At Pattaraphan, playful design motifs are given a serious spin by jewellery designer Nok Salirathavibhaga, who brings an easy, breezy wearability to her brand. Building on her catalogue of sculpturally minimalist jewellery designs, mischievous elements – mushrooms studded with pink sapphires, smiley faces drawn in amethyst – join classics such as chunky chains for jewellery which is as fun as it is functional.
‘I view jewellery as a fun and rewarding aspect of life,’ Salirathavibhaga tells us. ‘When people decide to put on a pair of earrings, a necklace or a bracelet, I really believe that that piece of jewellery should add something wonderful and magical to their outfit, or even their day. So no matter where my inspirations come from, it is ultimately important to me that our final products look good and make people feel good. We are not a traditional jewellery brand so it's nice to craft our own designs and messaging however we want. It's important to have fun.’
In her newest pieces, Salirathavibhaga has introduced new motif ‘Chata’, meaning fate or destiny in Thai. Its geometric forms, when reinterpreted as dice or diamond-studded grids, play on more rigid shapes. ‘I believe there is always a bit of a struggle between fate and free will,’ she adds. ‘And I paired this idea with a dice. A dice is an object that you throw but one where you have no control over the outcome. I think it authentically represents this idea of fate versus free will. With this, our first paperweight in a dice form was born. It measures 17mm by 17mm by 17mm. Seventeen is my favourite number and my birth weight was 1,700 grams. I then expanded this idea into more wearable pieces, like the ‘Metal Chata’ pendant necklace and the deconstructed ‘Pavé Chata’ signet ring.’
