Fresh Face: Seng Pa Lu
Silver craft in Myanmar’s jewellery scene
F&M’s Fresh Face is a series featuring young Southeast Asian fashion practitioners, where we speak with them about how they embarked on their careers and what propels them as creatives.
Yangon-based jewellery designer Seng Pa Lu approaches her work from a place of familiarity. Before designing her own pieces, she grew up watching her mother work in the same industry, an early exposure that shaped her understanding of metal and form. This background led to the founding of Silver Dog, her silver-focused jewellery line. Drawing from Myanmar’s long-standing silversmith craft traditions, the brand is distinguished by organic silhouettes inspired by flora, fauna, and natural gemstones, spanning both ready-to-wear and bespoke commissions.
Seng Pa Lu. Photo by Roxy Owan.
To start, could you tell us about your background and how you first became interested in jewellery design? How did you start Silver Dog?
My name is Seng Pa Lu, and I am a jewellery designer and gem dealer based in Yangon, Myanmar. My interest in jewellery definitely stems from familiarity. I saw gems and jewellery from a young age because of my mother, who worked in jade and fine jewellery. On a subconscious level, I ended up wanting a career in it when I was in my early 20s, and on a conscious level, I work with it now. I have fallen in love with this lunar metal, and choose to work in the niche of silver as it allows me significantly more creative freedom.
In the beginning, Silver Dog was a way for me to sell my experimental waxes and castings, but over time it developed into a small business making bespoke jewellery. I named it Silver Dog to honour my favourite animal. It is a symbol of love, loyalty and devotion.
Opal heart set. Photo by Seng Pa Lu.
Sea shell earrings. Photo by Seng Pa Lu.
Where do you draw inspiration when creating your pieces? What themes, experiences, or influences shape your work?
Bold shapes or settings that enhance the stone I am working with, inspired by flora and fauna as well as typography at times. One of my favourite things to do is using the stone setting for non-stone items such as coins and shells. In recent years, Silver Dog’s spirit embodies a lot of sentiment, as I have been making a large number of customised works. For customised items, sentiment plays the biggest role in design. The person, place, or thing comes first before design finalisation. This can determine many things, such as birthstones or initials.
Creative process of jewellery-making. Images courtesy of Seng Pa Lu.
Could you walk us through your creative and technical process when creating a piece, from initial concept to finished jewellery? Are there specific materials, techniques, or tools you particularly enjoy working or experimenting with?
I work with a team of people who are highly skilled in their respective areas, such as 3D designers and stone setters. I start off with simple drawings, which the 3D designer builds for me. We then go back and forth to refine the model until it is perfect. From there, we switch to a lot of hand skills and labour until completion.
In terms of technique, one I wish I could work with is the art of repoussé, a delicate silversmithing work where the image is made as a relief on a sheet of silver.
Your brand often incorporates coloured gemstones and experiments with unique forms. Could you elaborate on how you make decisions about shape, colour, and composition in your designs?
Sometimes, the stone comes first. I see its unique qualities. With natural stones, no two stones are exactly the same. They may look alike, but there are minute differences in cut and color. I want to enhance the natural beauty of the stone. At times, I prioritise form, and the stone is an addition to the silver form, if I decide to use one. Silver designs without stones are also beautiful. It really depends!
Custom coral pearl ring for Yadanar. Photo by Zicky Le. Image courtesy of Seng Pa Lu.
Custom rhodolite garnet orchid choker. Photo by Seng Pa Lu. Image courtesy of Seng Pa Lu.
You also create bespoke jewellery for clients. How do you approach translating a client’s vision into a custom piece, and how does this differ from designing your own collections?
The process differs a lot. When I do customised pieces, I incorporate my client’s desires and expectations into my design. I enjoy it when they want my input, which I am happy to give. Some clients trust my vision and are quick to accept it. If they want specific elements, I am happy to deliver those as well. I want them to be happy with their jewellery, and I believe custom Silver Dog pieces can become heirlooms for future family members. Silver is a valuable metal that can last through many generations.
When I design for myself, I create freely. I am a spiritually esoteric person and enjoy using meaningful symbols in my work. My personal stone and form choices for original collections typically have symbolic significance for me. I have more of a story to tell when I am making work for my own collections.
Myanmar National Airlines feature. Photo by Zicky Le. Image courtesy of Seng Pa Lu.
As an emerging jewellery designer, what have been the biggest challenges you have faced, and how have you overcome them? At the same time, what opportunities have arisen from these experiences?
I face many challenges in the landscape of silversmithing work in Myanmar. I work in a specific jewellery niche in my culture, as we do not have a large silver market in the country. There is a huge gold market, but silver is more limited. There are other businesses doing what I do, and I hope we keep going and continue creating and growing our small market.
There are also challenges linked to infrastructure and political instability, such as electricity problems, as well as technical and mechanical issues in a country that does not necessarily have the most up-to-date jewellery-making technology. On a regular basis, I face challenges and work with my team to solve issues as best we can. This has challenged my problem-solving skills and helped me grow as a business owner.
When it comes to opportunity, working in silver has been rewarding. I receive opportunities such as Fashion & Market wanting to feature me as one of the few emerging Myanmar jewellery designers. I hope for more opportunities in the future!
Myanmar National Airlines feature. Photo by Zicky Le. Image courtesy of Seng Pa Lu.
What are your hopes for the fashion and jewellery scene in Myanmar and in Southeast Asia more broadly?
Specifically for the Myanmar silver scene, I would love an opportunity to fund and/or revive traditional silversmithing crafts that we are losing. Beyond fashion and accessorising, there is cultural importance to this scene, and I dream of the day I can work with rare silversmith artists. There are specific methods and techniques I would hate to see disappear. I believe every Southeast Asian country has its own jewellery-making arts tied deeply to centuries of history and culture. I would love for us to revive, archive, and modernise these arts.
More generally, for fashion, I look forward to what local brands are doing across Southeast Asia. I think we have stories to tell and references to make that are specific to our respective identities.
“I would love an opportunity to fund and/or revive traditional silversmithing crafts that we are losing. Beyond fashion and accessorising, there is cultural importance to this scene, and I dream of the day I can work with rare silversmith artists.”
Finally, what’s next for your practice and brands? Are there any upcoming collections or projects you have been working on that you can share with us?
There is not much I can share at this moment, but I do have an interesting collaboration coming up soon. It is with a local Myanmar label that has a broader Southeast Asian reach, and I am excited to wrap that up.
I am also working on more in-house designs and trying to do less custom work. I want a larger body of design work for Silver Dog’s in-house collections. I am developing items connected to traditional methods I mentioned earlier, though I do not have a specific release date yet. Prototypes are still being made. I am looking forward to launching and hope for an exciting 2026 for Silver Dog!
Find out more about Seng Pa Lu’s works on Instagram at @silverdog.co.