Chloé Ucedo
Chloé Ucedo
What if we reimagined the ring? What if, instead of adhering to the strict codes of fine jewellery, made of gold, diamonds and sapphires, we explored new combinations of materials, techniques, and stories? Chloé Ucedo sets no limits to her practice and dares to question conventional norms. UCEDO is more than a jewelry brand: it is a way of exploring the world, deconstructing traditional conventions and reinventing the essence of jewellery.
Chloé Ucedo, a craftswoman and designer, began her studies in architecture at La Cambre and Saint Luc before turning to jewellery. After taking a course at Arts & Métiers, she began a training program in traditional techniques under the supervision of Serge De Moor, a craftsman at Chaumet. At the same time, she independently researched robust metal welding and designed furniture for galleries. After studying architecture, she expanded her knowledge with a degree in industrial design at La Cambre, where she specialized in 3D modeling. In 2023, she launched her eponymous brand UCEDO, blending artisanal techniques with modern innovations that she has perfected throughout her career. In April 2024, she exhibited her work during Brussels Jewellery Week in the exhibition Particle(s). From October 2024, Chloé Ucedo will be part of the incubator program at MAD Brussels.
“To me, jewelry design is like small-scale architecture.”
According to Chloé Ucedo, contemporary jewelry can be compared to fine mechanics: “It is small-scale architecture.” From the outset, UCEDO has focused on rings as signature pieces, conceived as living sculptures that speak and move, each curvature offering a new complexity to explore. She embraces this vision with intuition. She describes her creative process as a “hand-to-brain” approach, where her hands are guided by her feelings, resulting in unexpected, unpredictable creations and unique perspectives to her work. In a market saturated with cheap jewelry on the one hand and expensive, luxurious pieces on the other, the brand finds itself somewhere between these extremes. Experimentation forms a basis for her creations, which are in dialogue with materials. Using innovative and sustainable techniques, Chloé brings together the precision of craftsmanship and surprising materials. For example, she replaces traditional welding techniques with friction techniques, adding a new dimension to her work.
Armed with artificial intelligence, Chloé Ucedo generates a world that distances itself from reality, where minorities replace traditional icons. She develops an imagery based on contrasts. Chloé combines contemporary materials and trends such as nail art, grillz, AirPods and smartphones with an aesthetic reminiscent of Renaissance pictorial art. In the world of UCEDO, the Madonna is reimagined as a black woman and cherubs swap their cloaks for latex bodysuits. This artistic approach aims to decolonise high jewellery by questioning the provenance of materials and cultural appropriation. Chloé wants to deconstruct the aesthetic and social norms, value and prestige that shape the industry. These intentions are reflected in her practice, where she deliberately removes jewellery from its private box and the technical constraints of luxury, applying it to supposedly modest materials. In doing so, she introduces new materials such as polymers and resin, while relying on ancestral techniques and reinterpreting classic elements. This approach is particularly clear in pieces created for multidisciplinary artist Baloji. Chloé made a ring inspired by Japanese lacquer, designed with fragments of eggshells, which offer a new texture without compromising the authenticity of the material.
Far from the well-trodden paths of conformity, UCEDO envisions jewellery not as a simple accessory, but as a truly experimental object. The brand dreams of a world where clients would not choose a model from a catalogue, but where the ring would choose them based on their story. Customization would become a search for meaning, a way of intimately connecting the object to its owner, inviting wearers to question and transcend traditional conventions. By combining innovation with ancestral techniques and reinterpreting traditional materials, UCEDO breaks with the codes of conventional luxury. The brand aims to make jewellery more accessible while challenging established norms. In doing so, Chloé asks herself how things can be different.