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Yumi Chen is the artist, jeweler, and metalsmith behind YUMI JEWELRY + PLANTS, creating pressed flower jewelry and botanical art that preserve real blooms in resin and metal. Her work is rooted in nature, healing, and the quiet beauty of small details.
Yumi’s creative path has been anything but linear. She grew up in Scarsdale, New York as a dedicated violinist before studying mathematics in Boston. While in college, she discovered pastry — a craft that united artistry and precision — and went on to train at the Ritz-Escoffier in Paris, later working in celebrated kitchens in New York and Boston.
A severe arm injury unexpectedly changed her direction, leading her to jewelry making as both physical rehabilitation and creative renewal. What began as therapy gradually became a life’s work. Today, more than twenty years later, Yumi continues to design as a way to strengthen her arm and nurture wellbeing through making.
Her botanical pieces combine traditional metal-smithing with carefully harvested and pressed flowers, along with gemstones, crystals, and precious metals. Her work reflects precision shaped by mathematics and music, the artistic sensibility of pastry craftsmanship, and a lifelong connection to nature.
Yumi’s work has been featured in boutiques, juried art and craft shows, and major markets nationwide, with press mentions including New York Magazine, NBC, ABC, and WWD.
