Interview With Cindy Ng of Origami Bijou

Beautifully unique and individualistic, the creations over at Origami Bijou are definitely something to be paraded about. Each piece is made from either a sheet of 99.9% pure silver or an infusion of silver and 24K gold, which is then hand folded in the traditional origami style.

Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Origami Bijou is an ethical and environmentally friendly company led by creative director Cindy Ng. Besides being the vision behind all the beautiful jewelry pieces, she has also created a book of origami designed specifically for girls. Called Girligami, this book has twenty patterns that Cindy designed herself such as fashionable shoes, chocolate covered strawberries and other femininities.

But as for the jewelry, I’m sure that everyone will find something that they’ll cherish forever. There’s a wide selection to choose from ranging to from flowers such as a carnation, lotus, and iris to lucky objects like a fortune cookie or sweet hearts. Also one of the most famous origami shapes, the crane, comes available in many different options so be sure to send one to someone special. My favorite collection is the modern alphabet, which occurs in either a capitol or lowercase option.

Cindy recently took the time to answer a few quick questions illuminating the mystical appeal of origami and her endeavors.

How did you become interested in origami?

When I saw origami’s magic, I was hooked! It’s a beautiful concept! To take a sheet of paper and fold it into an object that relates to your life or even something you fancy from afar is really fantastic.

What made you think of making origami into beautiful jewelry?

Jewelry is a good way to share a classic art form with the world. =)

Has there ever been a piece that worked with paper, but not metal?

Yes there are many designs that work well on paper and not metal and vice versa.

Different materials yields different results. Paper and metal’s properties are so different you have to know what your goal is before you start.

How many times do you practice folding with paper before you move on to perfecting the piece well enough for jewelry?

Yes, I practice on paper just to get a sense of what the object might look like in jewelry form and then I visualize what the final result might look like.

Origami Bijou is an ecologically sound company – how important was this for you?

It’s important enough to be aware of how you spend limited resources and to respect what our earth has to offer. While it is difficult to reconcile business with social or environmental endeavors, you can choose to make purchases that support companies who incoporates these factors into their business model.

In your opinion, what is the world wide appeal of the art of origami, something that has spread so far from its origins and is so instantly recognizable?

The appeal is really the magic of origami. As in quesiton #1, it is amazing and stunning that there is a series of folds you make to create objects that have a relationship to our lives. Today, it even makes significant contributions in science and technology. A great follow up link to explore origami’s dynamic ways is Vanessa Gould’s documentary on origami: Between the Folds.

For more information on origami visit Cindy’s origami blog here.

For more on Origami Bijou’s jewelry visit here.