
The 《Eternal Butterfly》 was inspired by Wallis’s childhood of overlapping memories.
The six-year-old Wallis was chasing butterflies in the field near a waterfall cave, close to his home, when suddenly a massive butterfly with a dreamy blue-yellow gradient on its wings flew out of the cave.
The water droplets on the butterfly wings were reflected by the sunlight hues like the colour of gemstones, and in that captivating instant, before young Wallis’s eyes, it was as if time stood still.
Wallis spent endless atelier hours considering the vibrant gemstones he wished to use to bring this creature to life. He has created two pieces, which took him three years to finish.
And in doing so, Wallis captures through his work that moment that commanded his attention and turns that beautiful vision into an eternal one.
《Memories have always seemed more beautiful because you can't touch them — every time I create a new butterfly, I feel closer to the one from my memories》—— Wallis
This piece is a combination of elements of the millennia-old Chinese tradition of jade carving craftsmanship.
《Hollow out jade carving》 is the pinnacle of jade carving craftsmanship, and only a very few jade carving masters can complete this challenge. The process requires engraving a 0.05mm~0.2mm thick mesh structure on a piece of jade without any mistakes.
At first, Wallis tried jade carving himself to imbue his creations with more vitality, cloning the wax model for the casting. But the tiny mesh structure broke apart during the casting process, and it was impossible to weld the structure, especially in titanium.
After many failed attempts, Wallis had the idea of sculpting directly on the metal base and he successfully incorporated it to create a large-scale piece that was visually dreamlike and, technically, light as a feather.
22.783ct Coloured sapphires
24,08ct Pink tourmaline
7,53ct White diamonds
Titanium, Platinum
Size: 14.5cm x 12cm
Weight: 39g
When Wallis went to Ibiza and Formentera islands, he found inspiration in the natural forms of the conch on their beaches. Along with pristine underwater ecosystems that burst with a rich diversity of fauna and inhabitants.
He used blue tone matching coloured sapphires to recall the seas and marine bubbles from his Mediterranean stays.
This iconic piece is part of the Shenzhen Jewelry Museum's permanent collection in China.
8.567ct Coloured sapphires
0.35ct White diamonds
1.375ct Tsavorite
Titanium, Platinum
Size: 7.6cm x 4.6cm
Weight: 36.89g
When Wallis went to Ibiza and Formentera islands, he found inspiration in the natural forms of the conch on their beaches. Along with pristine underwater ecosystems that burst with a rich diversity of fauna and inhabitants.
He used blue tone matching coloured sapphires to recall the seas and marine bubbles from his Mediterranean stays.
White diamonds
Coloured sapphires
Titanium, Platinum
Size: 8.25cm x 5.2cm
Weight: 32.48g