By Eileen Moon
Jewelry designer Sophia Kho’s distinctive works of wearable art reflect her passion for bringing disparate elements together to form uniquely beautiful pieces.
The Monmouth Beach resident’s jewelry has been featured at Bloomingdale’s and she traveled across the globe, but the home base for her creations is her “stordio” – a combination of retail space and studio – at 152 Monmouth St. in Red Bank.
“People know my work has a distinct color and shape,” said Kho. “When you wear it, it comes to life. People will ask, ‘Is that a Kho?’ ”
Her designs incorporate pearls, pure silver, mixed media and wire in colors and shapes that come together as she creates. “I love that it’s custom jewelry,” she said. “People love it and wear it. It’s kind of fun.”
She likes to play loud music when she’s working, Kho said. “The louder the better!” And a little chaos helps. “I like my studio when it’s messy and mixed up. I can see my next design in the mess.”
The Taiwan native remembers feeling drawn to color and design at the age of 3. As the years passed, her passion for the arts gave her a kind of joy that made her long to pursue it as a career.
But as the child of Asian parents skilled in international business, Kho understood that pursuing a career in a field as insecure as art was not a path that would please them.
The family had moved from Taiwan to San Francisco when Kho was 9, and then on to São Paolo and then Rio de Janeiro a year later, where her father purchased a ferry business similar to Seastreak, Kho said.
She knew only a few words of English when the family arrived in San Francisco, but gradually became fluent while attending an American school in Brazil, where she learned Portuguese at the same time.
She returned to the U.S. as a teen to attend boarding school in Pennington, New Jersey, then enrolled at Rider College (now Rider University) as a business major.
It wasn’t long before she brought up the idea of switching majors to her family. “I knew I wanted to do fashion,” she said.
“Show me you can make money with art,” her mother challenged her.
Kho took a train to New York City, returning with some $80 in beads and other jewelry-making supplies.
Setting herself up in business with a rented table, she sold all of the jewelry she’d made for $1 a piece, in a single day. She also attracted a commission from a local retailer, who asked if she could make 200 pieces of jewelry for her store. Doubling her price to $2, Kho earned $400 on a single order.
It was enough to persuade Kho’s parents to allow her to change her major to art.
After college, Kho enrolled in a one-year intensive fashion design program at FIT in New York City, where she earned a coveted internship with noted clothing designer Mary Jane Marcasiano. “Out of 26 finalists, I was the winner for fashion-design knitwear,” she said.
It was a year of sleeping on trains as she balanced her studies, her internship and her own design work. “One time I woke up after sleeping on some businessman’s shoulder on the train,” she laughed. Despite the challenges of that year, it was the start of a rewarding career.
She met her husband, David Kho, in Michigan a few years later, after her sister persuaded her to move there from New York City. “Boom!,” she says now. “It was a match made in heaven.” The couple eventually relocated to the Two River-area, settling first in Rumson and later moving to Monmouth Beach.
While she and her husband were raising their children, twins Jacqueline and Matthew, now 22, Kho would often make jewelry to give away as gifts and friends began to ask her to create pieces on commission. “They loved my jewelry, the uniqueness and glitter,” Kho recalled.
She also began to volunteer at her children’s schools, teaching art classes and helping with art shows. “I would be teaching jewelry, sewing, art classes. I just loved seeing the children’s eyes light up.”
Introducing others to the fun of creating is something she still loves to do.
She’s planning to offer some classes for children and adults at her store in the fall. “Whoever signs up to make jewelry – I would love for them to do things so they’re not afraid of art. If you can write one line, you can draw.” Kho & Co. is open from 11 to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 152 Monmouth St. Find out more about Kho and her creations on her website, Khoandco.com.
This article was first published in the August 8 – 14, 2019 print edition of The Two River Times.
