KAWAZOE Honoka Profile

1971年兵庫県で生まれ、瀬戸内海の沿岸の香川県高松市で育つ。
幼少の頃から、海、山に親しみ、裏山から出るカンカン石（サヌカイト＝讃岐岩。高い音がし、古代日本の楽器の素材でもあった）で遊ぶ。

高校時代、サラブレッドの美しさに惹かれ、馬術で国体に出場。
日本獣医大学(現・日本獣医生命科学大学)に入学したが、自分のライフワークの可能性をもとめて大学中退。

1991年、インドネシア・バリ島でオニキス、ラピスラズリ、水晶の加工、オーストラリアでオパールの採掘、研磨に携わるなど、東南アジアやオーストラリアを旅しながら、各地で採取、採掘される宝石に触れる。
1993年、エメラルド原石輸入会社に就職。これがエメラルドとの運命的出会いとなり、5年間、女性としては希有なジュエリーのバイヤーとして南米・コロンビアの鉱山で採掘や研磨、加工に携わる。
2001年、ジュエリーデザイナーとして独立するため、宝石学の教育機関GIA（Gemological Institute of America）ニューヨーク校で学び宝石鑑定士の資格を取得。
1998年-2004年　ニューヨークを拠点に活動。
2002年、初の個展を高松のギャラリーenで開催（以後隔年）。
2004年より、自然のエネルギーあふれる場所バリ島にアトリエを移し、毎年世界各国で個展や展示会を開催。
2017年にはTV情熱大陸に出演。同時期に写真家石内都が作品や原石を撮影した作品集、「Honoka’s Emerald／ほのかのエメラルド」を求龍堂より出版。

When he was in high school, he was attracted by the beauty of thoroughbreds and competed in the national equestrian event.
Entered Nippon Veterinary College (now Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University), but dropped out of college to pursue his own potential life work.

In 1991, he was involved in onyx, lapis lazuli and crystal processing in Bali, Indonesia, and opal mining and polishing in Australia.
In 1993, he started working for an emerald gemstone import company.
In 1993, she began working for a company importing rough emeralds, which led to a fateful encounter with emeralds, and for five years she worked as a jewelry buyer, a rare position for a woman, in the mines of Colombia, South America, where she was involved in mining, polishing, and processing.

In 2001, she became an independent jewelry designer. In 2001, in order to start her own business as a jewelry designer, she studied at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in New York and became a certified gemologist.

1998-2004: Based in New York City. <1998-2004: Based in New York. Held her first solo exhibition at Gallery en in Takamatsu in 2002 (and every other year since).
Since 2004, she has moved her studio to Bali, a place overflowing with natural energy, and has held solo exhibitions and shows around the world every year.
In 2017, she appeared on the TV program "Jounetsu Tairiku" (Passion Continent), and at the same time, Miyako Ishiuchi, a photographer, published a book of her works and gemstones, "Honoka's Emerald" from Kyuryudo.