Jean Kee

Prior to me starting work in Bangkok, I went on a 4-day trip to Bali to visit the compound of John Hardy to better understand the company's dream, their values, and their mission as handcrafted luxury. 

Founded by John Hardy, a Canadian designer & artist, in 1975, the company applies new design concepts to Balinese artisanal techniques inspired by nature and ancient East Asian art styles and themes, creating luxurious pieces that are not only intricately made, but detailed in the story that goes behind each item.

The compound in Bali is not only the design centre, it also serves as a living and gathering space with an organic farm and low impact buildings. One of the company's biggest focus is to be environmentally and socially conscious of its carbon footprint - the ultimate goal being to become carbon neutral.

As I explored Bali, I did not realise how much it had to offer in terms of culture, heritage and tradition, and returned back to Bangkok truly inspired, ready to begin applying all that I saw into jewellery!

Being a jetsetter oftentimes means I can't get too comfortable for too long, and this was no different. While I was getting settled into the wonderfully easy-going atmosphere of Seattle, another opportunity arose that would allow me to pursue my passion in jewellery design.

John Hardy, a renowned international luxury jewellery design company was looking to hire a designer for the newly launched Angela line that was sold exclusively on QVC. Based in Bangkok, this would give me the chance to really stretch my creative freedom, something that appealed very much to me. Being a newly launched line also meant that it had a lot of potential, perfect to challenge and push my skills and gain experience.

I took a day to fly to NY to meet with the Design Director of John Hardy, while he was stateside for publicity appearances in September 2012. After the interview, I was assigned a mini-project, to design a collection inspired by the lotus bud, a concept that is the core of the Angela line. 

Once back in Seattle, coffee shops became my second home as a I churned out sketch after sketch with nothing but pencil and paper, an old-fashioned design technique in today's world of digitised technology that he strongly encouraged still. Submitting my assignment by the end of month, my efforts paid off and I was offered the position, to begin at the start of the new year 2013. 

The sketches from the assignment can be seen in the Siam collection here. It was a pleasant but bittersweet moment when I decided to accept this offer; I was excited at the prospect of moving to Bangkok, a city I had never been in before, but I was starting to grow very fond of Seattle, and the people who were to become my very close friends, that I knew it would hurt to leave.

But you only live once, right?