After a long day of work, Lilian Guan takes a seat near her table, recalls the events of the day and sighs.
She takes a moment to reflect and begins to write down her thoughts. As soon as her hand touches the paper, the words begin to pour out and fill the page.
In deep reflection, there is a moment of clarity, and she realizes what her next project will be.
Guan is a Calgary-based jewelry designer and owner of the jewelry brand Brightly and Lilian.
Guan has been in the business for quite some time and has an interesting way of approaching the designs for her pieces.
She considers what stage she is at in her life and the journey she is going through before selecting a name that best describes that sentiment. She then starts designing a piece to capture that moment’s essence.
“I pick the name first and from that name, I envision a piece that might symbolize what that [moment] could mean for me,” said Guan.
Guan started her business because of a necklace her mother gave her.
“I actually ran away from an abusive home and at the time my mother was tearfully telling me that she wished there was something that she could offer me,” Guan said in a previous interview.
“So, she purchased a necklace for me and at the time I was so angry because I was like I can’t keep this necklace, I can’t get love from a necklace.”
Guan says that over time, the necklace and that gesture resonated with her. It took some time, but she finally began to understand and feel her mother’s love through it, and for that reason, she fell in love with jewelry.
“The idea of heirloom gold lingered with me, just something that’s cherished and passed on from generation to generation that captures heritage, upbringing, life, culture, everything that’s involved in one’s story,” said Guan.
That sentiment remained with her, and jewelry became an art form that she could use to capture all those elements. She also started expressing elements of her healing journey through her pieces.
Eventually, Guan started receiving custom requests and began to listen to the stories of her clients.
“I found that by creating jewelry pieces, and also giving them an intention and a name, it actually supports other people,” said Guan.
Based on the emotions of her clients, Guan tries to create a piece to encapsulate that moment.
“Inspiration comes when I envision myself in someone’s shoes and what they’re trying to capture.”
One of Guan’s custom pieces was for a student who left her home in Colombia to pursue education in Canada.
At the time, the woman felt as if it was an irrational decision because it would place a huge financial burden on her family, but after some reflection, she decided to take the opportunity anyway.
The woman was nearing the end of her master’s degree, when she reached out to Guan for custom jewelry. She wanted a piece that would honour herself, all that she’s fought for and what she’s accomplished.
“Colombia is one of the main manufacturers of emeralds and so she chose an emerald ring in cultivating her greatest good to celebrate her achievement, so I thought that was very special,” said Guan.
For that reason, Guan named the ring Emerald Garden – In Cultivating Your Greatest Good.
“I hadn’t really thought of graduation in such a sense. I was born and raised here, I never realized how you have to leave your country to go to school,” Guan said.
“The sentiments really linger. It made me realize all that I take for granted.”
