Five minutes with Noor Fares, jewellery designer

Noor Fares, image from Noorfares.com

1 What does jewellery mean to you?

To me, a piece of jewellery is a very special object that holds a deeper meaning.

2 How do you find inspiration for your jewellery designs?

I am inspired by my travel and by talismans, symbols and antique jewellery

Pyramid Pendant by Noor Fares

3 How do you approach design, is it structured or spontaneous?

I am very spontaneous by nature and at the beginning my design process was intuitive but I have developed my ideas into a more structure and methodical way. I also do lots of research to support my ideas.

Merkaba dress earrings by Noor Fares

4 Do you have a favourite piece of jewellery?

My grandmother’s wedding band, which is a very thin hexagon pavéd with diamonds, it is so under stated and elegant.

5 Can you provide some advice for anyone interested in designing and making jewellery.

It is very important to me to research as much as you can in order to further your ideas and to generate new ones.

Thank you Noor for this interview

On simplicity

Dress by Balenciaga image credit www.balenciaga.com

Simplicity in clothing to me is all about creating a frame so the focus is on you more than the item of clothing itself. Take the above image for example, were your eyes initially drawn to the woman or the actual dress?

Business and corporate attire tend to be simple for this reason.  Recently I have become drawn to simple clothing, essentially I am crazy about prints but there is something refreshing and focused about white and cream clothing.

Estelle Dévé Apogee ring set image credits www.estelledeve.com

If I remember correctly I think Lara Bohinc, the jewellery designer once said that as jewellery isn't essential, and is more of a decorative gesture it can reveal more about us than clothing.  Recently I have become a little obsessed with jewellery, not the fine jewellery genre or the bling genre but jewllery that is all about organic, sculptural forms and laden with meaning and interpretations.

Therefore my current wardrobe of choice are simple classic outfits with jewellery that I love.

I'm planning on learning more about jewellery around the world and the history of jewellery and shall share my discoveries on this blog.

What about you are you a fan of simplicity or like me a little conflicted and in love with prints?  What is your interpretation of jewellery?

                                             

Estelle Dévé Nuri choker / bracelet

From http://www.anyonegirl.com/gold-estelle-deve-nuri-choker/

I grew up hating gold.  My parents are from the Indian subcontinent and there, there is a big obsession with really yellow, strong gold jewellery.Women are generally expected to adorn themselves in gold be it the real thing or costume jewellery at weddings even as guests- this is now changing though. During my younger years I rebelled and refused to wear gold costume jewellery in any form (I never received or bothered asking for the real thing as presents nor desired it- saved more than pennies there anyhow for everyone concerned!!). All I had were a few sterling silver rings, costume jewellery and silver coloured necklaces.

As they say people change...this only really happened when I came across Estelle Dévé's jewellery. She is a French jewellery designer based in Melbourne, Australia.

What I really like about  Estelle Dévé's designs are that they are unusual and elegant, organic and like mini sculptures and ornaments without being sentimental. They can be part of one's day and evening and I feel with time they will be as jewellery should be- treasured possessions and full of memories. 

South Asian jewellery reading list- from the V&A website

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/reading-list-south-asian-jewellery/

Aziz, Abdul, Arms and Jewellery of the Indian Mughuls, Lahore, 1947

Bala Krishnan, Usha R. and Meera Sushil Kumar Dance of the Peacock; Jewellery Traditions of India, India Book House Limited, 1999

Balfour, Ian, Famous Diamonds, Christie's (3rd edition), 1997

Bala Krishnan, Usha, Jewels of the Nizams, New Delhi, 2001

Bolon, Carol Radcliffe and Amita Vohra Sarin, Metaphors in Gold: The Jewelry of India, Asian Art, vol. VI, No. 4, Fall 1993, pp. 11-33

Brijbhushan, J. Masterpieces of Indian Jewellery, Bombay, 1979

Brunel, F. Jewellery of India. Five Thousand Years of Tradition, New Delhi, 1972

Chandra, Rai Govind, Indo-Greek Jewellery, New Delhi, 1979

Dongerkery, Kamala S. Jewelry and Personal Adornment in India, New Delhi, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, 1970

Filliozat, J. and  P.Z. Pattabiramin, Parures Divines du Sud de l'Inde, Publications de  P.Z. l'Institut Français d'Indologie, no. 29, Pondicherry, 1966

Haque, Zulekha, Gahana. Jewellery of Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1984

Havell, E.B. The Art Industries of the Madras Presidency. I Jewellery, Journal of Indian Art and Industry, vol.IV (April 1891), no.34, pp.7 and 8 and plates. Continued in vol.V no.40 (October 1892), pp.29-34 and plates, and vol.VI, no.48 (October 1894), pp.70-1 and plates.

