Jung’s designs have a timeless quality. She draws her design inspiration from natural objects such as rocks and twigs and translates them into calm, feminine pieces using rarefied pearls and gemstones. The designer, who studied metalcraft, handcrafts each item to create a piece of art.

Her gold bracelets are not perfectly round, but unevenly curved in the shape of gnarled twigs. Layered with other bracelets, they look contemporary yet natural. Jung’s creations reveal the original qualities of gemstones such as rubies, sherry topaz or blue topaz. The gemstones unveil their original color when mounted on matte-finished gold rings. The irregular-shaped baroque pearls give a piece of jewelry a contemporary edge on top of the traditional femininity of pearls.

Jung also goes against some of the standard rules for matching jewelry items.

The usual combination of earrings and a necklace is not the best match, especially when the necklace is short. The earrings and pendant on the necklace collide, offsetting their own charms rather than creating a sense of balance.

“It’s better to have a distance between one item and another. If you are wearing earrings, then wear a long necklace with a pendant hanging on the bottom. The farther from the earrings, the more balanced it will look,” she said.

Those who wear glasses should keep their earrings compact. If they want to add an accent to their look, they should go for bold rings.

When it comes to layering jewelry, Jung offers some fresh tips. When layering different rings, a gray gemstone ring will serve as a good color base that will go with any color. Matching complimentary colors such as navy and green makes a unique statement. Gemstones of the same hue, but in different tones create a balanced look. For this summer, Jung recommends matching a watch with bracelet layering.

“Jewelry gives you confidence and sophistication. If you keep something for a long time, you get energy from it,” Jung said.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)