川添微 Honoka Kawazoe

Gemologist
Rough Emerald Jewelry Designer
And Advocate

Kawazoe Honoka was born in 1971 in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea in southwest Japan. She was surrounded by the sea and mountains in her childhood, and played with indigenous Sanukite stones used since ancient times as a high-pitched percussion instrument. Fascinated by horses and horse riding, she participated in the equestrian events of the National Sports Festival of Japan. She began studies at the Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, but left before graduating to explore other possibilities.

In 1991, travels to Southeast Asia and Australia brought her exposure to jewel mining and processing and polishing of stones – onyx, crystal, and lapis lazuli in Bali, and opals in Australia.

In 1993, she took employment at an emerald import company and for five years was involved in mining, polishing, and processing of emeralds at mines in Columbia.

She was based in New York from 1998 to 2004.

In 2001, she studied at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in New York with the intention of becoming an independent jewelry designer. She acquired qualification as a gen appraiser.

Her first solo exhibition was at Gellery en in Takamatsu, Japan in 2002, and outskirts of Ubud, Bali, and has remained there ever since.

Honoka exhibits regularly, introducing new works on a regular basis at the Hankyu Umeda Main Store in Osaka, the Isetan Shinjuku Store, Tokyo and Ginza Mitsukoshi, Tokyo.