Understanding Saudi customers’ attitudes is essential for my designs at Dalal Jewelry: Abeer Al Saeed

Besides including Saudi heritage and culture in her jewellery pieces, Abeer Al Saeed, founder and designer, Dalal Jewelry, followed the changing mindsets of the Saudi people to raise her brand to high luxury status and cater to the elite class

For Abeer Al Saeed, founder and designer, Dalal Jewelry, designing jewellery is a passion. While she pursued her master’s degree in the USA, she enrolled in jewellery design courses and got certified as a jeweller in 2016. In 2017, she launched her first collection in Riyadh and named it after her mother, reminiscent of beauty, elegance, and a woman who conquers.

Here are excerpts from a conversation The Retail Jeweller had with Abeer Al Saeed, about her journey as a designer, her aspirations, and her future goals:

Tell us how you have evolved as a designer. What are the challenges and goals?

It’s not easy to establish a jewellery business in Saudi Arabia or the GCC region, as there is a lot of global competition. It was a great challenge for me to cater to the people of Saudi Arabia when I started as a designer. Over the years, the Saudi people have changed their mindsets, insights, habits and perspectives towards local brands. Understanding the attitudes of people helps me conform to their jewellery needs and develop my collections. I believe I am still on this journey of improvement, and I think the market is open for every designer, however, only the best one will survive and get more exposure. I aim to raise the value of the Saudi jewellery and make Dalal Jewelry a piece of uniqueness for every lady.

What is the USP of your brand?

We present elegant and timeless pieces of jewellery that carry inspirational stories. We combine international quality and high jewellery standards with local Saudi culture and heritage in a contemporary style. This formula works to attract Saudi buyers. One of our brand pillars is sustainability, and we focus on working with sustainable sources and materials.

Please give us an idea of the profile of your customers and the scale of your operations.

Our clients come from across the globe. The main customer base is from the GCC region, which includes elite classes who purchase luxury goods and are interested in distinctive and inspirational jewellery.

Could you tell us about your latest collections and signature pieces?

Recently, I launched the Tennis Collection of high-end jewellery, which includes rings, earrings, bracelets, and elegant, classic, timeless pieces. We are also developing our existing collections to give clients additional options. Our signature collection is Mother’s Love which gives our brand more frontages in the jewellery world as local and international designers, clients, and brands are fond of it.

Which are your favourite precious metals and stones to work with?

I like to work with 18-karat gold, sustainable sources, natural pearls, and gemstones such as turquoise and garnet. It is good to have precious stones in your design to represent luxury and authenticity.

Talking about your retail experience, which model – online or offline – works best for you?

During the pandemic, online sales were definitely higher, but in the long run, physical retailing works best for us as customers are able to see, feel, experience, understand, and try our jewellery pieces.

What are the jewellery trends you see in the Middle East market? What are the challenges for designers?

There is an unstable and rapid change in jewellery trends, as there is a new fashion almost every week. It starts, expands and then almost immediately vanishes from people’s minds. So we stay focused on the soul of our brand and represent our version, aligning with the ongoing trends. Manufacturing may be the biggest challenge for Saudi designers, as the cost of work, shipping, and customs is extremely expensive. 

What’s next for Dalal Jewelry? How do you plan to grow the brand?

We have many strategic and marketing plans. We are working on creative concepts which will represent culture, arts and stories through different designs and colours. We also plan to incorporate the latest techniques in designing and manufacturing.

Written by Bushra Satkhed

Retail Jeweller World Exclusive