Emerging jewellery designer Nok Salirathavibhaga reinterprets minimal silhouettes in her sustainably produced Thailand-based fine jewellery brand Pattaraphan. Pieces, created in small quantities with locally sourced materials to ensure quality and avoid waste, are pared-back tributes to her upbringing in Thailand.
‘My jewellery aesthetic is a balance between urban punk and reinterpreted Thai heritage in the form of sculptural minimalism,’ Salirathavibhaga tells us. ‘Simplicity is the way I see life and the way I prefer my designs. This is why my jewellery takes the form of minimalism and focuses on the materials and shapes. To me, what makes minimalism so bold and special is the extra intention and care that must go into it, because simplicity does not equal a lack of details.’
Filtering out unnecessary elements lets her focus on creating the flawless silhouette. ‘It’s challenging but worth it in the end,’ she adds. ‘For example, it was very hard to bring the Reverse Ear Piece to life. But when we were able to achieve that, we got a really unique yet comfortable earpiece that everyone can wear in one seemingly simple design.’
Pattaraphan pieces, marrying the old and the new, rethink classic items such as chains, hoops and pearls, looking back to the older generations of Thai women, who wore pearl necklaces to formal events and funerals. Pearls – representing the past – are juxtaposed against metal, representing the contemporary world.
Salirathavibhaga finds chains especially seductive, drawn in by the calming repetition of sanding, sawing, polishing and hammering that the creation of each piece demands. ‘I find it very soothing visually to see continuity and repetition in my collection,’ she says. ‘I often design a custom link that is then put together to create a new type of chain necklace or bracelet. I also incorporate regular chains with something else, like a pearl or a statement handmade soda tab. I love the way chains connect things together. Although I have a few pieces with dainty chains in my collection, I prefer the bolder ones because you can really see the pattern of the chain in contrast to other elements.’
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