Modern traditions
One brand that recently crossed our radar is AJ Jewelry from Saudi Arabia, founded by Alanoud and Aljazi Althunayan in Al-Khobar.
Their inspiration for the pieces is mainly drawn from the traditional family values of gifting and passing down of jewels as a sign of love and support. But they also like to mix in contemporary designs, for the example their new Bubble collection that launched this month. The sphere shapes have been decorated with diamonds in a 3D effect to express the feeling of happiness and excitement while maintaining an elegant charm.
Below, they reveal what inspired them to launch AJ Jewelry in the first place, and how they see the industry in the Middle East evolving.
What do you love about creating jewellery?
We love that there are no limits to the designs we want to create and that we have the liberty and opportunity to be as creative as we possibly can, using a variety of different colours, textures and beautiful stones. We are able to genuinely express what beauty is to us through our pieces and be able to materialize them.
What is the core identity of the brand?
Our pieces are mainly drawn from the traditional family values of passing down timeless jewellery as a gesture of love and support. Through our designs, we want to create a way to maintain these values while introducing modernity into the collection that speaks to the younger generation.
Where do you seek inspiration?
We seek inspiration from everything around us. Some designs are sharp and geometrically inspired from our beloved home in the city while our other designs include a more organic shape inspired from the starry desert sky and multifaceted dunes. 18-Karat gold is our material of choice for its timelessness, lasting wear-ability and rich patina.
What is your first jewellery memory?
Our first jewellery memory was when we first made our gold Bar bracelet. Changing the direction of the company from silver to gold was a bold move that were both excited and anxious about. Thankfully it was a successful step and the bar design earned us a lot of recognition.
How has the jewellery industry evolved since you started and how do you see it develop?
We have noticed that there have been quite a lot of new evolving jewellery designers in our region. Even globally, we have noticed a new wave of opportunity to up and coming jewelry brands from young designers.
What’s your take on jewellery in the Middle East?
We think that the jewellery market in the Middle East is rapidly growing as people have been searching for more individualistic jewellery brands that they can resonate with.
What is the best part about working together?
While we both share the same taste in designs, we each offer different ideas that complements each other for the best outcome. We are very aligned when it comes to the concept behind the designs, so having someone you can bounce off unique ideas with is a very valuable to us.
And the most challenging?
As both the designers and the business strategists of our brands, it can be challenging to focus on both the growth and management of our brand and designing the most beautiful pieces at the same time.
What is next?
As our brand grows, so do our ideas and vision. Our next step is to further explore the high jewellery field. We recently launched our first two high jewellery pieces: the malachite lock choker and the art deco pendant. We think this will be a very exciting new step for our brand.
Media: Supplied
