When I came to Singapore in the ‘80s, I started collecting some gemstone necklaces – I had one of rose quartz, another of jasper, and I started reading up about beads and about semi-precious stones. On a trip to Victoria, Canada in 1991, I went into Beadworld, and it felt like Aladdin’s cave with the unimaginable variety and diversity of beads calling out to me. Despite never having strung up a necklace before, I bought many, many beads that day, some of which you will see in some of the necklaces in Manik. Along with these beads, a bead board and other basic tools and findings, and a simple ‘how to’ book on necklace-making.

Thus began my thirty over years relationship with beads and necklace making. I started collecting beads in Singapore and wherever I travelled – antique trade beads, carnelian and glass beads in Sarawak, silver beads in Bali, Thailand, Nepal, metal beads in Australia, Taureg silver beads and pre-World War II Czech glass beads in New York, Dzi beads in Tibet, amber In Prague, vintage crystal beads from a church jumble sale in London, etc. I also acquired various books on beads, to learn the history, the characteristics and the stories.

I made necklaces for myself, for friends, and I also sold some in boutiques. I loved them all – the matrix of turquoise beads, the inclusions of dendritic quartz, the beautiful patina and ‘character’ of older beads, the imperfections of hand-made beads…

In the new millenium however, even as I continued to acquire beads, I had less and less time to make necklaces, as I grew increasingly busier at work. 

As Covid took over our lives in 2020, I turned to my beads for solace and for my sanity.  My career had started to wind down, and as I looked at my 30-year collection of beads, I ruminated tentatively to my family, that I really should do something with all my beads, disperse them in necklaces to share my love. I was surprised by the wholehearted enthusiasm and support from my nieces… And thus, Manik was conceived, and has been a labour of love for the family to bring it to fruition… I design and string up each necklace, and each necklace is a one-off. I also love mixing things up - the silver beads from Bali with the lapis from Chile, the antique carnelian with the contemporary zoisite, and so on…

If you are interested in the influences that have helped shape my design aesthetic,
you might like to read the following blogs:

How My Years in Britain Shaped My Design Aesthetic and Appreciation for Unique Handmade Jewellery in the UK

The Appeal of Unique Handmade Jewellery in Australia – And Why We Create Our Own One-of-a-Kind Artisan Jewellery Collection

Kay
Team Manik