The Grief Is Endless, but So Is the Love

This ensemble of handcrafted objects materializes love and grief's eternal conversation. Crafted in metal - a material that archives every scar and strengthens with each impact, these works serve as a love letter to grief, an invitation to embrace the art of holding on by letting go. Wherever love is, grief follows as its marvelous shadow; proving the love existed and the heartbreak is always worth it.


The series of objects contemplates love’s many dimensions . "Endless Clock" is a meditation of circular longing. To love is to grieve is to love again. The "Love/Loss Archive" is an artist's book, a living archive of love letters and breakups, chronicled linearly. Sterling silver and adorned with memorabilia, it asks “where does the grief end and the love begin? "Lighter" is pearled and perfumed in sterling silver, engraved with the reminder, “flames fade but scent remains what leaves leaves marks.” "Candelabra" demonstrates the dance of two flames, a choreography of sorts—solitude, convergence, parting—their mingled wax pooling below—more love awaits.


Together, these objects testify that love and grief are not endpoints, but rather two sides of the same blade—one cuts, the other sharpens. The Grief is Endless, but So is the Love.

Belle Zhao

Belle Zhao is a Chinese American artist and jeweler from San Francisco, now based in New York. Working across multiple mediums but specializing in metalwork, she creates jewelry and objects that examine the relationship between love and grief through physical form.

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