Fishfelon is a sterling silver accessories practice that originated from a formative experience in Jaipur, India, during the 2023 RISD Global Wintersession course INDIA_SENSED: Craft and Collaboration in the Digital Age. Founded by Yue Zi, the work began through close collaboration with local jeweler Neelum Narang, centering on themes of life, death, and skeletal structures. Under the guidance of craftsman Roy Sajal, Yue learned the fundamentals of silver soldering and traditional jewelry fabrication, spending weeks translating sketches into articulated, functional forms.

This initial collaboration produced a sterling silver spine necklace and two skeletal hand pieces with hinged joints. The immersive studio environment and proximity to Jaipur’s jewelry-making traditions made the experience deeply personal and materially grounding. Before leaving India, Yue committed to returning to continue the work—a promise fulfilled four months later.

In June 2023, Yue returned to Jaipur to apprentice at Neelum Narang’s studio, expanding the practice through a hybrid approach that combines handcraft and digital tools. Rings were designed in Blender, 3D printed locally by UCC Designs in Jaipur, refined through physical prototyping, and cast in sterling silver. Alongside digitally assisted pieces, fully handmade works were developed, allowing each collection to evolve through both technological experimentation and traditional bench practices.

With a background in Apparel Design from RISD, Yue approaches jewelry through the lens of the body. Many pieces are draped and tested directly on the wearer during development, allowing gravity, movement, and weight to inform form. This process results in work that ranges from adjustable, wearable rings to sculptural pieces that function as costume, ornament, or extension of the body.

Fishfelon continues to operate between geographies. The majority of the pieces are now hand-fabricated by Yue in New York when travel is not possible. Yue’s work is currently stocked at several independent designer retail spaces in New York City and one in Seoul, South Korea. Across rings, necklaces, headpieces, and belts, Fishfelon investigates how contemporary jewelry can carry craft lineage while adapting to new cultural and material contexts.