Lin Cheung | Sampler

Sampler is a curated selection of new and recent jewelry by Lin Cheung, exhibiting for the first time in New York.

2025 marks ten years of gemstone carving for the artist, and the show features well-known pieces such as the Delayed Reaction series of carved stone brooches and the Pearl Chain necklace—an echo of the original chain carved from a pearl necklace given to her by her mother. The Glam Rock rings make their Brooklyn debut, inviting visitors to bring their favorite nail lacquer to paint a ring and try it on.

Lin’s jewelry is often minimalistic and pared back, offering commentary on and reinvention of familiar jewelry forms and materials to reflect her personal perspective on the relevance of wearing jewelry today. Recurring themes in her work explore value and identity, societal change, pearls, political pin badges, personalization and customization of jewelry, and reinterpretation of traditional materials.

Her current research has led to a fascination with synthetic and lab-created gem materials such as cubic zirconia and moissanite. Experimental carving of diamond simulants has resulted in sampler pieces that either exploit the properties of the material or work against its natural characteristics. Diamond simulants are just as visually striking as their natural counterparts and were originally developed to match or, in many cases, exceed the refractive index of natural diamonds—the measure of how much light a gemstone reflects, or in other words, its sparkle.