When I first started making jewelry, I realized there was no guidebook for what I wanted to create. The crochet technique I’ve developed is something I came up with myself, so there wasn’t anyone I could learn it from, or any tutorial showing how it could be turned into jewelry.

For example, when I wanted to make rings, one big question was: how do I attach my crochet piece securely to a ring band?

I’ve always refused to use glue in my work. It might seem convenient, but even industrial-grade glues degrade over time, and I learnt that the hard way when I just started out. Some of my early pieces fell apart after a while, and it was really disheartening. I knew I never wanted that to happen again.

So I started brainstorming, trying, and testing again and again. There were no ready-made solutions, because I was creating something that didn’t exist before. No existing ring bands could work for my crochet pieces without glue, so I had to make my own.

That was when I decided to learn silversmithing. It took me months of watching YouTube tutorials, reading reference books, and practicing to figure things out. Slowly, I managed to design and make my own ring bands with a mechanism that allows me to crochet directly onto them.

It took time and a lot of patience, but it was worth it. I love knowing that every part of the jewelry is made by hand, in a way that’s true to my beliefs — no shortcuts, no glue, just honest craft.

This process of figuring things out from scratch has become a big part of what I love about making jewelry. It reminds me that even when there’s no clear path to follow, you can always find your own way, one small step, one new idea at a time.