As a child I used to walk from my house to school over a bridge and past rice fields. At break times I hung out with my friends under a big tree in the middle of the school grounds. Sometimes we walked along the path around the rice field and stopped to watch the beautiful butterflies and dragonflies hovering above the lotus flowers or on the rice plants in the paddy field.

A large part of my childhood was spent in the countryside, mainly at my grandparents’ house which was a very old and large traditional Chinese style house built from stone and teak wood. The house was surrounded by a large garden full of different fruits and flowers and beyond the back garden were the rice fields. Across from the front of the house was one of the many branches of the Mekong River where I loved playing and swimming with my friends.

From a very young age not only was I immersed in nature, I was also surrounded by traditional crafts. I remember being fascinated watching my neighbour weaving on a big wooden loom, listening to the rhythm of the moving shuttles and watching the patterns emerge gradually on the silk.

I also remember being amazed when I first discovered some of my mother's embroidery. One that I particularly loved was made on a fan shape frame and another on pillow cases displayed in the glass cabinet at my grandparents' house. I loved them and wished that I could do something like that.

I was not only fascinated by watching craft makers at work but I also loved to make things as well. I used to carve pieces of broken terracotta into pendants to wear or to use as tokens for hopscotch. I pretended to make rice bowls from muddy clay from the river bank and carved candle sticks to light handmade paper lanterns at the children’s festival. Whenever I found something that caught my eye, I would love to turn it into an object which could be played with, worn or used as a decoration. One of my most enjoyable childhood memories as a little girl was finding seeds from a fruit or vegetable or plant and transforming them into fabulous pieces of jewellery. 

This passion for crafts has led me to learning many different crafts throughout my life; first of all as hobbies, then academically and professionally. A significant part of my career was learning the art of making traditional Japanese dolls while living in Hong Kong. I was so fortunate to find a wonderful teacher and later I became a certified instructor and taught this craft for 8 years. 

After returning to England I decided to continue to study and pursued a BA degree in Silversmithing, Goldsmithing and Jewellery Design at Kent Institute of Arts and Design. I was awarded the Pewterers' Prize at Pewter Live 2004 for my Nile Lotus Vase. I then went on to complete my Master's Degree in Three Dimensional Design at the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester, Kent.

Looking back I realise that I have been passionate about crafts since as long as I can remember. My love of nature and its aesthetic always brings me happiness, a feeling of being at peace and provides endless sources of inspiration for the design and creation of my jewellery. The essence of what I am trying to achieve with my jewellery creations is to capture the aesthetic of natural forms, textures and materials and reflect the beauty of nature captured in a single moment of contemplation. 

Besides my passion for creating jewellery, I love to share it with people who are also fascinated about nature and its beauty and appreciate the simplicity and elegance of design to express their own unique style. Through crafts I have met so many wonderful like-minded people who have become very good life-long friends, and I wish to continue doing so through creating my jewellery.