Master of Her Fate
As a team flown in from around the world go about their busyness in a grand salon of a 17th-century chateau in Normandy, surrounded by gilded rococo carvings, Louis XV furniture, lavish tapestries, marble columns, bronze busts and crystal chandeliers, they’re dancing to the tune of renowned New York-based photographer Carter Smith. At the centre of the activity, looking calm and unflappable on one of the hottest days of summer, is Cindy Chao, dressed in black couture delivered personally by French designer Stéphane Rolland.
The reason for this day-long photographic exercise, if one needs a reason to laud one of the world’s great jewellers, is that Cindy is celebrating a major landmark: the 15th anniversary of the founding of her brand, Cindy Chao: The Art Jewel. While she’s long been recognised as one of the industry greats, with a string of remarkable achievements to her name, Cindy’s journey, like most
