The Wisdom of Balance 项链 by XU Jiawen Karmen

The Wisdom of Balance 项链 by XU Jiawen Karmen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 银奖 in 珠宝设计 Competition Category.

银珠宝· 2026

The Wisdom of Balance 项链

by XU Jiawen Karmen

A' Design Award 银奖 Winner in 珠宝 Category

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Colors

The Design

About The Wisdom of Balance 项链

这条项链让珠宝回归其真正的意义，超越奢华的象征，专注于佩戴的舒适性、健康与文化身份认同。它采用创新的后部配重结构，符合人体工学，有助于减轻颈部负担，让佩戴者自然舒展、从容自信。作品蕴含深厚的文化底蕴与个人身份表达：圆与方的造型语言，寓意东方智慧中「外圆内方」的处世之道——兼具灵活变通与正直坚守。这件作品有力地诠释了珠宝如何尊重身体、丰盈精神，并将人与其文化传承的故事紧密相连。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 银奖

The Wisdom of Balance 项链是 A' Design Award 银奖得主，这是授予顶级、华美而令人印象深刻的设计的极为崇高的认可。银奖得主是极其卓越、极具创造力的作品，展现出其设计师杰出的专业技能、才华与敏锐。预计The Wisdom of Balance 项链将成为一件出色的典范之作，兼具非凡的专业性与深刻的创新性。这件赢得 A' Design Award 银奖的设计是一项备受瞩目、令人钦佩的发明，造福并拓展艺术、科学、设计和技术的边界。The Wisdom of Balance 项链是一件令人羡慕的创作，它唤起渴望，带来积极的情感，并激发惊叹与赞叹。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: In an era where jewelry design often prioritizes aesthetics over wearability, The Balance of Wisdom pioneers a paradigm shift by integrating ergonomic innovation with cultural depth. This pendant necklace features a revolutionary rear counterbalance system that redistributes the weight of the front pendant, significantly reducing cervical strain and enhancing long-term comfort. By alleviating the physical burden, the design allows the wearer to move with effortless grace, embodying a poised and confident demeanor. This innovative approach reaffirms that jewelry’s true value lies in its ability to enhance, rather than burden, the human experience—honoring the body while enriching the spirit.
Dimensions & Packaging: Front: 43cm in length, 145g in weight (beads and front pendant)
Back: 27cm in length, 94g in weight (beads and rear pendant)
Front pendant size: 4x4x2.5cm
Rear pendant size: 7x9x2.5cm
Tags: Counterbalance Pendant Necklace, Ergonomic Jewelry, Cultural Heritage Design, Middle Way Philosophy
Production Technology: Crafted from a curated selection of Nanhong agate, turquoise, and agarwood, the necklace features a striking red jade Cong pendant at the front—an ancient ritual vessel historically used to connect heaven and earth. This is paired with an old multi-hole Tibetan Dzi bead at the back, creating a dialogue between ancient craftsmanship and modern design sensibilities.
Design Challenge: The primary challenge was achieving the precise weight balance between the front and rear pendants. Through iterative testing of over 12 different weight and length configurations, the design was refined to ensure optimal comfort and posture support without compromising aesthetic impact. Furthermore, in a luxury market often defined by excess, this project sought to redefine jewelry’s purpose: to create objects that honor the body, enrich the spirit, and connect us to the stories that define us. This required a deliberate rejection of superficial opulence in favor of intentionality and meaning.
Research: The jade Cong pendant is a cube of red agate with a round hollow, drawing from the ancient Chinese cosmology of “round sky and square ground.” Historically, Cong were vital ritual objects symbolizing the connection between heaven and earth, and markers of nobility and authority. In this design, the juxtaposition of square and circle becomes a modern metaphor for the Eastern wisdom of balancing flexibility and integrity—qualities essential for sustainable relationships and personal well-being. This philosophical underpinning is mirrored in the counterbalance structure, which is engineered to support physical health, creating a holistic design that nurtures both body and spirit.
Inspiration: Rooted in the ancient Chinese philosophy of the “Middle Way,” The Balance of Wisdom reinterprets the wisdom of balance as a living practice, not an abstract concept. This necklace embodies the ideal of navigating life with both flexibility (symbolized by the circle) and integrity (symbolized by the square). The front pendant, a jade Cong, vividly materializes this duality—its square outer form and round inner hollow echoing the cosmology of “round heaven, square earth.” The rear counterbalance design is not merely a technical solution but a tangible practice of this philosophy, ensuring the wearer carries themselves with natural poise, free from the physical burden of traditional heavy pendants. This design redefines adornment as a vessel for cultural resonance and personal identity, moving beyond mere symbols of wealth to become a quiet assertion of wisdom and intentionality.
Project Duration: 1 month, Hong Kong
Operation Flow: The rear pendant acts as a precise counterweight, carefully calibrated to offset the front pendant’s mass. Through rigorous testing of various weight and length configurations, the design achieves a perfect equilibrium: the front section (145g, 43cm) and rear section (94g, 27cm) work in harmony to promote a naturally healthy posture. This meticulous attention to ergonomics not only conforms to the body’s needs but also exudes a dignified, ancient beauty, creating a seamless fusion of function and form.
Team Members: Xu Jiawen Karmen
Image Credits: Image/Photo/Video: Xu Jiawen Karmen
Sound: Ao Ri Ge Le
Model: Xu Jiawen Karmen