PEONY N PEARL (Debut designer)

Tell us about your label, Peony N Pearl, and how it all began:

My label used to be called Fenon and I have just recently changed my business name to Peony N Pearl.

I began making jewellery in 2008 mainly as a stress-relief. I was living in Jakarta at the time working in a job that clearly wasn’t for me. It took an hour to commute to work and then another 2 hours of traffic to get home. Even though I only have about 3-4 hours gap between sleep and going back to work again, the first thing that I do when I arrive home is making jewellery. I also took floristry lessons over the weekend. The experience made me realize that life is too short to be miserable all the time - so 2 years later, I married the man of my dreams, moved to Australia and started my own label for jewellery and worked in a flower shop. In March 2014, I quit my job in the florist and started my own label, Peony N Pearl as a rooftop for both my floristry and jewellery.

 

 

What inspires your designs?

Making wire work jewellery is very technical and I am entirely self-taught. I learnt by looking at other wire work jeweller and design- not to copy a design but to learn from a technical perspective. Once I discover the know-how and practice the techniques over and over, ideas can come from a few different sources. For example, thinking from a business perspective - why would customers buy my jewellery? Do they need it for a casual , or dressy or even a wedding? From a creative perspective, ideas can emerge from the raw materials itself- from beautiful pearls or interesting cut of gemstones. Coming from a musical background, images can sometime form in my head from listening to music- and I get to name my jewellery with song titles, which is super handy. As I get better at what I do, these ideas can then evolve and I can create my own technique that will then produce new designs.

What item in your studio could you not live without?

My pliers - one day they disappeared for a few hours and I went completely nuts! I’d panic less if I have lost my phone!

What can market-folk expect to find at the April event?

I am really hoping to release a few new fancy wire work jewellery designs by then. I will also have a few selection of fine and simple gemstone jewellery which I’m really into at the moment.  

What is it about Hustle&Scout that made you want to be a stallholder?

Great hosts, atmosphere and fashion stallholders!

 

MY FAVE THINGS

 

Guilty pleasure:  None- I feel like I deserve every pleasure I get to ever feel guilty about it :p

 

What you wanted to be when you grew up:  air hostess (now I’m afraid of heights), professional soccer player (now I hate team sports), piano teacher, comic book illustrator, jazz musician.

 

Fave place to unwind in Canberra: Gold Creek Village – which is especially beautiful in spring and autumn!

 

Fave fashion piece you own:  The very first pearl necklace I bought with the money I earn from working my first Valentines Day rush in a busy florist. Also a wire work necklace made by a master jeweller from UK, Emily Gray that I got just recently for my birthday.

 

Your role model/s: My floristry teacher back in Jakarta, Andy Djati Utomo – a man who is not just a master at what he does, but is also very generous with his knowledge and by doing that had set an example for me to not ever be insecure about my work and to also keep being generous to other artists.