MEET Jenny Chua, a senior art director for Chuo Senko Advertising, who creates advertisements for brands like Yomeishu and Vagary in the day, but sells handmade jewellery after work - at her own site, HeirloomAsia.com.
'I couldn't find unique accessories here, so I decided to make my own. I didn't know how to create jewellery so I bought an accessories making book and started to D-I-Y,' she said.
Just one and a half years into the part-time venture, and Jenny has already pocketed $20,000, counting as customers, local celebrities like Dick Lee, who bought 'four items' from her this year.
To-date, she has turned out countless pieces of everything from earrings to necklaces made out of anything from porcelain to aluminium.
Not bad for the National Academy of Fine Arts graduate who works out of a modest workstation - a corner of her bedroom in her four-room HDB flat in Tampines.
The 32-year-old began making jewellery as gifts for friends.
But the pieces were so attractive that her friends became walking advertisements, and Jenny was commissioned to make 60 pieces of baubles within just a month.
She spends about an hour making one accessory, selling each for between $39 to $89.
'I feel that the price justifies my time as my profit margin is about 50 per cent,' she said. Jenny is at present in the midst of creating a new interface for her online store. She will design the website while her engineer friend will set up and maintain it for her.
She also wants to tinker with designing apparel, bags and other fashion items, and plans to jet to factories in Guangzhou, China as well as fashion hot spots like Paris, London and Prague to suss out new design ideas and supplies.
'If all goes well, I would love to have my very own physical boutique where I can do both advertising work and jewellery design,' said Jenny.
Snapshot profile
Owner: Jenny Chua
Web presence: www.HeirloomAsia.com
Day job: Senior art director for Chuo Senko Advertising
The site has been running for: One and a half years
What is it: Website retailing self-designed handmade accessories, ranging from earrings to necklaces.
Show me the money: $20,000
Why you should support: Jenny flies all the way to Japan to source for unique charms, beads and other materials to make her jewellery. What's more, you can now say that you have the same taste in accessories as Dick Lee, who is also a customer!
