Bohemia Village Voice

Silver, enamels & gold leaf.

Local silversmith and enameller Paula Thittichai will be opening her studio in Upper Park Road to the public as part of this year’s Coastal Currents Arts Festival.
Paula, who has been making jewellery for 25 years, said “I went into jewellery because there wasn’t  anything I wanted to wear myself!” Paula started making costume jewellery as a business, then designed, manufactured, wholesaled and retailed it. She has also made and designed clothes and handbags, and sold them to shops. In 2000 she completed a craft course at Hastings College covering ceramics, metalwork, textiles and glass. She produces two collections a year, one for spring and summer and the other for autumn and winter. Designs are usually influenced by what is happening in the fashion world. Her jewellery is contemporary, but imbued with her own distinctive personal touch.
She says, “Many of my past collections have been inspired by the sea. I use the shapes and forms of shells. It is so interesting to compare shells from Hastings beach, which are heavy and opaque, with the tropical ones of Thailand, which are delicate,  with beautiful lustres and patterns. People always say my stuff is really different. It’s really quite raw; perfection gives me the idea of being manufactured, so I like to keep that rawness. No two pieces are ever the same.”
She also recycles copper hot-water tanks, cutting them down into manageable sizes and making jewellery and enamelled pictures out of it. She sells her creations at Made in Hastings (at 82 High Street). Her studio at 3 Upper Park Road will be open Sept 6th – 7th and 13th – 14th from 12 noon to 6pm. Paula says, “A warm welcome awaits you, so come and view an eclectic mix of  my work; recycled textiles and copper, silk paintings, ceramics, glass, and most importantly my new autumn/winter collection of silver and enamel jewellery.” 

Recycled copper & enamel.

Paula Thittichai