“To what extent can contemporary jewellery express feelings of discomfort by reminding the wearer that they won’t always get what they want?”

Excessive desire – and the extreme measures one might take to fulfil this are explored by Liu Yun’s jewellery collection Excessive Desire – You Shall Not Always Get What You Want. Taking drug users as a subject, Liu is stuck by the contradiction between the self-knowledge that drug use is harmful and the addicts need to use them.

To this end, the wearer is encouraged to interact with the jewellery – the materials used offering contrasting feelings – between comfort and discomfort, and acting as a limit on the wearer’s body. Liu reminds the wearer that they will not always get what they want.