Dara Kenyalang crown
Inspired by culture and nature, Jonathan Yun, the maker and sponsor of the crown for Dara Kenyalang, tells us about the crown’s design and the steps involved in creating it.
Designer looks to culture, nature for inspiration
The Dara Kenyalang crown, which is made of sterling silver and set with white synthetic diamonds, took Jonathan Yun approximately a month to create from scratch.
The retail price of the crown, according to Yun, who is the maker and sponsor of the crown for Dara Kenyalang, is RM60,000.
Yun is a Penang-based creative jeweller with an atelier located in the heritage enclave of Georgetown. After graduating from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia with a major in fine metals, he went on to win several international jewellery awards, including the Next Accessories Designer of the Year 2019 awarded by Professor Datuk Dr Jimmy Choo at the STYLO/Malaysian Fashion Week.
He is also well-known in the fashion industry for his participation in the Malaysia Official Designers’ Association (MODA) fashion parade and accessories workshop, both of which took place at the National Art Gallery in Kuala Lumpur.
During my interview with him, Yun appears to be enthusiastic to connect with Sarawak. With its ancient rainforest, our region has beautiful flora that inspired him.
In addition to being a certified divemaster, he is a fern collector, as nature is one of his passions. Some of his silver accessories feature fern designs.
Q: Who approached you about designing the crown?
Yun: Harry Frederick approached me about creating a bespoke crown. He is the producer, director, and creator of “Dara Kenyalang”, a Sarawakian production featuring Sarawak’s lovely maidens. “Dara” means maiden in Iban, while “Kenyalang” is synonymous with Sarawak.
Tell us about the design of the crown.
The crown was designed with both cultural references and a contemporary style in mind. Taking centre stage is the Dara Kenyalang logo, which depicts a lady dressed in a composite of several traditional ethnic details from various races such as Iban, Bidayuh, and Orang Ulu. She is then surrounded by the tree of life motif, which forms the encircling foliage that surrounds the entire crown.
Can you explain the steps involved in making it?
The lady’s sculpture was first carved in wax to ensure proper form and dimension. Following that, we made a temporary mould to cast out the form and added details to a second sculpture of her so that we could decorate her with facetted stones. The metal vines were sculpted part by part and then assembled onto the crown. Once the crown frame was done, we soldered the stone casing to the crown. After that, we filed and sanded the crown to prepare it for stone setting. Finally, the crown was polished and buffed to make it glitter and sparkle.
Yun mainly works in silver as he finds the soft patina of silver to be fascinating and alluring. He also uses semi-precious stones such as tzardite, emeralds, luscious pearls, and diamonds set in antique silver.
During the photography shoot for “Dara Kenyalang”, the finalists were adorned with the beautifully crafted jewellery from Yun’s Coral Ocean, Eden, and Vintage Heritage ranges.
In the final episode, the Top 6 will also be wearing Yun’s jewellery.
The 13-episode, one-hour show, produced by Silver Halides Pictures Sdn Bhd for TVS, premiered on February 12 this year.
In the previous episodes, the maidens from Kuching, Serian, Sibu, Kapit, Bintulu, Miri, and Limbang took on various challenges, ranging from traditional dancing to acting, talents showing, catwalk, and communicating skills, with some of them being eliminated on the weekly broadcast reality show.
Viewers should not miss the final episode because it will have you on the edge of your seat as you watch the Top 6 finalists compete for the title of Dara Kenyalang.
- The finalists are:
- Tonnia Kisi, a 23-year-old chef and a Bidayuh from Bau
- Lofrenska Fezzie Herick, a 23-year-old student and a Bidayuh from Taee, Serian
- Clera Pungi Roni, a 26-year-old cashier and an Iban from Sri Aman
- Alicia Minod Sandau, a 24-year-old court interpreter and an Iban from Limbang
- Steffy Sharon Saging, a 19-year-old student and a Kayan from Bintulu
- Noor Dearie Evie Dennis, a 23-year-old Bisaya from Limbang
Who will don this stunning crown by Jonathan Yun? “Dara Kenyalang” will air its final episode (Episode 13) on May 7 at 3pm on TVS Channel 122.
