The trend for jewelry has been on a wild ride since the beginning of 2021. There have been several jewelry trends that have not only provided the opportunity to make a fashion statement. But some savvy pieces have also made more impactful statements about the concept of beauty in the society we live in. One of these trends was started by a jeweler named Joanne T. Through her innovative designs, she is causing quite a stir in the world of impactful accessories.
This trend initiated by Joanne T. was started in 2016, with her release of such items on Instagram, with the caption entitled, “Not Your Average Beauty: Work in Progress.” As she continued to release and work on her craft, her posts began to gain more popularity with the passing years. What makes her jewelry unique is its way of working with the natural contours of the wears face, to accentuate their unique features.
With the username @joanne_t_jewellery, she has a bio that states her jewelry is “design through aesthetic instinct, using only elements that contribute to the readability and usability.” Her bio further states, “In jewellery, I ensue dialogue.” This speaks to her approach to jewelry design as an aesthetically pleasing concept that still contributes to the enhanced life of the wearer.
Leading Instagram account @trend.board, which curates trends in fashion, art and design, featured Joanne T’s account on May 8th. Trend board highlighted her work, and showcased how this trend maker has distinguished her jewelry as “handmade facial ornaments.”
“Her collection of handmade facial ornaments are inspired by radical tribal jewelry that aims to combat the media’s idealization of beauty and the modern obsession with plastic surgery by allowing the wearers to customize their appearance at will, empowering them through enhancement rather than modification of their natural features,” said Trend Board.
The post by Trend Board did very well, and by some standards, it could be said that it went viral with 68,889 likes in total. There were also very many comments in support of her unique designs. Instagram users said things like, “These are amazing… why do we not normalise face jewellery that doesn’t require piercing the flesh?!” Another user responded, “Would love to see these on someone with a nose that isn’t traditionally ‘attractive.’” Many other users called the jewelry beautiful, fabulous and very nice.
Joanne T’s approach to jewelry makes a bold statement in the fashion world, that is many times rampant with impossible and dangerous beauty standards. The essence of Joanne T’s work seems to not only give freedom to the wearer to feel confident in their natural beauty, but celebrate it as its own work of art that is deserving of adornment in the form of exquisite jewelry.
Her work has been featured in major publications like NUYOU, which states on Instagram that it is “Malaysia’s Top Chinese Fashion Beauty & Lifestyle MultiMedia.” Her designs were also featured in Harper’s Bazaar Taiwan back in 2018, which is one of the biggest fashion magazines globally and considers itself a top resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”
Joanne T’s work can be found and purchased made to order on an online site called APOC, which touts itself as an online marketplace for “for fashion, design, and art, celebrating a new generation of creatives. They curate pieces from designers who are considered progressive and conscious of the world around them. This would seem to fit the description of Joanne T and her work very well.
