When most people think of Chinese silver, an image of street-side sellers hawking ethnic goods comes to mind.

Someone who hopes to change all that is Beijing-based silver jewelry designer, Katie Xu.

"It doesn't influence me at all," Xu said. "I'm inspired by fantasy and nature, especially marine life."

The designer said she feels at home in Beijing because its art scene is more Western than other places in China.

"Educated Beijingers understand Western culture," she said.

"I am drawn by all things that stimulate my eyes and other senses, so I get inspiration from visiting the 798 Art Zone and other art galleries, as well as from the incredibly diverse music scene."

Though Xu makes about 100 designs a year and her jewelry sells for between 400 and 4,000 yuan each, her pathway into the business was not smooth.

Xu grew up in China's oil-rich region near Daqing city in Heilongjiang province.

As a child, she drew a lot and dreamed of becoming an artist.

But it was not an artistic environment and she said the Chinese educational system pushed her to study practical subjects.

Art took a back seat to academia during her compulsory schooling until Xu entered her final year at Liaoning University, where she majored in finance.

She finally had some free time and designed some clothes for her friends.

Her passion was sidelined again when she took an accounting job at the Yanshan Financial Bureau. Unfazed, one year later she quit her stable position and took charge of the direction of her life.

A six-month stint at Tsinghua's Gongmei Institute was followed by three years of study at the London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Art.

Xu then spent another three years working for London-based Polish designer Basia Zarzycka and the Queen's milliner, Frederick Fox.

She said Fox taught her to take a new approach to design.

"I learned that making a hat is like doing sculpture," she said.

But her biggest influence was Zarzycka, whose clients have included French actor Gerard Depardieu.

"I learned how to express my design skill by using materials, especially sequins, silk and feathers."

With a plan to start her own design company, Xu returned to Beijing in 2004. She worked for three years as an accountant, saving enough money to start a jewelry business that specialized in silver.

"Banks don't give loans to people like me," she said.

The business required a heavy initial investment, but Xu said it is now turning a profit with an expanding clientele among Beijing's affluent people, with a particular focus on professional women.

And unlike the fashion industry, she added that Beijing's jewelry design business is "less competitive because fewer people are trained and there aren't as many Chinese jewelry brands".

Having carved a niche in the silver market, Xu plans to work more with other precious stones.

Her best-selling piece of silver jewelry is a rhodium-plated zircon Heart of the Sea necklace, priced at 988 yuan - lower than many foreign-brand alternatives.

The overseas equivalents remain dominant in Beijing's jewelry market, but Xu said she will stick to what she does best - offering stylish Beijingers affordable, locally-crafted jewelry with a European flair.