YAOPU — 瑶璞 — was born from a belief that the most extraordinary beauty is found in the raw, the patient, and the true. We make jewelry for those who understand that elegance is not decoration, but character.
Dr. Liang Wei grew up in Chengdu, where her grandmother kept a single piece of white jade on the kitchen window ledge. "It wasn't jewellery — it was presence. It changed colour with the season, warmed in summer and stayed cool in winter. I wanted to understand how something so still could be so alive."
That curiosity led her to spend seven years studying classical jade carving in Hetian and Suzhou, followed by an interdisciplinary doctorate in Material Culture and East Asian Art History at SOAS, University of London.
"Jade doesn't show you its beauty immediately. It asks you to be patient. That's the philosophy we build every piece around."
She founded YAOPU in Beijing in 2018 with a single collection of twelve pieces, each one sold within six hours of launch. Since then, YAOPU has grown into an internationally recognised luxury brand while maintaining its founding commitment: every piece made by hand, in small editions, with materials sourced and verified directly.
Jade is said to be warm to the touch, like human skin. We make jewelry that feels alive on the body — present, warm, and personal. Every design decision is made with the wearer's experience at its centre.
The traditional jade carver's proverb: "The stone teaches you." We do not rush. Each piece takes the time it takes — days, sometimes weeks — and we believe this patience is held within the finished object.
In a world of constant novelty, choosing restraint takes courage. Our designs are minimal because we believe less communicates more. We don't add — we refine, until only the essential remains.
Every stone we use is verified and traceable. We publish the source of each jade, the name of the craftsperson who worked it, and the gold's refinery. Luxury should have nothing to hide.
Classical Chinese aesthetics — the subtlety of Song celadon, the geometry of bronze age pattern — are not relics to be preserved under glass. They are living languages, waiting to speak to the present.
We limit every design to 88 units globally. Not as a marketing strategy, but as a commitment: when you own a YAOPU piece, it was made specifically, carefully, and in a world where very few others have the same.
Suzhou has been the centre of Chinese luxury craft for over two thousand years — silk, lacquer, garden design, and most importantly, jade carving. Our atelier sits in a converted courtyard house in the Old Town, where the same craft has been practised for fifteen generations.
Our lead jade carver, Master Chen Jianming, has worked jade for over 38 years. He and our team of 14 artisans were each trained through formal apprenticeship — a minimum of five years under a master before working independently. There is no shortcut to this knowledge.
Our goldsmith, Liu Fang, works exclusively by hand — no die casting, no automated polishing. Each gold component is fabricated from sheet and wire, fitted precisely to its jade stone, and finished through fourteen stages of progressive hand polishing to achieve a surface that is indistinguishable from a mirror.
Each YAOPU piece ships with a certificate of authenticity carrying the piece number, the source and date of its jade stone, the name of the artisan who carved it, and the gold's refinery certification. We also offer a lifetime authenticity verification service — send us your piece at any time.
Luxury and sustainability should not be opposing forces. At YAOPU, every decision along our supply chain is made with environmental and human dignity at its centre.
All jade is sourced directly from licensed quarries with whom we have long-term relationships. We conduct annual site visits and publish our supply chain in full on our website.
100% of the gold used in YAOPU jewelry is recycled through our certified refinery partner. We use no newly mined gold.
Our signature gift box is made from FSC-certified cardboard and undyed silk. All packaging materials are recyclable. We use no plastic in any component.
A percentage of every sale funds our Suzhou Artisan Apprenticeship Fund, supporting the next generation of jade carvers and ensuring this ancient knowledge is not lost.