Style Edit: Why Cindy Chao’s signature brooches are donned by the likes of Matthew McConaughey and collected in V&A Museum

Taiwanese jewellery designer Cindy Chao is all smiles while telling a story about how she once made craftsmen cry.

Over her two decades in the business, Chao has moved many people to tears with her meticulous pieces, the result of her familial legacy in architecture and sculpture.

Her brand, Cindy Chao The Art Jewel, is shown in world-class art establishments, from her own salon inside the Regent Taipei hotel to London’s famed Victoria and Albert Museum, rather than being sold in shopping centres or other commercial retail settings.

But it was tears of devastation – not amazement – that ultimately earned her the respect of her craftsmen.

“One time I visited my factory in Lyon, France,” recalls Chao. “And the five male craftsmen who had been working on the project over the years were so proud. They said, ‘Cindy, this time we’ll make you very happy and satisfied.’ They even made the jewellery box presentable. They opened up the box with the Peony Brooch. I looked at the piece, I didn’t smile, and I said, ‘No.’”

Chao did not budge despite backlash from her team – the now-famous piece would have to be completely disassembled and reworked.

“Two years after they cried, they had fixed every­thing,” she says, smiling again. “According to the way I like it.”

It is this stubborn, unwavering belief in her own vision that makes Chao’s creations stand out.