Mountain of accessories means chances slim someone else is wearing your choice

The problem with most accessory shops is that after making your purchase there is a good chance you will walk out the door and bump into someone wearing what you just bought.
But this will not happen at Bijou Island. Jang Sun-mi, the owner, makes all of her one-of-a-kind accessories by hand, using materials she finds during trips to Japan.
When I walked into the shop, I was intrigued by with the sheer white cloth hanging from the ceiling; it seemed like I had stepped into a princess’s canopy bed.
Ms. Jang, who studied art design, opened the shop two years ago, after spending six years designing accessories for large companies. Her creative uses of Japanese and European ribbon, crystal, faux pearls and natural stone sets her own designs apart from those that she created for mass production. She will even make items like necklaces, earrings and bracelets to order. The silver wedding tiara with real pearls and semiprecious gems, which is the most expensive item in the shop at 300,000 won ($256), is one of the most attractive items.
Bijou Island supplies children’s accessories to several department stores. But buying directly from the shop is cheaper; while I was there, a steady stream of mothers came in to order articles for their kids. Bijou Island’s accessories start at 5,000 won.
The shop also offers jewelry and accessory-making classes taught by Ms. Jang. Beginning, intermediate and advanced classes are available, as is a course on running your own hand-made accessories business. The beginner’s course, in which students make eight items, costs 160,000 won, which includes materials. Ms. Jang also plans to provide classes in embroidery.

Bijou Island
Location: Two blocks from exit 2 of Ewha Womans University Station, subway line No. 2.
Hours: Noon to 9 p.m.
Telephone: 011-9048-8496

by Park Yun-ji