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Bahrain: Stunning jewellery designs from Saudi Arabian Princess Nourah Al Faisal is being showcased at Jewellery Arabia 2015.
Princess Nourah, founder and designer of Nuun Jewels, is displaying her Shadow and Light collection at the expo, along with made-to-order pieces, at the Overdressed pavilion.
Her designs include the vibrant BD41,000 Orchid bracelet as well as a one-of-a-kind dragonfly cuff that combines diamonds, pink gold and opal and is priced at BD36,200.
Other items are the Banajir bangle starting at BD4,100 and the Tasali rings.
“I am excited to be here,” said Princess Nourah, who lives between Saudi Arabia and France.
“Bahraini style blogger and founder of overdressed.com, Dana Al Khalifa, asked if I’d like to be a part of her Overdressed Pavilion and I said yes.
“In Bahrain, you have a very well documented artistic sort of movement and feel – it’s the same in Kuwait and Dubai but in Saudi Arabia it’s really just the beginning.
“There are some amazing artists and designers there and I really feel like it’s important for me to be a part of that.”
Princess Nourah always had a passion for unique pieces as well as an eye for gems and precious stones – a trait she picked up from her mother Princess Nouf bint Khaled bin Abdulaziz.
“It was my mother who taught me that fine jewellery is art, a form of expression as profound and moving as a painting or sculpture,” she said.
“I am not a gemmologist but I learned to recognise very quickly what a good stone was and I couldn’t tell you why. My eye was just naturally drawn to it.”
After graduating in English literature from King Saud University, she studied interior design at an institute in London before she was given the opportunity to showcase her sketches to workshops in Paris.
“I used to designing jewellery pieces for my family and friends but I never took it seriously. It was something I loved to do,” she explained.
“Around graduation time, my mum’s friend, Moodhi Al Mandeel, owned a shop in Saudi and wanted to carry out an exhibition abroad, so I showed her my sketch book and she asked if I’d like to go to Paris with her to show my designs to a couple of workshops.
“I was very proud to have some of my designs created and exhibited at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London but also mortified because none of the pieces were really my jewellery - they were someone else’s interpretations.
“I learnt really quickly that if I was going to be creating things then I need to be involved in the process.”
It was during this process that her designs caught the eye of one of Paris’s renowned workshops, called Georland, and she was quickly snapped up for an apprenticeship.
There she developed her understanding of the jewellery business and craftsmanship.
After 15 years and overwhelming support from her mother, her late father His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Faisal and her husband Faisal Al Shawaf, president of Saud Consulting Services, she felt it was time to officially launch her own brand.
“I needed to trust that if I make it and I love it enough, then someone in the world will love it too.”
Princess Nourah first showcased her collection, Shadow and Light, at a small exhibition in a London gallery.
The 24 pieces were made in collaboration with Paris-based workshop Carrur, founded by Stéphane Marescaux and Olivier Brobald. She is currently working on new pieces that will be unveiled in January.
Princess Nourah will be at Jewellery Arabia from 4pm to 10pm until Friday and from noon to 10 pm on Saturday. For details about Nuun Jewels, follow the designer on Instagram @nuunjewels.
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