Jewels are indisputably counted as one of the most important accessory items in women’s wardrobes. This is because they instantly draw attention to their elegance wherever they go, especially on big occasions. It goes without saying that women seem restless and curious when it comes to finding the very latest designs that ooze some exceptionality and make them stand out.

Well, if this is the case, not to worry at all! You don’t have to roam about anywhere else if you are craving for classy jewelry pieces. In fact, we’ve dug up into one such prominent name for you ladies. Anton Heunis is one of the most recognized faces in the jewelry world today thanks to his explicitly stunning designs that he has been making for a decade now.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, we sit with him to find out how he got into jewelry designing and what’s next on the table.

Fashion always reigned on his mind because he was born in South Africa — a country that boasts a remarkably strong jewelry tradition. “I think I always wanted to do something with fashion. Jewelry was a logical progression because South Africa has a much stronger jewelry tradition than fashion. I consider myself very fortunate that I do what I have always wanted to do as far as I can remember,” he says.

But his own development into a jewelry designer is solely influenced by his grandmother’s ‘so-called dressing table’. “Seeing my grandmother’s dressing table always covered with beautiful jewelry and enameled hair brushes was the tipping point for me,” he said. “So from a very young age, I was completely hooked.”

Getting into a design school

Then, he moved on to study at Stellenbosch University, South Africa getting a BA degree in Fine Arts from there. But it wasn’t enough for Heunis. Later, he reached Munich, Germany to do his Master’s degree in it allowing him to learn new things from his amazing tutors.

Now ready to take the plunge with vigor and confidence, he launched his own fashion jewelry label in Madrid, Spain in 2004. Since then, it has touched millions of hearts in the fashion world and in so doing made them huge fans of his bejeweled creations.

There are certain factors that differentiate his designs from the rest. So when asked what makes his pieces so special, he said, “It’s a very distinctive design and the fact that each piece is handmade and elaborated with love by our artisans; they blend the concept of imperfection so diligently while creating them and this is what gives our jewels a unique feel.”

Besides, he often works upon mingling both the modern and vintage effect into his pieces which, he says, has become part of his design aesthetic and most importantly amplifies their splendor. “I don’t consciously think about designing that way. It just seems to translate naturally. Even when I make something completely new, there is always that element to my designs,” he assures.

Behind each beautiful collection of his lies some inspirational anecdotes that he feels is what gets everything going for him. “My inspiration comes from all kinds of sources but especially from art, movies, people — unique people with outstanding personalities, who do what they feel no matter what,” emphasizes Heunis.

In fact, his constant use of Swarovski crystals is another reason why he holds sway over his clients. As he puts it, “I mainly love to work with Swarovski gemstones. It’s an incredible company to work for. The quality of their products is superior to other competitors in the market. Also the end client trusts and knows Swarovski, which is a great add-on value to the product.”

“I’m a complete magpie. If it glitters, then only I like it. In the end there is always one little crystal that somehow finds its way into my designs.”

This time, he has gone a bit experimental and in so doing brought in other marvelous stones like amethyst, carnelian, malachite, lapislazuli, which, he believes, have certain quality and uniqueness that can never be repeated. “Two jewels will never look the same with natural stones,” he says.

One needs to have eyes like a hawk to know where the finest stones can be fetched from. After all, behind the rich spark of jewels is merely their magic that does the talking. For instance, the materials he uses come mainly from Spain and Europe. He imports Swarovski crystals from Austria, but he tends to look for them around the globe as well. “In Southern Germany, there are artisans that still continue to make stones like in the 30s and 40s. Semi-precious stones are bought all over the world. It depends on where they might be available at the moment: Brazil, India, South Africa, China, etc.,” he says.

Color is his must-have muse

In each collection of his one gets to see lots of colors beautifully placed. It’s definitely on top of his mind as a priority. When he started working with Swarovski, a whole new world opened up to him as every color he considered imaginable was finally available on his plate out of the blue. “Now I could use stones like a painter uses color. That completely changed my idea of design. Apart from the quality of Swarovski crystals, the superb variety of shapes, sizes and colors offered makes them any designer’s dream material to work with,” he says.

There are elements of different cultures playing in his lovely creations too since he has been part of them at different stages of his life in different places he lived. “These unforgettable experiences form part of my inspiration and creep back into my designs. When I see parts of South Africa or Spain exemplified in my work it’s almost a surprise to me when I notice it. I try not to think too much about the inspiration. Rather I prefer to act out when it happens,” he says.

For his Autumn/Winter 2014-15 collection, he has created four distinguished lines: “Maleficent” inspired by the Disney character and the beauty of the dark side, “Ava Gardner” inspired by the elegant diva — it’s very warm looking and smooth to the touch, “Bollywood Princess” inspired by the colorful imagery of Bollywood pictures and finally “Can-Can” which is inspired by the Belle Époque and the Moulin Rouge.

One celebrity in mind for his pieces

At present the one who can really do justice to his enticingly designed jewels is the multi-talented actress Julianne Moore. She has a timeless beauty with that red hair and green eyes which he has always thought to be one of the prettiest combinations, but most of all, he simply admires her style and revels in the fact that she has an aura of a cinematographic genius. “Unlike other celebrities today, she is eternal like Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth or Audrey Hepburn. Julianne doesn’t seem to have been replicated in a plastic surgeon’s lab like other stars in Hollywood,” reveals Heunis.

Besides these four, he shares the same degree of praise for other style icons like Frida Kahlo, Iris Apfel, Sophia Loren, Marlene Dietrich, Coco Chanel, Grace Kelly, Jackie O and Brigitte Bardot.

Asked what type of women he designs his jewels for, he said, “It has been incredible to see the number of different women and personalities that buy my jewelry. It is a completely different person every time. Each one of them makes it impossible to define just one kind of woman whom my jewels are aimed at.”

And when it comes to women’s liking for jewelry in the Arab world, it’s a bit different as compared to what women in Europe seek. “I think hands (hand movement) are very important in Arab culture. Therefore, I find that many of my Arab clients like to wear bracelets and rings. Also, earrings work very well in most Arab countries,” he says. “I think at the end of the day beauty is universal although there might be small differences. Overall people tend to want to feel beautiful. That’s the common factor.”

He has plans in store to diversify his brand as times goes on. “We’ve grown the business a lot over the past few years. The idea now is to create different products and expand into challenging markets like China. You know the possibilities are endless,” he concludes.