Chao however was determined to combine her architectural mindset and sculptural skills with jewelry design, and her design using wax modeling did bring some refreshment to the industry. Some of the craftsmen she worked with in Switzerland and France, used to say that she was "a woman with steel hands in velvet gloves", because of the new difficulties and great challenges she brought into the work.
Now as her work gains more recognition, showcased at events such as the TEFAF Maastricht, worn by celebrities on the red carpets and film festivals, Chao believes her career is stepping into the beginning of long climax period. For the first 15 years of her career she was fighting a lone battle in Europe, overcoming obstacles and struggling for survival, and now she has become a mature artist, with adequate resources and platforms.
Chao has scaled the heights but is ready to keep evolving to achieve a better balance between technique and lightweight, and explore new expressions using gems as oil painting pigments.
