Monday August 28, 2006

Just for fun

Not everyone makes personal jewellery for business. Some make it to give away. 

Learning how to make jewellery was a life-changing experience for Thang Mee Yuen, an insurance agent. 

It all started when she read a book about honouring one’s self-worth. 

“I have a career. I have three children, but I don’t see my role as a mum as my life work. So, I thought I should experience doing something with my hands,” said Thang. 

Thang Mee Yuen (left) and Kaye Leong find joy in making jewellery and giving them away.

She took up jewellery-making as a hobby, but didn’t expect it to give her so much joy or sense of purpose. So taken was Thang by her new hobby that she started making jewellery just to give away to friends. She finds a special joy in giving them away.  

Never did she even think about turning her hobby into a viable business. However, offers to buy her works and “orders” came in from friends and acquaintances. Even so, she finds it difficult to put a price tag to her creations. 

“It’s really hard to put a price on something you create,” she explained.  

Thang’s friends were surprised at her dedication to her hobby. 

“I don’t really fit into this mould of ‘making things’,” she explained. “I’m not the type to wear these things, either,” she said, gesturing to her latest creation, a necklace with a cluster of crystals that resembled a bunch of grapes.  

So far, Thang has made more than 20 pieces of jewellery and given away most of them. 

Even her husband was taken aback by her devotion, initially teasing her about it. But soon, even he got caught up with her hobby and suggested that she sell her jewellery on e-Bay. 

“I told him to handle that e-Bay thing, and I’ll just continue making the jewellery,” she said with a laugh. But she still insists that she’s not interested in setting up a shop selling jewellery. 

It’s the same for graphic designer Kaye Leong. 

Leong, who enjoys making bracelets and earrings, attended a couple of handicraft workshops while studying in Australia.  

When she returned to Malaysia, she couldn’t find handicraft classes anywhere until she walked past the Strands boutique one day.  

Her goal is to take more classes and improve her skills until she can make jewellery and give them away as presents this coming Christmas. 

“Friends really appreciate what you’ve done. It’s very personalised, after all,” she said. 

The side-effect of taking jewellery classes is that she now finds herself scrutinising the jewellery that is being sold commercially. She finds it fascinating that she can now comment on the structure of a piece of jewellery and judge its quality. 

Sometimes, she even “revamps” the pieces that she buys, adding her own personal touches to them. 

How much one spends on making the jewellery depends on the materials that are used, but Leong can spend RM20 to RM30 making a pair of earrings or bracelets.  

About making it a business? Leong shakes her head, saying that she just enjoys making them. – By Elizabeth Tai 

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