Hendley, T.H. Indian Jewellery, The Journal of Indian Art and Industry, vol.XII, nos. 95 (July 1906) to 107 (July 1909).  Low Price Publications reprint edition, Delhi, 1991
Hendley, T.H. Memorials of the Jeypore Exhibition, vol.III, London, 1883

Ivanov, A.A., V.G. Lukonin and L.S. Smesova  Oriental Jewellery from the Collection of the Special Treasury and State Hermitage Oriental Department, Moscow, 1984

Jacob, S.S. and T.H. Hendley Jeypore Enamels, London, 1886

Jagannathan, Shakunthala  Jewellery, in Arts and Crafts of Tamilnadu, edited by Nanditha Krishna, Mapin Publishing, 1992, pp. 68-85

Jain, Jyotindra and Aarti Aggrawala National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, New Delhi, Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 1989

Jenkins, Marilyn and Manuel Keene  Islamic Jewelry in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1982

Keene, Manuel with Salam Kaoukji  Treasury of the World; Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals, Thames & Hudson in association with the al-Sabah Collection. Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait National Museum, London 2001

Keene, Manuel, The Enamel Road, from Siena, Paris, London and Lisbon, leads to Lucknow, in Beatriz Chadour-Sampson and Nigel Israel, eds, Jewelled Arts of Mughal India, Jewellery Studies vol. 10, 2004, pp. 99-123

Khalidi, Omar Romance of the Golconda Diamonds, Mapin Publishing pvt., Middletown, 1999

Latif, Momin  Bijoux Moghols/Mughal Jewellery, Brussels, 1982

Loth, A.M. Fascicule IX-Les Bijoux; La Vie Publique et Privée dans l'Inde Ancienne,
Paris,1972

Maclagan, E.D. Monograph on the Gold and Silver Works of the Punjab 1888-9, Lahore, 1890

Marshall, John, Buddhist Gold Jewellery, Archaeological Survey of India. Annual
Report 1902-3

Meen, V.B. and A.D. Tushingham, Crown Jewels of Iran, University of Toronto Press,
1968

Melikian-Chirvani, A.S., The Jewelled Objects of Hindustan, in Beatriz Chadour-Sampson and Nigel Israel, eds, Jewelled Arts of Mughal India, Jewellery Studies vol. 10, 2004, pp. 9-32

Milstein, Rachel, Indian Jewellery in an Illustrated A'in-i Akbari in Na'ama Brosh, ed. Jewellery and Goldsmithing in the Islamic World.  International Symposium, The  Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1991, pp. 105-12

Nandagopal, Choodamani and Vatsala Iyenagar, Temple Treasures. Vol. II. Temple Jewellery, The Crafts Council of Karnataka, 1997

From http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/reading-list-south-asian-jewellery/

Nigam, M.L. Indian Jewellery, Lustre Press, Roli Books, New Delhi, 1999

Pal, M.K. and B.K.Royburman, Jewellery and Ornaments in India - A Historical Outline, Census of India 1971, series I, paper no.1, New Delhi, 1970

Piacenti, Kirsten Aschengreen, Susan Stronge, Cristina Del Mare, Rita Sharma et al., Gioielli dall'India dai Moghul al Novecento, La Rinascente, Milan, 1996

