Austy Lee carves opal into Buddhism’s central metaphor

In Mahayana Buddhist philosophy, the reflection in a mirror and the moon in water become instruments of understanding: they appear to possess form, yet cannot be touched. They are there and not there, a paradox at the heart of the Prajnaparamita Sutra, those foundational texts on emptiness and illusion that have guided meditation for nearly two thousand years.

Austy Lee, whose brand was founded in 2017, has drawn this metaphysical tension into matter. His Mirror, Flower, Water and Moon brooch, part of the new Kymatismós Collection, takes a piece of Australian carved opal and transforms it into flowers rendered in pale blue and cream, their petals seeming to float. The stone catches light like water catching moonlight; the carved surface throws shadows that multiply the illusion. The Hong Kong designer is known for his excellent workmanship and his use of rare gemstones, and here the opal becomes his philosophical medium.

The setting amplifies the stone’s poetry: 18k white gold holds white diamonds at intervals, their hardness offsetting the opal’s ethereal quality. Delicate blue enamel picks up the cool tones already dancing within the stone itself. Everything is restrained, precise, devoted entirely to making visible what Buddhist teaching says cannot be grasped. The brooch sits in the palm almost as a teaching object, a jewel that asks you to look again and find something different each time.

Since launching his studio in April 2017, Austy’s work has drawn from religions, new age, graphic and fashion, building collections where materials carry meaning. The Kymatismós Collection, like the one hand carved flower it contains, bears the weight of centuries of contemplation compressed into a single, luminous form.

Imagery courtesy of Austy Lee (@austy_lee).