our story
JISU aims to break the mold, which we call the discipline of freedom, as it requires discipline to balance deeply expressing oneself and socially belonging. While this balance can constantly shift, the moments when we reach it may be the closest to freedom as we can get.
JISU manifests the discipline of freedom by blurring the boundaries of labels culturally viewed as counter to one another, such as feminine x masculine, passionate x practical, artifice x authenticity. We do so to show the fluidity that can exist — we can blur boundaries and allow ourselves to be many, many things at once.
Each collection expresses this dynamic both conceptually and literally. Every collection focuses on specific sets of dualities, which then guide the design process. The physical forms of our pieces express said dualities, whether through overall silhouettes, the shadows and passages of light cast by a pieces’ cuts, juxtaposed finishing techniques, or the movement of our pieces in motion.
Our jewelry is thus a dance open to expression by you. We hope our pieces invoke reflection, and above all, we hope that it may symbolize your own discipline of freedom.
the artists
Jisu and Hansel are New York City-based Korean-American and Chinese-Canadian designers who conceived JISU.
Born in Boston and raised on both coasts of the U.S. and South Korea, Jisu, which translates to “the continual pursuit of knowledge,” possessed a natural talent for art at a very young age inspired by exquisite art, including the opera, ballet and fashion, as well as modern media including music genre visual kei that combined glam rock with gothic style. Her creativity allowed her to live in her paracosms as well as a synaesthete in this world, and JISU is her first exploration of introducing the two.
On the other hand, Hansel, born and raised in Vancouver, has long pondered the intricacies of life. Questions of identity, the pursuit for meaning, weighed heavily on his mind, guiding his contemplations and shaping his journey. Never satisfied with the expectations of others, Hansel didn't care for accomplishments or accolades. Seeking more, Hansel keeps both his intellectual and physical spheres abundant. He delves into religious and secular philosophy, from Taoism to Classical Greek thought, while also being an avid athlete and chef, in the pursuit of self-mastery and excellence. We're both less serious than one might think, though.
Prior to launching JISU, Hansel graduated from the University of British Columbia and worked as a Quantitative Researcher at a crypto trading startup. Jisu graduated from Harvard Law, studied at Graduate School of Design, Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute, and worked in AI consulting for several years.
Since a young age, both witnessed the influence that rigid gender, race and economic biases have on our life trajectories and self-perception. These biases and double standards manifest in all stages of life, through youth, young adulthood and into the professional sphere.
These experiences form a through line that leads to the jewelry brand, JISU, that challenges societal norms and champions authenticity (whatever that may mean to you).
the process
With all of our jewelry created in New York, JISU blends tradition and modern technology, relying on both lost-wax casting methods and 3D technologies. JISU works with a caster with a longstanding history of creating for global luxury brands to produce our jewelry at the highest quality.
Custom Made
To keep our jewelry intricately detailed yet lightweight, our designs are meticulously finessed to a precision of hundredths of a millimeter. Designs are tailored to the properties of each material, such as sterling silver or 18k gold, to maximize the balance of fine detailing, durability, and comfort.
This combination results in the need to create each piece of jewelry with a new mold of its own — a process more elaborate and labor-intensive than typical for the luxury jewelry industry; hence, each piece is custom made. With JISU, you are not only acquiring special pieces of jewelry, but also the finest craftsmanship from the heart of NYC.
Custom Finishing
Each component is decorated with its own type of finishing tailored to the piece, whether it be the bezel around a diamond, a custom clasping mechanism, or the minute details on a ring. No matter how small it might be, each part is intentionally designed and given an individual type of finish according to rigorous aesthetic and conceptual standards, to create a harmonious jewelry piece in sum.