Despite the blood, sweat, and tears he’s poured into Heaven since founding the line in 2007, though, Tanudiredja never actually intended to be a jewelry designer.

After studying fashion in his native Indonesia and then attending the graduate program at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, “I made jewelry at first because I had no budget to do clothes,” admits the 29-year-old, who at the time had begun working for John Galliano’s couture team at Christian Dior, and eventually Dries Van Noten as well.

“I gave one piece to my teacher and people liked it, so they bought more from me. It happened little by little. I never expected to take it seriously.” That said,the line itself was anything but a whim. From day one Tanudiredja’s inspiration for the jewelry was intensely personal, focused around the French jet from the ’20s and ’30s he began collecting as a teen.

He still builds most of his pieces around the vintage black-glass beads. “It’s a part of my past, really,” he says.

We remain firm fans of his work at 4 – one day we hope to stock him.

Read the original blog post here on Sight Unseen.