The young designers of the Gem and Jewellery Institute of Thailand made an effort to move away from conventional Thai style in their "All About Fruit" fashion show at Bangkok's Siam Centre last week.

In the second annual outing for the students, institute director Wilawan Atichat pointed out that instructors are serious about grooming young designers to compete globally.

"Thailand needs more people designing new kinds of jewellery for the market," she said, adding that India and China are Thailand's biggest rivals.

To push the students toward uniqueness, she recruited Niwat Singchanachaijul as a teacher. A graduate of Italy's University of Florence, Niwat has encouraged them to break new ground. The fruit theme was evidence of that.

"You can create a strawberry design, but you don't have to use the actual fruit shape," he said. "You can use the fruit's colour and texture in your jewellery as well."

The four-month course is an education in art as well as working with metal, Niwat said. They youngsters also learn that designing jewellery is a long process, with much trial and error.

"European jewellery design has a more antique style," Wilawan noted. "Jewellery designers abroad have a way of developing and improving their designs. In Thailand we only design and say it's enough for the first effort."

Nakorn Jandrakholiga's, one of Niwat's students, already owned his own jewellery shop before taking the course.

"Designing jewellery is the most difficult part of this business," he said, while lamenting that most jewellery today looks the same - a big diamond in the centre, surrounded by smaller ones. "I want to design chic, ready-to-wear jewellery," he said.

Several of the students come from overseas.

"In Thailand jewellery is more curvy, while in Turkey it's more geometrical," noted Seda Eskazan, who owns a jewellery business in her homeland.

Nakorn is optimistic about the Thai jewellery trade.

"As long as there are women in this world, there's always going to be someone buying jewellery," he said with a smile.

The students' work can be seen at the Gems and Jewellery Museum adjacent to Chulalongkorn University on Phya Thai Road.

Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra

 The Nation