"I would like people to know me as an artist and designer who creates
handmade jewelry. To shoppers from all over the world, I'd like to say
that there are still many quality artists waiting to be discovered."
- Nareerat
Nareerat, or Lek, was born
in Trang province, southern Thailand. She is the youngest child of six
and her family members are
merchants.
After grade nine she moved to Bangkok where she was a secretarial major at the Convert of the Holy Infant Jesus School. She worked at a foreign trading agency as a buyer and an enamel company in
their marketing department before she got married.
Lek's hobbies include origami which she did constantly while pregnant with her first daughter, Ice. That made her appreciate art. Three years later she had twin sons, H and
OAT. She quit working again and devoted all her time
to them. After moving to a new house, she became terribly bored. She
wanted her own small business and began looking for products at the big
Bangkok market. She liked jewelry so she bought some to sell at her sister's shop. The feedback was great, so she decided
to start designing her own jewelry in 2004.
"I prefer to design and craft the jewelry myself. I wanted to make
something different from what you find in the market. So I bought a book
about making jewelry and the processes. I started from the beginning.
It was so hard before I finished and it took me long time to make the
first piece. When I knew the basics and the process, I started to design
by myself. I tried for long time until I got better. Finally, in
September of 2005, I opened my own small shop.
"I have faith and believe in God, and I want to look after my three
children so they grow up to be good people. I also want to make jewelry.
At present, I live with my husband and our children, and I do my
jewelry by myself.
"The greatest challenge in my life may not be exciting but it is
challenging to me. It is making jewelry and presenting my ideas through
my designs. One of my best memories is when I sold a necklace I named 'Green Silk Curtain' to my
first customer. It was the first necklace I designed and crafted by
hand. I love all of my work. I am satisfied and happy when I see my others
appreciate my designs. This inspires me to make more beautiful jewelry.
"To create my jewelry, I like to sit in the middle of the materials –
colorful stones and pearls in many shapes. My inspiration tells me what
kind of design to create or what kind of material to use. Nature is a
reference for my designs. " - Lek
I am so glad to have discovered Lek's work at
NOVICA Live. If you host an online Trunk Show and your sales total $250 or more, you will receive the first TWO pieces shown here by Lek absolutely FREE (multi-strand necklace and turquoise earrings).
