Making Your Own Jewelry! Janice Chong is interviewed in the May issue of Beijing Today Newspaper.

As an expatriate living in Beijing, jewelry markets like Hongqiao and Yaxiu hold few surprises. Pearls and other kinds of jewelry stones are perfect items to bring home as gifts. However, for ladies, the jewelry styles from these places have serious drawbacks: too plain, too similar and too old fashioned.

Janice Chong is currently the only jewelry designer who teaches handmade jewelry making in the expat community. Her jewelry making course in Lido Country Club started this week.

Beginners
In the course for beginners, Chong teaches the basic skills of jewelry making, including different kinds of material, how to make pieces, where to get materials, and rough prices. Armed with this knowledge, students will be able to start crafting their own jewelry.

Born in Malaysia and educated in Australia, Chong has lived in Beijing for four and a half years. Chong finds an abundent of supply of jewelry materials, especially natural stones and pearls in China. "I have always been in fashion. When I came to Beijing, I decided to focus on jewelry design," Chong said. Chong's design studio is in Beijing, and the jewelry she designs is sold in other countries.

Hobby
Her girlfriends liked Chong's designs and asked her to teach them. Two years ago, Chong started a small jewelry making course among friends. The course in Lido Country Club is a sign that more people want to take up this hobby.

Some of Chong's students are mothers of kids in the International School of Beijing. When they go pick up their children, they wear jewelry they learning to make on Chong's course. Two weeks ago, Chong started a similar course for the teachers in the ISB.

Students
Chong has had around 80 students now. However, the course that began on the Wednesday is the last one for this spring. Chong explained that she has other work in her design studio, and has to go to markets to look for materials, as well as taking care of her son on the weekend.

"I only have courses in spring and autumn and I do not teach on the weekend," Chong said, "The course for the autumn is not scheduled yet, but normally it is one week after the school semester starts."

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