Beaded Amethyst Earrings - Violet Clouds

Artisan Organization: Tui

Country: Mexico

My name is Komkrit Sitthiprasert but everyone calls me 'Tui.' I was born in 1968. I originally started studying car mechanics, and I got a job in a car magazine, writing about things people don't usually know about cars. I worked there for about ten years. Always wanting to do something extra, I ran a small guest house for two years. I was happy doing something different to what I had done before.

In 1997, Thai economy suffered and the magazine I worked for could no longer employ me full time so I had to find something else to supplement my income. My girlfriend and I started selling women's clothing, including jewelry. We worked together with my girlfriend's sister, who tended a clothing shop. However, the jewelry started selling better than the clothes! The shop we bought the jewelry from couldn't provide the jewelry we needed, so we had to start making it ourselves.

"We learned from books and from people how to design and make beautiful jewelry for over a year. We finally developed our own style. After a couple of years we stopped selling clothes and focused solely on the jewelry.

"I would like to say that ours is a family business, just as if we were brothers and sisters. We also make the customer feel like one of our family, we will always try to please customers with what we have to offer. I am glad that you will display our work. I think this is a very good opportunity for us. I like to show the work we are proud of to the rest of the world.""