The Chinese New Year begins Monday, February 8, ushering in The Year of the Monkey. And in case you haven’t noticed, designers are celebrating in a big way with Year of the Monkey jewelry and accessories. From Marc Jacobs’s whimsical and affordable monkey key fob to Wendy Yue’s extravagant 18K gold and diamond monkey ring, jewelry and department stores are teeming with bejeweled creatures for the Lunar New Year.
Go ahead…you know you want one!
Once Every 12 Years
In the Chinese culture each New Year is characterized by one of 12 animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac. The zodiac is divided into 12 houses just like its western counterpart, but each house has a length of one year instead of one month. So this year is a Year of the Monkey (until January 27, 2017), the ninth animal in the cycle. The next Year of the Monkey won’t come again until 2028.
Hong Kong-Based Jewelry Designer Wendy Yue
Wendy Yue is a Hong Kong-based fine jewelry designer and a native of that city. Born in a Year of the Monkey, she has created several exquisite gold and gemstone pieces which hold particular significance for her this year.
“Symbolism is very important, as it gives more depth and meaning to the piece for its wearer and owner, giving it a more emotional ownership and not just purely materialistic,” Yue told Forbes magazine. “Fine jewelry in my aesthetic is, in a way, a form of art, far beyond just an accessory to match one’s fashion and clothing.”
For Collectors of Animal Jewelry
Whether you were born in The Year of the Monkey or you are simply a collector of animal motif jewelry of any stripe, you owe it to yourself to peruse the menagerie of simian styles available right now.
Happy Lunar New Year…and happy shopping!
Sources: Forbes.com; ChinaHighlights.com; WendyYue.com
