A generous tribute to the sea: Amal Jewellery aims to be the Poseidon in Bahrain

With her favourite design element being the Mother of Pearl, Amal Al Majed makes nature her muse. The Retail Jeweller World discovers her passion as a designer

When did you discover your love for jewellery?

While I was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at the university, my last year saw me sketching some jewellery pieces in my free time. This passion slowly went up with time and I started going to jewelry shops to discover more about gemstones. After graduation, I decided to do a professional course on jewellerydesigning and joined GIA in 2013.

How would you describe your collections?

I would say elegant, colorful and catchy.

What kind of designs do you think do well?

People are looking for daily-wear pieces now — things they can wear on a daily basis.

What inspires your designs?

Mother nature, flowers and Arabic motifs find prominence in my work.

How would you describe your style?

My style is modern and trendy. But I also have a soft spot for tradition, so I think modern motifs in traditional ethos sits well with me.

Do you have any favourite metal or gemstone you like experimenting with?

If you notice my designs, you will find that I really love to work with the Mother of Pearl. As I am from Bahrain, which is an island,I pay tribute to the sea with my designs using the Mother of Pearl.

Talk to us about some of your most memorable collections.

My “Toleen”collection is one of the best that I worked on. My customers love it because of the fresh colors I used.

What are your feelings about sustainable jewellery designing? How do you incorporate that in your work?

The most important thing, for me, is to keep spreading knowledge about taking care of your pieces. Most people don’t know how to care for their jewellery, especially precious gems like natural pearls. We teach our customers how to maintain the beauty of their jewellery. If a piece sparkles as good as new, there won’t be any need to take it back or dispose of it for something new. That is sustainable. Also, I have professional products for cleaning and organizing jewellery.

Where do you think retailers and manufacturers need to improve when it comes to the jewellery industry in Africa?

I think manufacturers need to invest more on talented jewelry designers. The market today has a lot of similarities in designs. The need of the hour is uniqueness. Different designs will make the market more competitive and give a retailer the edge. It will also help hone young designers.

What is your advice to budding designers?

The most important thing is to design from your heart and find a story behind each piece. This will make people feel the passion in each precious jewel they have.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller World News Service