The Crown Jewels

We talk to Islah Al Ashwal of Shania Jewels and give our pick of some of the most talented jewellery designers around 

Although the mid-life career change is almost par for the course in today’s world, swapping computer programming for haute couture jewellery is pretty exceptional. But then Islah Al Ashwal of Shania Jewels is a pretty exceptional woman. With absolutely no formal training and very few contacts, not to mention the looming prospect of a financial crisis, Islah decided she wanted to launch her own jewellery brand. That was around four years ago. In October 2010, she realised her dream by opening Shania Jewels, a maison de haute joaillerie on Avenue Louise. It houses 10 stunning collections of exceptional quality, all conceived or designed by Islah, in what she hopes will be the first of many Shania shops.

“So far things are going well,” she says. So well that Princess Astrid was photographed wearing one of Shania’s signature pieces, an Angel Bliss necklace in white gold with diamonds, amethyst and coral, at the wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco. “But you must know, jewellery was not my path,” she says. “My father (the former Yemeni Ambassador to Belgium) was a diplomat. I studied computer science and then worked in real estate with my husband.” But Islah says that working with jewellery was something she always wanted to do. She decided to give it a go after she acccompanied a friend, who was a merchant of high quality stones, on a business trip to Geneva. “Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved jewellery, but it was then that I realised that this was something I could do everyday.”

And so Islah embarked on a self-sponsored apprenticeship of almost two and a half years, immersing herself in the exotic world of jewellery and teaching herself everything she needed to know about the business. “I didn’t take a formal course in either design or gemology. And I hardly knew anybody in the industry which made it very difficult to begin with. But I knew that the best way for me to learn quickly and seriously was to touch the materials. I travelled all over, visiting different manufacturers and merchants, asking lots of questions, reading lots of books, doing research on the internet. Then I started to look for a place because I really wanted a shop as well as a jewellery line. Don’t ask me why but that was always my vision.”

Looking at the Shania collections you would never guess it was the work of a novice. The designs are bold and richly imagined, adorned in brightly coloured jewels and infused with a great sense of spirit. They also have a sense of history – something that Islah attributes to her Yemeni roots and global upbringing. “I am inspired by so many things: by great ancient civilisations, by Art Deco and the beauty of the Alhambra. But also by the jewellery Cartier made in the 1920s and 1930s.” If she had to pick her greatest inspiration, Islah says she would pick the women of Yemen. “When they get married, they are covered head to toe in beautiful jewellery, full of colour and detail. It’s exquisite.”
Of the 10 collections currently on sale (her new east African-inspired collection, Ebony, goes on sale in December) Islah designed several herself, including the signature Fleur Shania collection. She also has a line for children called Laughter, as well as a collection of thumb rings, cufflinks, pendants and bracelets for men. All of her pieces are made in gold or platinum and crafted in the ateliers of Place Vendôme in Paris, where some of the most prestigious brands in French haute joaillerie are produced. She uses the highest quality materials – turquoise from Iran, pearls from Tahiti and the Persian Gulf, red and pink coral, sapphires, rubies and, of course, diamonds. “But only sparingly,” she warns. “Unless we are talking about engagement rings, diamonds for me are like salt in cooking. You need some to bring out the flavour but too much destroys the taste.”

Ethics is very important to Islah and to that end, Shania is a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council, a nonprofit organisation which promotes responsible practice in the industry. “I haven’t been certified by them yet. That will take some time, but it is very important for me to be a member because they share all the values which I value – a respect for nature and respect for other human beings.” This commitment also means that at a time when many indigenous craft industries have relocated to Asia, Shania is dedicated to supporting artisanal work in Europe. “It would be much more easy for me to manufacture in Asia but the culture is not the same as it is in, say, Paris. The work standards are not the same. I love artisanal work and when I see these men in Paris working behind their tables for hundreds of hours on one piece, it reminds me why I do this.”

DETAILS

Shania, Maison de Haute Joaillerie
11 Avenue Louise
Brussels
tel 02.644.01.00.  www.shaniajewels.com

Seven of the best

The European Triennial for Contemporary Jewellery
More than 60 artists from Belgium, Germany and Portugal are taking part in the European Triennial for Contemporary Jewellery at Les Anciens Abattoirs in Mons. Until January 15, you’ll have the opportunity to discover new innovations and various artists, like Antwerp-based designer Nilton Alves Cunha.  www.wcc-bf.org/en

Wouters & Hendrix
For more than 20 years Katrin (Wouters) and Karen (Hendrix) have been making jewellery for the kind of woman that you would really want to be friends with: adventurous and worldly with impeccable taste. We love the onyx-embellished drop earrings   from their latest collection, The Heritage of Lady Jacqueline, which manages to be both effortlessly contemporary and vintage.  www.wouters-hendrix.com

Christa Reniers
Christa Reniers is one of Belgium’s leading contemporary jewellery designers. Since 1993 she’s been winning plaudits with her intricate, sculptural pieces, like the 5 Cluster ring  from her latest collection, which  features five separate rings held together by a sixth.  www.christareniers.com

Thea
On December 1, Emilie Duchêne (the daughter of designer Luc) launches Thea , a line of customised rings in rose gold. Customers can choose up to five letters or digits to form the crown of the ring, with or without diamonds; prices start at €460.   www.thea-rings.com

Baunat
Antwerp-based company Baunat is the first high-end retailer of original diamond jewellery that works exclusively online. And they’ve just announced the winner of their annual design competition with the Flanders Fashion Institute. Elke Peeters wins a €4,000 prize for her stunning Dancing Lady collection , available exclusively at Baunat.  www.baunat.com

Heaven Tanudiredja
Straight outta Antwerp Academy comes Heaven Tanudiredja, a young Indonesian designer who is causing quite a stir with his gothic-inspired jewellery. Since graduating, he has worked with Christian Dior Couture and Dries Van Noten. His own eponymous collection  is elaborate, elegantly boisterous and available at 14 outlets worldwide (not in Belgium) including Bergdorf Goodman in New York.   www.heaventanudiredja.be

Skin & Soul
Martine Hermans-Frisvold recently celebrated the first anniversary of her Skin & Soul Gallery on Rue Faider in Ixelles. Her pieces are inspired by the body – gold pendants textured with fingerprints  and nipple-moulded cufflinks, for example. Her newest collection, Vegetal, applies the same aesthetic to nature, incorporating bits of seeds and wood bark on pendants, rings and earrings.  www.martinehermans-frisvold.be