Deciding what jewelry to wear for a special occasion is one of the hardest moments some fashion lovers experience while putting an outfit together.
That’s why San Jose State digital media senior Kyra Chhiu-Lim always makes sure the jewelry she creates is vibrant enough to steal the spotlight.
“I started making different types of earrings with random objects because I thought it was kind of funny to wear them to concerts,” she said.
Chhiu-Lim creates funky earrings out of little trinkets that catch her attention and uses supplies like earring hooks, small connector hoops, chains, wire and glue to put the final product together.
“I’ll find cute little trinkets at stores that I think would be cool as jewelry and make them into charms and go from there,” Chhiu-Lim said.
Last spring she mustered up the courage to present her jewelry at her first art show, “Femmes and Thems Night,” which took place on Jan. 11 in Bayshore, San Francisco.
It was the first time she showcased her work after years of only making earrings for herself.
The main way she shares her jewelry with the community is by vending at these events.
“My friend decided to form [an art] collective of their own in San Francisco and that was the first time I felt comfortable even to be a vendor,” she said. “Once I got that first show out of the way, I was a lot more confident with doing other shows.”
Chhiu-Lim’s friend, Valeria Tinoco, was the one who hosted that first art show in her apartment.
“We really wanted to highlight [mostly] non-binary artists, so those are the artists we chose to showcase,” Tinoco said. “We try to represent people that don’t always get the spotlight, especially new artists like Kyra.”
Chhiu-Lim mostly creates alternative jewelry and attracts customers looking to enhance their outfits with her unique approach to accessories.
SJSU history senior, Damian Mack, supports Chhiu-Lim’s art by going to her art shows and purchasing her jewelry.
“[The] jewelry is girly but also subversive and funny and kind of creepy, which I think comes across in the jewelry,” Mack said. “She doesn’t give herself enough credit for how creative she is.”
One of the pieces she showed off at Tinoco’s show was a pair of troll earrings. The small trolls have pink and red hair that shoot straight up and flare out in all directions.
The trolls are held together by glueing the top of the hair to a 3-inch chain that dangles from the ear and attaches to wire connecting the chain and earring backing.
Chhiu-Lim now shows off her work on the first and last Friday of every month at Garden at the Flea, a flea market in Berryessa where local vendors can showcase their art.
She also uses social media to advertise her jewelry and promote to buyers who might not be in the area because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I had to take advantage of social media to post and be more active on there and also to connect with other artists,”Chhiu-Lim said.
She said she made her own website to get comfortable with the transition of doing events to selling her
jewelry online.
Chhui-Lim said although she’s graduating from SJSU in Spring 2022, she doesn’t know what she wants to do yet and will figure it out when the time comes. For now, she just wants to focus on making art and spend her time enjoying the process.
“I just know I want to keep creating art and attending these [art] events, vending there or just keep sharing my art,” she said.
