When I first began my career, I was an interior designer in California, and while I was there I studied gemology at GIA (Gemological Institute of America), as I was fascinated with diamonds, jewellery-making and design.
I have always been drawn to the beauty of precious gemstones, but the diamond is my birthstone, so it has particular relevance for me. I was always designing jewellery for myself, so I thought why not start a business with diamonds and jewellery to inspire others to realise the artist within themselves?
In the Emirati culture, gold and diamond jewellery is bought and gifted to friends and family, with pearls and pearl cultivation also deeply rooted in UAE culture. My first design “Her Royal Grace” is a diamond and South Sea pearl necklace suite inspired by the mortasha – a choker traditionally made of gold and worn on special occasions. I am proudly Emirati and anything I design will always include subtle elements of my beautiful culture.
Creativity is deeply rooted in us and now there is a strong network of both emerging and established Emirati women designers, which I am terrifically proud of.
Emirati design is very well received, with many students opting to be designers and entering into business at an early age, but young talent must be recognised and nurtured early on. This is what helps to give our young generation direction and focus to pursue careers in the field of design and art. Many young adults are confused with what they want to do. If we give them options at an early age, their talents can be recognised and nurtured and they have a chance to flourish in careers in design and art.
It is important to understand our children, understand their minds and give them the freedom to think creatively and express it. At 55Fifty7 we encourage young, talented designers ages 7 and above to design jewellery with whatever inspires them. They are keen to unleash their creativity and, believe me, they are extremely creative and less inhibited.
We have also launched the Design Incubator, the first of its kind in the Mena region, to nurture eight talented jewellery designers and encourage and sponsor them to participate in international jewellery-design competitions.
The jewellery-design industry supports and encourages Emirati designers with competitions such as Ebda’a-Emerging Design Award, a national jewellery-design competition for Emirati jewellery designers, which is part of the International Jewellery & Watch Show. Last year, the designs were well received internationally, and the UAE continues to encourage Emirati women to start their own businesses in the creative fields.
Looking ahead, I see a lot of Emirati women positioning their design skills and businesses internationally and I would also like to see more Emirati students taking up jewellery design and enhancing their creativity.
As Emiratis, our culture and traditions are very important and they centre around family and our beliefs and values. A creative Emirati in my opinion cannot help but show reflections of our culture in the art form they like or take up.
A career in creative design is not perceived traditionally as very lucrative. This kind of thinking needs to change. If one has a unique talent and sense of design, their creativity can take them places.
Today the arts and creative professions are extremely lucrative and also very satisfying. Creativity has no limits or bounds, but how a creative thinker takes his/her art forward is important.
Maryam Hassani is a graduate gemologist and interior designer based in Dubai, and the co-founder and principal designer of 55Fifty7 diamond studio.
If you have a good story to tell or an interesting issue to debate, contact Amanda Tomlinson on atomlinson@thenational.ae