Interview with Asuka Saito

Asuka Saito ("AS") interviewed on Saturday, 6 August.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

AS : I studied the knowledge and skills in gems and jewelry and received my diplomas/certificates from Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA), Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, and Gemological Institute of America (GIA). I have been in the jewelry industry for over 10 years. I have won 9 international and national awards since 2015. Also, my works were displayed in design exhibitions and shown on about 30 occasions all over the world. Additionally, my designs and interviews have been reported over 40 times in major national and international media. I had been a critical designer of a piece of prize jewelry for the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (NCCBF) Queen program held by one of California’s most prominent celebrations of Asian traditions and the biggest on the West coast for 6 years.

How did you become a designer?

AS : First of all, I have wanted to express my idea, values, and imagination in design by using colors since I was little, and I decided to follow my inspiration to become a jewelry designer when I found there was 'jewelry design' in the design field. After that, I chose to start my jewelry business and chose to go to school all because I followed my vision to play a part in tackling social issues by delivering beautiful, high-quality, and conscience jewelry pieces. The thing that motivates me to design is loving design. It is really fun to see the work finished when I start to design from zero. Also, I love to see people smile at my design. Another thing that motivates me to design is the hope that my design might be able to make a difference even a bit for whomever and/or whatever.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

AS : The most exciting design process is the journey of design with expecting the finished project. I feel love, respect, joy, hate, and sometimes fear when I design a project.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

AS : My goal as a jewelry designer is to make sustainable social change and tackle social issues by delivering beautiful, high-quality, conscience, and fair-priced jewelry pieces made with sustainable manufacturing practices and ethically sourced materials to people. Creating jewelry that you feel good about wearing. This is what I promise to deliver via my original jewelry brand. In my future plan, my next step is to make traditional technology and techniques correspond beyond cultures more with current lifestyles. To rethink the concept of tradition and gender norms regarding jewelry that classify as "feminine" or "masculine" in time for today is also one of the challenges for the future.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

AS : For me, design is how we communicate what an object does, or its function, through its shape or form. Good design improves the quality of life.

Who is your favourite designer?

AS : My inspirations are mostly from nature and architecture. I respect Kengo Kuma, a Japanese architect, his design is inspired by the light and the nature of the site of the building and he is also influenced by the natural environment, which he strives to harmonize with architecture and the human body through his work. I also love some jewelry that Prabal Gurung did for Tasaki. His designs are of exquisite quality and innovative and so beautiful.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

AS : Japan, where I was born and grew up, has a wide range of art styles and media along with a myriad of other types of works of art. It has a long history, ranging from the beginnings of human habitation in Japan, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to the present. So my design is influenced by traditional art and techniques, and I make jewelry using Japanese traditional techniques for a new look, unique and beautiful piece of jewelry. I currently live in San Francisco, California, the USA. A beautiful region filled with iconic landmarks, startups, and trendsetting residents, San Francisco has long followed the beat of its own drum. Morphed and molded by its communities, the California metro area has been the heart of the bohemian lifestyle, the epicenter of the LGBTQ rights movement, and the launching point of the technology era. I believe the culture affects my design I did rethink the concept of tradition and gender norms about jewelry that classify as "feminine" or "masculine" in time for today. So I started to design jewelry for anyone who loves jewelry, male, female, or gender nonbinary.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

AS : My business philosophy is to create jewelry that you feel good about wearing. This is what I promise to deliver via my original jewelry brand. My goal is to make sustainable social change and tackle social issues by delivering beautiful, high-quality, conscience, and fair-priced jewelry pieces made with sustainable manufacturing practices and ethically sourced materials to people.