As the owner of WWAKE, a jewelry brand that seamlessly blends artistry with ethics, Wing Yau isn’t just creating beautiful pieces, but telling a story with every gemstone she sets.
Her work is rooted in a commitment to sustainable practices, transparency and a deep reverence for our planet. Wing’s designs carry the weight of millions of years of geological formation, the craftsmanship of human hands and the endearing poetry of imperfection.
Her brand focuses on using recycled metals to reduce the need for commercial mining and works closely with fair-trade and responsible gem recovery communities. For Wing, this isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about honoring materials, people and the environment.
To better understand the heart behind WWAKE, we sat down with Wing to discuss what inspires her, why natural resources are imperative and why she simply loves “rocks”!
How WWAKE took shape
Early on in her jewelry career, former sculptor Wing noticed that people were drawn to classic pieces. “I realized that people gravitated towards the more traditional pieces. Like, people [have] valued gold since the beginning of time; there’s a whole tradition of people respecting that material,” she says.
“[I thought] what if I could work with traditional materials but bring a fresh perspective to them?,” Wing recalls. This question led her to experiment with gold and silver and different types of natural gemstones, crafting delicate pieces that felt both familiar and innovative.
It’s all about the story…
For Wing, the journey of a gemstone, from deep within the Earth to being set in a beautiful piece of jewelry, is key. She has dedicated herself to finding partners who specialize in transparent and sustainable sourcing initiatives, working with responsible mining communities.
“I started searching for partners who specialized in transparency. That really helped me understand sustainable sourcing initiatives,” she says.
But for Wing, sustainability isn’t just about impact. It’s about meaning. “There’s this futuristic world of lab-grown diamonds and sapphires, which I think is fascinating,” she acknowledges. “But for me, it’s really about the history of the Earth and the history of people in relation to it. If you can trace the backstory of a gemstone, like a natural diamond, you have all of that poetry and have more meaning.”
“I’m really interested in where natural materials come from, who has touched them and how that carries into heirloom jewelry today,” Wing says.
“[Think] how much work has gone into the planet forming a crystal? And then someone extracts it, another person cuts it and then it becomes something we wear. All that human effort – that’s where the beauty lies for me.”
A love affair with rocks!
Wing’s fascination with natural stones and gems goes far beyond a professional interest. It’s a full-on personal passion.
“I’m really obsessed with rocks,” she admits with a laugh. “If you’re my friend, you know that I’m really into rocks. There are rocks all over the studio. Cut and polished bowls made of stone, tables carved from marble.”
Her home reflects this obsession, with a beach rock collection and polished stones scattered throughout. “A lot of the furniture is made of marble. It’s really like a cliché at this point,” she jokes, “but my actual interest isn’t just the aesthetic – the look of a stone, whether it’s a piece of furniture, a bowl or part of a ring. I’m genuinely fascinated by the fact that all these rocks come from the Earth and they’re finite.”
Designed by nature
Wing is captivated by the poetry of imperfection and the unique character that every natural gemstone has, shaped over millions of years beneath the Earth’s surface. It’s this history and rarity that deeply inspires her work.
“I’m really interested in the science of how stones are formed and how the trace elements in them make them a particular color,” she says.
“I’m also interested in what exists in the landscape chemically and how the geology of a landscape informs what its culture takes on.”
The bigger picture
Wing sees our planet not just as a source of materials, but as a collaborator in molding human experience. The minerals beneath our feet shape economies, rituals and the rhythm of life itself.
“You can say, “OK, this diamond is beautiful”, but what’s the history behind it? It’s incredible to know where it came from and what culture it built. For example, if we talk about natural diamonds in Botswana, an entire country’s history changed because of that diamond economy. That country has been able to grow from that. That’s looking at it from the lens of economics but that ladders into a human aspect, too.”
She adds, “In a lot of the mining communities that WWAKE works with, they mine in dry seasons and they culture coffee in the wet seasons. So gold and coffee are how people survive off the land.”
Want to hear more from Wing?
Watch the rest of our interview with Wing below…
