Construct and deconstruct – Nutre Arayavanish

Creating fresh and fun jewellery, typically with her signature laser-cut wooden parts, Thai designer Nutre Arayavanish earned herself the coveted Jewellery Designer of the Year award from the British Jewellers Association in 2007.

Her award-winning design was composed of a flat sheet of wood filled with pre-cut shapes. Instructions are provided to the wearer,who canassemble the shapes using a slot system to attach the components. Such wittiness is also reflected in her other designs, such as the petal wreath necklaces and postable jewellery that are designed to be mailed flattened.

Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Review talked to the 28-year-old designer about her creative process, what inspires her and how she keeps her designs always that surprising.

Q: How do you describe your design style? A: I create contemporary fashion jewellery for those who adore something different and love to be inspired. I always combine the traditional with the new, in terms of the use of material and production techniques. I want to create a new element in jewellery, with a twist of Asian flair.

Q: Where do you mainly draw inspiration from? How do you keep your ideas fresh and your designs always exciting? A: I draw my inspiration mainly from my experience or any incidents that impress me. For example, the Blossoming collection drew inspiration from the life cycle of flowers, which transform from bud into blossom, then finally withering. I call it a stop-motion of a flower's life.

Q: Can you tell us about your latest collection? What are the key themes and key designs? A: I'm about to launch a new collection entitled "In the Shadow of the Moon," mainly inspired by the orbit and phases of the Moon. It still features my signature laser-cut wood andoxidised silver alongside specially cut gemstones. Key colours include black, white, various shades of grey and light blue. The collection comes in a variety of geometrical, rigid yet feminine shapes.

Q: Do you have a fashion or design background? How did you become interested in fashion jewellery design? A: I earned a BA degree in jewellery design in Bangkok and worked for two years for a fashion jewellery company called Crystaline. Then I decided to go to London to take a MA course in goldsmithing, metalwork and jewellery design at the Royal College of Art.

Q: What are your favourite fashion and jewellery brands? How do they affect your design? A: I adore Alexander McQueen. He is a cutting-edge designer. He always includes very interesting jewellery or metal works in his fashion show. Some of the pieces were created by internationally celebrated jewellery designer Shaun Leane.

Q: What is the price range of your products? A: My products have quite a wide price range. The lower-end collection is priced from £10 to £50 (US$15.80 to US$79.00). The higher-end products range from £100 to £1,000 (US$158.00 to US$1,580.04), depending on the materials and production process.

Q: Where can we find your jewellery? A: It is sold mostly through art galleries, museums and design shops. The cheaper collections usually go to galleries and design shops, where they are sold as souvenirs. The more expensive designs are sold through jewellery galleries and museums as a premium product. My customers come from a very wide age group, from teenagers to ladies over 80 years old.

Q: What plans do you have to expand your business? A: When I started my business three years ago, I created my own website updating my exhibitions and fairs where I will be participating. I am now planning to sell some of my cheaper range on my website very soon. I am also moving my workshop from London back to Bangkok.

Q: Are you going to expand your reach to Asia this year? How do you view the market there compared to those in Europe and the US? A: I'm currently exhibiting and selling my work in Tokyo through Deux Poissons Gallery and I will soon be visiting Singapore. The lower range has done very well in Japan for the last two years. My next step is to take my expensive collection to different Asian countries. But Asia is a more difficult market because there are far fewer galleries here than in western countries, where a lot more consumers value art and creativity and are willing to spend more on designs like mine. Apart from Japan, design and jewellery fairs in the rest of Asia are not must-attend, unlike renowned design-related events such as London Design Festival and 100% Design Tokyo.