Postel, Michael Ear Ornaments of Ancient India, Bombay, 1989

Pressmar, Emma  Indische Ringe, Frankfurt am Main, 1982

Spink, Michael (ed.)  Islamic Jewellery, London, 1986

Spink & Son LTD.  Islamic and Hindu Jewellery, London, 1988

Stronge, Susan, Mughal Jewellery, Jewellery Studies, vol.I, 1983-4, London, pp.49-53 and pls. IIB and III
Stronge, Susan, Jewels for the Mughal Court, The V&A Album 5,  London, 1986, pp.308-17
Stronge, Susan, Indian Jewellery and the West: Stylistic Exchanges 1750-1930 Journal of South
Asian Studies, 6, 1990, pp. 143-155
Stronge, Susan, (ed.) The Jewels of India, Marg Pubs., Bombay, 1995
Stronge, Susan, The Myth of the Timur Ruby,  Jewellery Studies, vol. 7, 1996, pp. 5-12
Stronge, Susan, Cartier and the East, Jewellery Studies, volume 9, 2001, pp. 65-77
Stronge, Susan, Nima Smith and James Harle, A Golden Treasury; Jewellery from the Indian Subcontinent, London, 1988

Untracht, Oppi, Traditional Jewelry of India, Thames and Hudson, London, 1997

Vassallo E Silva, Nuno, Jewels and Gems in Goa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century, in Susan Stronge, ed., The Jewels of India, Marg Publications, Bombay 1995, pp. 53-62

Vassallo E Silva, Nuno, Jewels for the Great Mughal: Goa a Centre of the Gem Trade in the Orient, in Beatriz Chadour-Sampson and Nigel Israel, eds, Jewelled Arts of Mughal India, Jewellery Studies vol. 10, 2004, pp. 41-51

Victoria And Albert Museum: The Indian Heritage; Court Life and Arts Under Mughal Rule, London, 1982

Weihreter, Hans Schätze der Menschen und Götter; Alter Goldschmuck aus Indian, Museum Villa Rot, Burgrieden-Rot, 1993, 11/95

Interview: Banu Kent, der liebling

Banu Kent

I love coming across new talent and the beauty of the web is that you can discover wonderful creations worldwide, one is no longer limited to domestic products, services and inspirations as compared to over a decade ago.

I came across Banu Kent's jewellery creations via http://maritsa.co/. Banu is based in Istanbul.  I have conversed with her by email and have purchased a few of her beautiful braided necklaces. Her brand is der liebling which means "the darling" in German.  Banu's latest project is der liebling x martisa a collaboration on a world of semi precious gemstones.

You can therefore sense that I was excited when she kindly agreed to an interview. Firstly here are a few photos of her new designs:

The model is Meric Küçük of Martisa.co

These and a few more beautiful designs  are currently available for purchase online at http://der-liebling.net/

Interview:

1)  What inspired you to become a jewellery designer and maker? 

I can`t really call myself a jewellery designer as I had no intentions to become one. I just love jewellery and to create something, anything. 

2) Do you make all the pieces yourself?

Yes and with the help of the craftmen in the small atelier where we work together.

3)  How do you design your jewellery as in what is your thought and design process?

It really comes naturally. Like love at first sight... When I see something that inspires me I immediately start thinking about the creation process and the end product. So I sit behind my work table and play until I get it right. Sometimes I end up creating a piece that is completely different than what I intended at first. 

4) What are your plans say in five years time?

I have no clue... Most probably, to stay excited and inspired, travel a lot, love and make beautiful things?

5) What is your favourite piece of jewellery?

I love everything what the nature has to offer and use them in my jewellery.

6) It's great that Turkey as an emerging market is showing great talent in the arts and culture. What are your favourite places in Istanbul?

Turkey, especially Istanbul has started to raise many young talents in the past few years. After I moved back from Amsterdam where I lived for 7 years, I was really amazed how much the city had evolved. Each month I discover a new art gallery, a cosy corner cafe and music venues. The city is inspiring and never sleeping! My favourite places in Istanbul would be the old parts; the area around the Grand Bazaar which is heaven for curious explorers like me and any area along the Boshporous where you can enjoy the amazing view and the smell of the salty sea.

7)Any chance you may venture into rings?  Rings are my favourite and I have weakness for rings!  

 Yes! I am working on couple of designs at the moment. Hope soon they will be finished so I can share them with the rest of the world :-)

Many thanks Banu for the interview. I wish you all the best and look forward to seeing and hearing more about your beautiful work.  

You can follow Banu Kent on http://der-liebling.net/ and facebook.