Wallace Chan: Dream Light Water

Upon opening this book the words that immediately come to mind are mesmerizing, sensational, astounding, exquisite, adventuresome, and wildly imaginative. Wallace Chan stands on one of the highest rungs on the ladder of haute joallier. The most important aspect of his oeuvre is that it is nothing short of spectacular, and this book surely treats the reader to a plethora of esthetic delights.

The physical presence of this book is beyond what one might expect even from a book of this genre; the size and quality of reproductions are nothing short of superior, which is all compounded by the amazing content. Wallace Chan is an innovator as well as a storyteller when it comes to his Asian roots. Chan’s work reflects upon Chinese beliefs and ancient wisdom/lore as well as keeping a keen eye toward the future.

If there is anything negative to be said it would be that the full page photo enlargements of each style might be a tad too big and that the photo of the entire piece/design might have been a tad larger. In my opinion, those minute factors would be the only deficits to be found within this visual chronicle. The monograph is short on text but allows the reader’s mind to imagine and explore Mr. Chan’s incredible and coveted jewels by only offering the most salient and significant of information on each of these works of art and the craftsmanship that went into making them.

In the end, Wallace Chan: Dream Light Water is one of those amazing books that comes along once in a very long time and can be appreciated on so many levels. Anyone who is quite serious and immersed within the world or precious jewels should own this book and include it as part of their library of haute joallier. Be aware this is a limited edition that won’t be around forever.