Coconut Shell Belt - Thai Forest

Artisan Organization: Sasithon Saisuk

Country: Thailand

"Hello. I'm Sasithon Saisuk or you can call me Eaw, my nickname. I was born on April 30, 1968 and have two older sisters. My personality is optimistic, rejoicing, forgiving and never malicious. Although I can get angry easily, I calm down very quickly. When I was young, I was a shy girl and always obedient.

"After I finished high school, I worked for a newspaper with my sister, who is a journalist. But we couldn't separate our work and family relationships, so I returned to my hometown. I had a chance to study Thai dance and music, and in 2000 I began working at the school. It focuses on local intellectual methods and here I found an opportunity to do the things I truly love. I performed northern Thai regional dance and in addition I learned to make jewelry. It is the melding of art and local beauty expressed in the combination of materials.

"Silverwork is a regional tradition. I design the patterns for this kind of jewelry and adjust it to suit both local and contemporary clothing styles.

"I have recently begun experimenting with new materials, and I especially enjoy working with coconuts. First I used them to make jewelry, but then I started to explorre crafting other items, such as belts, handbags, etc.

"I feel very proud of my work because I design it myself, I choose the materials, compose it and finally the piece becomes real. That's why I love it, and I hope my jewelry will be loved by everyone."

Saisuk crafts her work by hand. When working with silver, she first melts the silver-copper alloy in a crucible and decants it into a terracotta mold. After it hardens, she begins the painstaking task of sculpting the details of each bead, charm and pendant."