O Thongthai is globally recognised for her distinctive approach to contemporary jewellery design blending masculine and feminine elements and references. Known for her signet rings, the designer has mastered the art of catering to music and fashion elite and creating bespoke iconic statement pieces. O has become of the key players in the fashion and jewellery space and gained a large celebrity following with a clientele list that includes names such as A$AP Rocky (@asaprocky), Jorja Smith (@jorjasmith_), Pharrell Williams (@pharrell), Pok Mindset (@pokmindset) and Nadech Kugimiya (@kugimiyas).
The Thai born designer began her career at 15 when she met Gim, who ran a jewellery workshop (One Form One Piece Studio). She credits him for teaching her design techniques and working with different types of metals. Thailand is known to be one the best place to produce jewellery because of its craftsmanship. Bangkok is the heart of gemstones. Originally, she saw jewellery as a hobby and a creative outlet but while studying at Central Saint Martins and working as a stylist assistant she realised that there wasn’t much jewellery that she liked available. That’s when she realised, she should create her own line.
After graduating from Central Saint Martins, O spent eight months at the Gemologist Institute of America to learn about diamond grading and colour stones. Six months after completing the course, the O Thonthai jewellery brand was launched at London Fashion Week in 2014. As well as working on her own line she has collaborated with a stellar roster of talent and brands including Ryan Lo, Bobby Abley, Nike Thailand, Jelly Belly, Preduce Skateboard, Denim Tears –Tremaine Emory, Casablanca. She has also worked with key retailers on projects such as the Bodega pop-up with A$AP ROCKY at Selfridges and launched a fine jewellery collection with Browns, London. As well as being featured in all major global publications her work is immortalised in ‘The Diamond Stories’ book. Her latest collaboration sees her moving into the art world by collaborating with artist Oluola Slawn to create wearable art pieces.
Currently, O’s focus is around creating bespoke jewellery. She believes less is more and wants to create more sentimental, meaningful, and personal pieces that can be passed on from generation to generation. Working closely with her clients (many of whom are household names) she gets to know their stories and journeys and translates them into personal designs.