Graines de Cambodge

In her words "one day I was driving my motorbike and I was so sad in my life, so lonely. I saw some seed on the road so I stopped and collected them, " she says. Rany thought them pretty and immediately saw potential in the small, colourful seeds. She thought perhaps she could thread them together to create some kind of jewellery. But initially struggled to put her idea into practice.

" I have no idea how to make a hole, so I borrowed a drill from neighbour," she says. "the seeds were very hard and I cut my hand. I couldn't do it so I paid a guy. He said it was very hard, that It was a girl's job, and didn't want to do it" Reluctant to give up, Rany persevered and slowly worked out how to drill the tiny holes. Eventually producing a pair of earrings. she gradually built up a modest jewellery collection and started showing her work to friends at her birthday party. They were impressed and urged her to make more.

Now Rany has a staff of seven girls who hand make the products at her small workshop and show room behind Wat Domnak, which is surrounded by trees producing many of her seeds, such as the tiny white "Mary's tear" and the brilliant red "Jambie" seed. She has now expanded to 3 boutiques under the name Graines De Cambodge (Seeds of Cambodia) in Siem Reap and they are an absolute must to visit if you are in the magical town home to the Temples of Angkor.

Rany designs all the jewellery by herself. The selection of seeds for each design is a painstaking process - each one has to be a perfect size, shape and symmetry to fit Rany's design."At the beginning I went out and found the seeds myself," she says, " but now I go to the villages and they know what I want. They collect them for me."