Tricolor Plum Blossom Hairpin – Kim Young-hee

The plum blossom opens before the snow has fully left. That is precisely the point.

In Korean culture, the Maehwa (매화, Plum Blossom) is the scholar's flower — it blooms in the coldest season, holds its form against the weather, and carries no apology for its timing. Kim Young-hee, a Seoul-based artisan whose work bridges Joseon Dynasty royal aesthetics and contemporary minimal luxury, has spent her career carving this tradition into wearable form. The Tricolor Hairpin combines Red Coral, Pink Coral, and Green Jade into three blossoms, each carved by hand — the warm coral against the cool jade creating the kind of considered tension that defines Korean ornamentation at its finest. At 6.5cm, it is small enough to wear without thought and precise enough to invite a second look.

Pinned into a low bun on a day that warrants something more than the ordinary, the blossoms catch the light without announcing themselves. Worn as a lapel accent against a linen jacket, the coral and jade read as colour in the most restrained way. As a gift for someone who collects beautiful things quietly — someone who would recognise the quality of the stone and the carving before being told what they were looking at — this is the piece that is kept.

Hand-carved by Kim Young-hee in Seoul, South Korea.