Colorful bead jewelry worn over naked skin and embroidered onto Christian Lacroix haute-couture apparel are what Akhen does well, he says.

            Akhen’s forte is Venetian beads, supported by bone, coral and hand-painted bamboo. And they’re not ethnic “de luxe” jewelry, as one European magazine inaccurately described it, he tells JewelSiam. “My jewelry is futuristic. It (has) nothing (to do) with ancient civilization (although) there is respect for that, like the Egyptian civilization. It’s emotional jewelry,” he said.

            Jewelry is feeling then. “I feel as a painter. I use color. Using gold and silver is not enough for me. That’s why I use many colors,” Akhen says. Some beads are very old, he added, and some are just hard to source. “I dream about a new blue or violet. The way to fix and mix the beads is not ethnic, but realistic. Jewelry is to give beauty to the world, and also to conceive a new language from the heart. That’s why jewelry contains emotions understood by humans.”

            Akhen’s jewelry also double as home accessories. “I like to do art objects for people to touch. They can put away the television and reach for my beads.”

            His jewelry are not for the timid. They are for artists and artistes, for “people who don’t see jewelry art but see the art object first,” he says. At 1,000 to 2,000 U.S. dollars a piece for a one-of-a-kind jewelry, it’s nice to have in the house, Akhen added.

            Akhen of International Bijoux Concept is interested in sponsors who can help organize private showings for his jewelry. “Most people don’t understand my jewelry so I want to be around to explain what each piece is.”