About Yu Tan
Raised in a picturesque small town in China, Yu Tan's artistic journey was profoundly influenced by the beauty of the captivating landscape around her. From an early age, she discovered a passion for expressing herself through art. Her journey with contemporary jewelry began when she studied Jewelry and Metal at the Royal College of Art in London, UK. Yu found herself deeply captivated by diverse forms of contemporary art, which marked a stark departure from the traditional Asian fine-art conventions that had shaped her earlier education. The contrast fueled a newfound zeal for contemporary jewelry design, where she endeavors to articulate her identity and heritage through modern and minimalistic forms.
Yu commits herself to creating jewelry pieces that can be conveniently worn on a daily basis, with a pure and poetic aesthetic devoid of unnecessary embellishments. Each piece carries subtle twists of uniqueness that highlights the inherent qualities of an individual, allowing the wearer to express their uniqueness with a touch of fashion. A romantic expression of personal freedom that is both gentle and powerful.
After her graduation, Yu founded YU TAN Jewelry. She uses her jewelry designs to express not only her emotions but also her contemplation on the paradoxical aspects in her reflection of social relationships. Drawing inspiration from space, time, memory, and social dynamics, Yu is captivated by the interplay of seemingly contradictory elements such as confinement and freedom, love and fear, transience and eternity. In her designs, she embraces the dynamic nature of the human experience with an evolving perspective of love and positivity.
Yu is a certified gemologist and diamond-grader by the FGA (The Gemmological Association of Great Britain) and GIC (Gemmological Institute of China).
Her work has been featured in various exhibitions and galleries, including
2023.09 Gifts and Me |You were featured in the Fear & love International Exhibition For Contemporary Jewelry, JCC Center, Shanghai
2023.02 Freedom were featured in the 3rd “Purifying The Soul" Contemporary Jewelry Exhibition
2022.12 Designer of the Year Award, International Jewelry Fashion Tend Release Conference
2021.10 Mum’s Gift, Put This On Me, Please! (Embrace Me!), I Do were included under the theme of Intimate Relationships in the Contemporary Jewelry Exhibition, Beijing and Shanghai
2021.08 Gift From a Rose was selected to be exhibited in “The Extraordinary Ordinary” Contemporary Craft Exhibition, AN+Art & Design Center
2021.07 Gift From the Rose, Living in the box were exhibited in Gallery So, London.
2021.04 After Leaving, Hug me! were selected to be part of The Eighth "STARS PROJECT" Young Artist Exhibition, Tree Art Museum, Beijing
2021.01 Red moon was permanently collected by The Coast Gallery
2020.12 Gift From the Rose, Red moon were featured in the New Horizons Young Designers Exhibition
2020.11 Gift From the Rose won the third place in the 2020 Shanxiahu International Pearl Jewelry Design Contest
2020.07 Gift From the Rose, After leaving, The three of me, Chaos, and Red moon were featured in the RCA2020 graduation show
2020.02 Wear my thorns & After Leaving (Contemporary Jewellery) were featured in the Jewellery Cultural Exchange Exhibition in Sunny Art Centre, London
2019.05 After Leaving (Contemporary Jewellery ) were displayed in Dyson Gallery
2019.03 After Leaving (Contemporary Jewellery) were displayed in Horniman Museum, London
2017 "Blink of the Heart' (Contemporary Jewellery) was awarded 'Finalist Award' in Shanghai New Talent Design Competition
2013 'Space 1 ' was awarded 'Excellence Medal' in the Designnova Award
2012 'The Elf of the Sea' (jewellery design) was awarded 'Excellence Award in Chow Tai Fook "Imagine the future" Jewelry Design Competition
2011 "Windows' (jewellery design) was awarded Excellence Award® in the Chinese Gift Design Competition
our workshop
Feel free to visit us in person to view our creations and our selection of gemstones. Our workshop is located at
Rili middle Rode 555, Ningbo, China
Mon-Sat 10-18 (by appointment only)
Please use the contact form or email us at yutan.jewellery@gmail.com to make an appointment.
If you live outside of China Mainland and are unable to stop by in person, feel free to book a virtual appointment with us.
