I love a second career story. It helps shatter our negative beliefs about not being able to do something entirely different from what we have originally built, learned, and begun. I wrote a short novel a few years ago after meeting the most celebrated botanical artist in Hong Kong, Sally Bunker. After retiring from being a school principal, Sally began her second career as an artist drawing plants and trees, which inspired me to write the short novel, Papaya Tree (A Family Saga in an Indigenous Village in the Cosmopolitan City of Hong Kong) under the pen name Orchid Bloom. Hence being able to hear another similar story right here in Thailand instantly warmed my heart.
More Mermaid than a Bee
Abeille Bijoux is founded and owned by K. Pueng. Pueng means “bee” in Thai, hence the namesake of the brand in French. I have to walk through Pueng’s shop every time I go to my Thai lesson. Over time, I am not sure whether I have gone home from my lesson with more new Thai vocabulary words from my lesson or new Thai silver jewellery pieces from Pueng’s shop.
By looking at her products, I assumed Pueng had been making jewellery all her life. Indeed, she converted me to become a silver jewellery lover. I was never a fan of silver. I used to think that they got tarnished too easily, and I didn’t like the over-polished appearance, either. However, today I own several pieces of Thai silver jewellery made by Pueng. Her silver jewellery has this understated sophistication that transcends typical women’s fashion— and they’re much more sophisticated than the usual souvenirs from Thailand. They are also not over-polished and given a matte finish that almost looks like platinum. I am also in love with her designs, which are all inspired by Thailand’s beaches and marine life. Be it a starfish with pieces of ruby embedded in it, a shark chasing after an opal, or simply a gorgeous stingray pendant, they look so rhythmic as still pieces. I was mesmerised looking at them. In Thailand women’s clothing and silver jewellery is everywhere, but no silver jewellery stands out like Pueng’s.
Pueng likes wearing long dresses. One day I saw her wearing shorts and could not take my eyes off her legs. Not wanting to sound too creepy, Pueng has a pair of beautiful legs that don’t look like they belong to a model, nor a typical athlete who spends a lot of time in the gym. Her legs are tanned, like oiled with a great sense of unexplainable fluidity. I had to ask her what she did on a regular basis to get legs like that! It turned out she’s been a professional dive master and underwater photographer as well as filmmaker for fifteen years. That’s how you get perfect legs like Pueng’s— by basically moving like you’re a mermaid in water for hours a day.
Follow Thy Heart & Life Will Show you the Path
“In 2017, I began to feel tired from being in the sea and taken away from my babies all the time. I started to long for having my toes touching the ground for longer than I could on a daily basis,” Pueng recalled when I asked her how she went from being a divemaster to a master silversmith. “I love art and making things with my hands. My uncle was a metalsmith. I went to him and learned the basics. The rest was training-on-the-job. My husband and I used to run a hammock café on Koh Tao, where we met. We were both professional divers. I would set up a workshop at a corner of the café and show our customers pieces that I was making. Just like that, bit by bit, I became better— and piece by piece, I started selling my jewellery to people who wanted lasting souvenirs from Thailand! During COVID, there were very few to none tourists coming to Koh Tao. I began to frequent here in Phuket to trade. Having more opportunities here, one day we made the decision to pack our things and make Phuket— one of the best destinations in Thailand— our permanent home.”
“It was sort of a dream come true for me. I love creating things and there is something very special about jewellery, which to me, a piece of wearable art, often capturing and keeping certain special moments. I knew in my heart as soon as I started making jewellery, that it was something I would do for the rest of my life.”
When asked about her creative process, Pueng gave me quite the unexpected answer.
“I rarely sketch a design. Unless it’s a bespoke piece when I use the sketch as a tool to communicate with my client, to make sure I understand what the client wants. When I have a piece of material, or a stone, I will put it on my work bench in front of me and let it “talk” to me. During the process I keep the connection going, and let the inspiration flow. That is also when my work is most efficient. When things flow, I can easily make more than fifteen pieces of jewellery in a matter of 3 to 4 days!”
Despite having such a spontaneous workflow, I can attest to Pueng’s professionalism when it comes to bespoke design. I got myself a vintage Patek Philippe watch for my 40th birthday a few years ago. The watch was made back in the 1920’s. The strap was, as you can imagine, falling apart. After testing Pueng’s bespoke skill with my earrings, one piece had been lost and I could not wear the other on its own. However, since the earrings had sentimental value to me, I wanted to make it wearable again. I took it to Pueng who turned it into a pendant for me. She passed the test with flying colours. Hence I took my previous PP watch to her. I wanted something special. Knowing that Pueng has been working with natural stones, I asked if I could have something made that could go with the gold watch dial and stones that were beneficial for my emotional well-being. I had enjoyed Pueng’s intimate process, which began with her sketching and explaining what she could do, while frequently checking in to make sure whether or not I was happy with the artistic direction. I felt our dialogue was more between friends, who genuinely understood the watch’s sentimental importance and wanted to make the end result very special for me. (Stay tuned to my instagram @taitaitanthai_life to see the finished product.)
Harlequin Shrimp – The Sea Creature that Pairs for Life
I have been buying Pueng’s silver jewellery, so I was quite curious about which piece was the most expensive among her collection.
“Oh, definitely our Harlequin Shrimp Love Bangle, his and hers Bracelets,” Pueng shared with excitement. “The Harlequin Shrimp are warriors in ocean conservation. They feed exclusively on coral-eating starfish and help combat the impact of invasive species. Why I chose them to be the love bangle is because when they find their mates, they pair for life.” Woah, how romantic! There is also half of the same piece of smoky quartz in each of the pairs, signifying sharing their love energy for life. With a price tag of 150,000 baht (at time of writing, USD = 34.88 baht), these love-for-life bangles are the most expensive products at Abeille Bijoux. With collections of rings, bracelets and necklaces, the least expensive are silver rings that retail at 1,300 Thai baht.
Browse Pueng’s bijoux collections online at www.abeillebijoux.com and don’t forget to follow her on Instagram @abeillebijoux for all the stunning shots this once underwater photographer took.
Last but not least, I would like to share the silver care tips Pueng taught me. “Mix hot water with baking soda, then use a soft toothbrush to clean. Store silver pieces in an airtight container to prevent them from tarnishing.” Really?! I couldn’t believe it was that simple! Try that today with what you have at home. If you live in Thailand and would like to give your existing silver jewellery a new look, reach out to Pueng at Abeille Bijoux to see what can be done to give those pieces a second life, a second chance to be worn and adored by you again.
Retail shop address: Island Magic, Bluetree Lifestyle Village, Chengthalay, Phuket, Thailand.
