Press Release
The Wisdom of Balance Necklace by XU Jiawen Karmen Receives the Silver A' Design Award in Jewelry Design
XU Jiawen Karmen recognized for jewelry design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 28, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Jewelry Design category for The Wisdom of Balance Necklace by XU Jiawen Karmen. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About The Wisdom of Balance Necklace
This necklace offers a meaningful return to jewelry's core, going beyond luxury symbols to focus on comfort, health and cultural identity. It features an innovative rear counterbalance structure that supports healthy ergonomics, reduces strain, and allows the wearer to carry themselves with natural poise and confidence. It embodies cultural depth and personal identity: the round and square signifying the Eastern wisdom of balancing flexibility and integrity. This work is a powerful example of jewelry that honors the body, enriches the spirit, and connects people to stories of their heritage.
About XU Jiawen Karmen
Xu Jiawen Karmen is a distinguished handcrafted jewellery designer celebrated for her unique ability to intertwine oriental aesthetics with the profound wisdom of Chinese philosophy. After earning her MBA Degree from the London Business School/University of Hong Kong, Karmen further deepened her understanding of global dynamics by studying Middle Eastern geopolitics at the University of Cambridge. This combination of rigorous academic training and critical thinking has shaped her into a modern-day Renaissance woman. Karmen’s passion for ancient civilizations and spiritual traditions—including Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism—enhances her creative sensibility.
Award Record
XU Jiawen Karmen is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Jewelry Design Award
The A' Jewelry Design Award is an international jewelry design competition recognizing good jewelry designs by best jewelry designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to jewelry designers, jewelry brands, jewelers and goldsmiths from all countries. Entries typically include rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches and pendants. Awarded jewelry designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/jewelry
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/180913
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/180913
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!180913
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/377933
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.instagram.com/wuxiang.jewellery?igsh=d3MzcW93OGF
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- The Wisdom of Balance Necklace
- Function
- Necklace
- Category
- Jewelry Design
- Discipline
- Fashion Design
- Industry
- Luxury and Fashion
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Dim Gray, Black, Firebrick and Dark Red
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- XU Jiawen Karmen
- Country
- Hong Kong (China)
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #180913
Credits
- Image Credits
- Image/Photo/Video: Xu Jiawen Karmen Sound: Ao Ri Ge Le Model: Xu Jiawen Karmen
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- In an era where jewelry design often prioritizes aesthetics over wearability, The Balance of Wisdom pioneers a paradigm shift by integrating ergonomic innovation with cultural depth. This pendant necklace features a revolutionary rear counterbalance system that redistributes the weight of the front pendant, significantly reducing cervical strain and enhancing long-term comfort. By alleviating the physical burden, the design allows the wearer to move with effortless grace, embodying a poised and confident demeanor. This innovative approach reaffirms that jewelry’s true value lies in its ability to enhance, rather than burden, the human experience—honoring the body while enriching the spirit.
- Inspiration
- Rooted in the ancient Chinese philosophy of the “Middle Way,” The Balance of Wisdom reinterprets the wisdom of balance as a living practice, not an abstract concept. This necklace embodies the ideal of navigating life with both flexibility (symbolized by the circle) and integrity (symbolized by the square).
- Research
- The jade Cong pendant is a cube of red agate with a round hollow, drawing from the ancient Chinese cosmology of “round sky and square ground.” Historically, Cong were vital ritual objects symbolizing the connection between heaven and earth, and markers of nobility and authority. In this design, the juxtaposition of square and circle becomes a modern metaphor for the Eastern wisdom of balancing flexibility and integrity—qualities essential for sustainable relationships and personal well-being. This philosophical underpinning is mirrored in the counterbalance structure, which is engineered to support physical health, creating a holistic design that nurtures both body and spirit.
- Challenge
- The primary challenge was achieving the precise weight balance between the front and rear pendants. Through iterative testing of over 12 different weight and length configurations, the design was refined to ensure optimal comfort and posture support without compromising aesthetic impact. Furthermore, in a luxury market often defined by excess, this project sought to redefine jewelry’s purpose: to create objects that honor the body, enrich the spirit, and connect us to the stories that define us. This required a deliberate rejection of superficial opulence in favor of intentionality and meaning.
- Realization and Technology
- Crafted from a curated selection of Nanhong agate, turquoise, and agarwood, the necklace features a striking red jade Cong pendant at the front—an ancient ritual vessel historically used to connect heaven and earth. This is paired with an old multi-hole Tibetan Dzi bead at the back, creating a dialogue between ancient craftsmanship and modern design sensibilities.
- Operation and Interaction
- The rear pendant acts as a precise counterweight, carefully calibrated to offset the front pendant’s mass. Through rigorous testing of various weight and length configurations, the design achieves a perfect equilibrium: the front section (145g, 43cm) and rear section (94g, 27cm) work in harmony to promote a naturally healthy posture. This meticulous attention to ergonomics not only conforms to the body’s needs but also exudes a dignified, ancient beauty, creating a seamless fusion of function and form.
- Specifications
- Front: 43cm in length, 145g in weight (beads and front pendant) Back: 27cm in length, 94g in weight (beads and rear pendant) Front pendant size: 4x4x2.5cm Rear pendant size: 7x9x2.5cm
- Keywords
- Counterbalance Pendant Necklace, Ergonomic Jewelry, Cultural Heritage Design, Middle Way Philosophy
