What you’ll learn in this episode: Why the Thai art jewelry market has been slow to grow but is poised for an explosion How Thailand’s tradition of decoration and fine jewelry influences what customers are looking for Why Atty wants the artists she showcases at ATTA Gallery to express themselves through their work, without regard for trends  Why Atty often calls her pieces “wearable art” rather than art jewelry  How Atty’s background in science helped her become a successful business owner About Atty Tantivit Atty Tantivit is a jewelry designer/maker, a gallerist and a creative entrepreneur based in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2010 Atty founded ATTA Gallery, the first and only gallery that specializes in contemporary art jewelry, aka wearable art, in Bangkok, Thailand. Since the opening of the gallery, Atty has played many roles in the field of contemporary art jewelry, both locally and internationally—a gallery director, a curator, an educator, an artist, a writer, a mentor, a collector and an advocate. She has been given an honorable award for being an inspiration and an influencer in the field of jewelry design by a Thai governmental agency and has been invited to share her experience at international symposiums. Atty had been nominated to be one of the ten most influential creative drivers in Bangkok for the Creative Cities Project 2013, showcased at Kaohsiung Design Festival in Taiwan. She has been an active member of the steering committee for the Creative District movement in Bangrak/Klongsan area of Bangkok. Atty is passionate about forging sustainable creative and art development in Thailand. Additional resources: Atta Website Atta Instagram Transcript: Atty Tantavit forged a new path for art jewelry when she opened ATTA Gallery, Bangkok’s first and only art jewelry gallery, in 2010. Educating Thai customers on the history, value, and potential of art jewelry has been challenging at times, but Atty is determined to bring attention to this field and support the artists she works with. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about the differences between contemporary jewelry in Thailand, Europe and North America; when she knew it was time to leave her science career for a career in jewelry; and why her customers tend to connect with the term “wearable art” instead of “art jewelry.” Read the episode transcript here.  Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is a two-part Jewelry Journey Podcast. Please make sure you subscribe so you can hear part two as soon as it comes out later this week.  Today, our guest is Atty Tantivit, founder and owner of ATTA Gallery. The gallery, which was founded in 2010, is Bangkok’s only art jewelry gallery. It’s one of the few in southeast Asia. In addition, Atty has an extensive background as a maker herself. Today, we’ll hear about Atty’s own jewelry journey, both as a maker and a gallerist, and we’ll learn about her expansion plans. Atty, welcome to the program. Atty: It’s my pleasure to be here. Sharon: So glad to have you. Tell us about your jewelry journey. Did you play with it when you were young, or did you come from an artistic family? Atty: I grew up being the only girl in the family, and I loved jewelry growing up. I collected trinkets, like little plastic earrings here and there. When I travel, I collect bracelets made of little gemstones. I was always fascinated by jewelry growing up. I think that was instilled in me when I was young by my mom because I was the only girl in the family. She was telling me how to love jewelry, teaching me how to do it.  I remember for one my classes we had to make works out of paper, and my mom taught me how to make paper beads out of magazine paper. That was my first experience making so-called jewelry, and I loved it. I also loved art, but in Thailand, even if you excel in the arts, if you can do science—back in the day, teachers and parents encouraged their kids to stay in science, so as I was approaching my h