About

Jacqueline Yajing Yao is a contemporary jewelry artist based in Atlanta, GA. She holds an M.F.A. in Jewelry from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Her journey began as a diamond setter at Tiffany & Co., where she cultivated a deep respect for precision and craftsmanship—skills that continue to inform her artistic process today.

Jacqueline’s practice bridges traditional metalsmithing with conceptual design, creating sculptural, wearable objects that explore resilience, identity, space, and emotional memory. Working primarily with silver wire, she employs techniques such as weaving, crochet, forming, and soldering to translate personal reflection into tactile form. Her pieces strike a thoughtful balance between structure and softness, intention and intuition—offering quiet meditations on strength, beauty, and human connection.

For Jacqueline, jewelry is not just an object, but a bridge: between people, between the self and the world, between memory and imagination. Each piece begins with intuition and is shaped by hand, weaving tenderness and tension into physical form. She sees jewelry as an intimate dialogue—between hand, heart, and metal. Crafted by hand. Worn with soul.

Her work has been featured at leading events including NYC Jewelry Week, Milano Jewelry Week, the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, the American Craft Council Show, Cluster Contemporary Jewelry Fair in London, A-Gallery in Estonia, and AUTOR Fair in Romania. Her pieces have also appeared in publications such as VOGUE British, GLAMOUR UK, and TRAVELLER. In 2020, she was awarded the Gold Prize in Accessory Jewelry at the International Design Awards (IDA).

Beyond her studio, Jacqueline served as Content Coordinator for NYC Jewelry Week, contributing to the contemporary jewelry field through curation and storytelling. She currently assists multidisciplinary artist Andrew Blooms—whose practice spans fine art, design, and tattoo—continuing to grow her own creative inquiry through collaboration and curiosity.