Emirati designers showcase their unique collections and pieces at the Jewellery and Watch Show 2022

The Emirati Designs Pavilion at the Jewellery and Watch Show 2022 saw Emirati designers present their creations of unique designs of yellow metal, precious stones, pearls, and diamonds that combined ancient Emirati heritage and contemporary design.

Held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), this year’s edition showcased a wide range of unique collections made by Emirati designers, with more Emirati women committed to excel within the gold and jewellery industry.

Abeer and Reem Al Rubaidi, designers of the Abalii Jewellery, said: “We started our project in 2017 and were inspired by the idea of our designs from the beauty and art of Arabic calligraphy. We love the Arabic language and Arabic calligraphy with its various patterns, the ruq’ah, the thuluth and the Naskhi font, and we represent the splendour of our beloved language with patterns of our own designs.

“Through our unique pieces, we can express the love for our rich heritage. We succeeded in merging natural pearls with Arabic calligraphy to form a variety of styles of unique pieces that suit different age groups. We now have in our store more than 15 types of natural pearls with various geometric shapes, and we have included in our collection pearl shells, malachite stone, quartz, sapphire, and ruby in addition to diamonds.

“We faced many challenges when we started our project. The societal view of pearls as belonging to the old fashion lines and not being suitable for young age groups meant that we devoted our efforts to change this. We worked on producing pieces of jewellery using pearls and 18 karat gold, and the pieces were popular with different age groups including new-borns.

“The Abalii brand name came to bear our piece with a timeless story that is firmly rooted in memory. We make pieces that contain engravings with names or phrases or can even be painted using gold based on the desire of customers. Our collection is not limited to women's jewellery, we also design decorative rosaries and medals for cars.

“Our brand was well received by customers, and we began to expand our trade at the local, regional and global levels. We are looking forward to progressing further to become a leading name in the jewellery sector.”

Designer Aisha Bin Hendi, who founded Toi Jewellery, said: “My journey began with designing jewellery because of my passion for providing everything that is distinctive. I belong to a family that enjoys a high sense and a fine taste for everything that is distinctive.

My family visited jewellery exhibitions around the world and I accompanied them on their visits and one of the most prominent destinations that we visited regularly is the Basel exhibition in Switzerland. This large event attracted the pioneers of the watch and jewellery industry. 

“During my childhood, I drew in my mind unique pieces that inspired me to establish my own brand, to translate what I carry in my mind into pieces that are distinguished by high craftsmanship and mastery. I have worked hard to prove that we are Emirati women who can keep pace with international brands, and to manufacture local products by being creative. I launched “Toi” jewellery, which means in French you, with the aim of honouring women by launching unique jewellery for the distinguished woman."

She added: “I have used 18 karat gold and diamond quality “VS” distinguished by its clarity in “G” color grade in the jewelry that I produce, and the hallmark of my collection is “Sparkle” which symbolizes beauty and distinction to me. I have many collections that have the same features and also have a collection called “Twa M Wa” which means  “I and You” where  customer can choose letters to form names. I also own unique pieces within the collection under the title “In the Heart” and created two masterpieces “Abu Dhabi in the Heart” and “Dubai in the Heart” and used Diamonds and pearls to create this set in a unique and distinctive style.

“My collections have been very popular, and I also participated in international exhibitions such as Paris Fashion Week and displayed my unique collections.”

Designer Khadija Al-Salami, founder of Harfwnagsh Jewellery said: "The collection was inspired by Arabic crafts and inscriptions. I loved to show Emirati art and heritage in a modern and practical way. Our traditional pieces are characterized by their large size, as they were kept in the "Tajuri", and their uses are limited to weddings and large occasions, so I decided to work on designs for small pieces in a modern style, to suit different age groups for daily use.

“The most prominent designs are the ancient Arab shenaf, and some designs were taken from Emirati architecture, which is distinguished by unique patterns and designs from Emirati buildings and neighbourhoods.

“My designs have been inspired from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which is distinguished by its splendour, where I used ruby stone and worked to combine it with sapphire stone in a unique design that expresses the capital’s luxury and its distinctive position. Emerald was also used with Sapphire in Sharjah's Shanaf to formulate the splendour of calm and a sense of tranquillity in the Emirate of Sharjah, the capital of culture. The old Shindagha area in Dubai, which includes details of its beautiful gates and windows, inspired me to produce distinctive designs. Some designs were inspired by the marine environment that relied on sailing ships, so, I called it the "Al Shirae group”.

“I am participating in the Jewellery and Watch Show in Abu Dhabi for the third time, in addition to my participation in jewellery exhibitions in Dubai and Sharjah. Regionally, I participated in exhibitions in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain, and globally in Jaipur, India, Bangkok, Istanbul and Mumbai.”

Young Emirati designers Salama Ali Al Khraim Al Zaabi and Maryam Ali Al Khraim Al Zaabi, founders of the MQ Jewellery brand, said: “We have loved drawing and design since childhood, which drove our passion to enter the field of jewellery design. To create a unique piece bearing our own signature, we have been working on our project since 2020, we are two university students, both of us are studying fields far from the jewellery sector.

“Our idea started from representing our drawings and transforming them into pieces of jewellery. With the support of our mother, we were able to achieve transforming the dream into reality. The drawings that our pens draw became unique pieces made of yellow metal and decorated with diamonds. We draw the piece based on the desires of customers and their budgets and we implement them with perfection.”

“We participated for the first time in the Jewellery and Watch Show 2022, and we aspire to expand our activities to make MQ one of the leading brands in the region and the world”. 

The Jewellery and Watch Show 2022 opens and runs until November 13.  Visitors can register for free via the website, or at the main gate of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre – ADNEC, to enjoy the latest unique jewellery pieces and stylish watches.