these new pieces soon!
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: For Fall 2025 I will be introducing my chainmail jewelry capsule crafted in recycled sterling silver. Wearable art is forever in my mind and the union of how these pieces become you is something I’m really excited about.
What you absolutely have to have in your studio: Everyday I need to have music, burning incense, flowers, and my son’s artwork surrounding me. (Sometimes it’s gluing a broken Gundam figure!) Oftentimes I need my jeweler’s magnifier and electronic gauge. I work with very fine intricate details so every millimeter makes a big difference.
What you do when you’re not working: I enjoy making air clay crafts with my five-year-old son Rocco. I guess you could say it sounds similar to my actual work but I just enjoy how free and determined his creative mind is. It’s really refreshing and inspiring for me just to sit with him and see what he makes.
What you do when you’re not working: I enjoy making air clay crafts with my five-year-old son Rocco. I guess you could say it sounds similar to my actual work but I just enjoy how free and determined his creative mind is. It’s really refreshing and inspiring for me just to sit with him and see what he makes.
Sources of creative envy (dead or alive): Memories of growing up in Taipei. I remember my mother’s ‘80s jewelry box in her closet that I would always play in. It was a minimal wooden box full of statement piece treasures in my eyes.
I also remember seeing my aunts wearing pearls with their qipao dresses at special occasions. Pearls as a kid were so fabulous to me. I just thought they were all so expensive and unattainable, even magical in the way that they are formed and even found. I also loved playing with them in my Nai-Nai’s wardrobe and hearing the story of who gave it to her and how far it’s traveled, always makes me think of family and the bonds that make our community so strong.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Screen time, I limit myself so I can enjoy our world in present time.
Concrete or marble? Marble
High-Rise Or Townhouse? Townhouse
Remember Or Forget? Remember
Aliens Or Ghosts? Ghosts
Dark Or Light? Dark