Fancy a highly prized Egyptian or Phoenician necklace you couldn't afford?

These beads come in different shapes, sizes and materials such as metal, coral, diamond, amber, ivory, stone, pottery, glass, and crystal.

Glass and semi-precious beads have long been used for the purposes of barter trade in the past. However, Ms Doris Liew, Director Of Nursing NHGP, has a habit of stringing them into necklaces and articles of personal adornment. A self-taught hobby she picked up some years ago from hobbyist books.

"It is an expensive hobby as some of the gems, crystals and glass beads are quite pricey, " she said. "I will travel to a few places, like Holland Village, People's Park, Hereen and Centrepoint to get my raw materials."

"I have not ventured into beads embroidery on purses and shoes yet. I am more interested in making crystal jewelleries and watches."

Doris's famous and favourite piece is a crystal-studded watch that took her many days to finish. "It was a real satisfaction to me after the completion!"

Doris sells her finished works to those interested at a discounted price. "The price will depend on the types of materials used. I usually get a 20% discount on certain products and will pass the savings back to the customers."

In fact, Doris's jewelleries were sold out like hotcakes during fund raising for ST School Pocket Money last year.