A dragonfly with a drop of West Lake inside it. For one week, Sotheby’s Hong Kong is showing four new jewels by the Chinese artist Feng J beside the late paintings of Claude Monet that inspired them.
At a glance
- The artist: Feng J, the Chinese jewelry artist, marking ten years of work in 2026.
- Where: Sotheby’s Paris (September 17–18) and Sotheby’s Hong Kong (September 22–27, 2026).
- The jewels: three brooches and a necklace, all new.
- The paintings: Monet works from the Schlumberger Collection, which Sotheby’s Paris offers on October 22.
- Price: not published; enquire through Sotheby’s.
What are Feng J’s Monet jewels?
They are four new works built on titanium structures and set with rose-cut and colored stones, Forbes reports. The Dragonfly with Willow Branches brooch has a 4.95-carat Colombian emerald for the insect’s head, with yellow sapphires, tsavorites, tanzanites, jade, diamonds and azurite glass, and a hollow vessel holding water from Hangzhou’s West Lake. The Ginkgo Leaf of Dawn brooch centers on a 3.1-carat spinel among sapphires, spessartite garnets, morganites and diamonds.
Le Rêve de Giverny, a necklace, is set with a 3.3-carat brilliant-cut Paraíba tourmaline, cobalt-blue spinel, blue sapphire and enamel. The Orchidée de Reims brooch is the most dramatic of the group, built around a 39-carat purplish star sapphire with aquamarine, morganite, spinel, tanzanite and pink sapphire.
“Monet’s work possesses a universal power that resonates not only across cultures but across artistic disciplines,” Feng J told Forbes.
Why is Sotheby’s showing jewelry beside Monet?
The jewels accompany the tour of “Le Temps Retrouvé: The Schlumberger Collection”, which Sotheby’s Paris will auction on October 22. According to Forbes, Monet’s Iris of 1924–25 carries an estimate of €22–30 million, and his Weeping Willow of 1918–19 €9–12 million. The collection was assembled by Jeanne Schlumberger and the gallerist Katia Granoff.
Monet painted light on water. Feng J sets it in titanium and colored stone.
The history: from Giverny to the art jewel
Monet spent the last decades of his life painting his garden at Giverny, its water lilies, irises and willows dissolving into ever looser, more abstract fields of color. Feng J told Forbes that discovering those late works guided her toward greater abstraction. Her techniques, which Forbes describes as including a “floating” setting, a revival of the double rose cut and what she calls painting with gems, place her among the artist-jewelers who treat a brooch as sculpture. She celebrated her tenth anniversary with a 20-piece exhibition in Hangzhou earlier this month.
For the Collector
- Where to see it: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, through September 27, 2026.
- Availability: Forbes did not report prices or whether the jewels are for sale; collectors should enquire with Sotheby’s or the artist’s studio.
- What drives value in art jewelry: the artist’s signature, one-of-a-kind status, exhibition history and the quality of center stones such as the Colombian emerald and Paraíba tourmaline.
- Ask for reports: for significant stones, request laboratory reports stating origin and treatment.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see Feng J’s Monet jewels?
At Sotheby’s Hong Kong from September 22 to 27, 2026, after a showing at Sotheby’s Paris on September 17–18.
How much do Feng J jewels cost?
Prices for these four pieces have not been published; enquire through Sotheby’s.
When is the Schlumberger Collection auction?
Sotheby’s Paris offers the collection on October 22, 2026, led by Monet’s Iris at €22–30 million.
Sources: Forbes
