JISU

JISU seeks to create jewelry that upholds rigorous aesthetic and conceptual standards. Co-founded by Jisu and Hansel, Korean-American and Chinese-Canadian designers, JISU is based in New York City and created via 3D printing and traditional lost-wax casting.

Conceptually, JISU aims to break the mold, which we call the discipline of freedom, as it requires discipline to balance deeply expressing oneself and socially belonging. JISU manifests the discipline of freedom by blurring the boundaries of labels culturally viewed as counter to one another, such as feminine x masculine, passionate x practical, artifice x authenticity. We do so to show the fluidity that can exist — we can blur boundaries and allow ourselves to be many, many things at once. The physical forms of our pieces express said dualities, whether through overall silhouettes, the shadows and passages of light cast by a pieces’ cuts, juxtaposed finishing techniques, or the movement of our pieces in motion.

In regard to designers, Jisu was born in Boston and raised on both coasts of the U.S. and South Korea. Jisu, which translates to “the continual pursuit of knowledge,” possessed a natural talent for at at a very young age inspired by exquisite art, including the opera, ballet and fashion, as well as modern media including music genre visual kei that combined glam rock with gothic style. Her creativity allowed her to live in her paracosms as well as a synaesthete in this world, and JISU is her first exploration of introducing the two.

On the other hand, Hansel, born and raised in Vancouver, has long pondered the intricacies of life. Questions of identity, the pursuit for meaning, weighed heavily on his mind, guiding his contemplations and shaping his journey. Never satisfied with the expectations of others, Hansel didn't care for accomplishments or accolades. Seeking more, Hansel keeps both his intellectual and physical spheres abundant. He delves into religious and secular philosophy, from Taoism to Classical Greek thought, while also being an avid athlete and chef, in the pursuit of self-mastery and excellence. We're both less serious than one might think, though.

Prior to launching JISU, Hansel graduated from the University of British Columbia and worked as a Quantitative Researcher at a crypto trading startup. Jisu graduated from Harvard Law, studied at Graduate School of Design, Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute, and worked in AI consulting for several years.

Our paths have led us to creating JISU, and we hope our pieces invoke reflection, and above all, we hope that it may symbolize your own discipline of freedom.