Women who are planning to buy a piece of jewelry increasingly value the stamp of an individual designer. Even the youngest buyers want something different and unusual. If you believe that a jewel is not all about ‘bling’ and branding but it’s all about a personal choice and self expression, then you should remember this name, Suad Sami.

Born in Kuwait, Sami moved to Saudi Arabia after getting married. Although she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interior design, she soon discovered a passion for designing jewelry and a fascination for natural stones.

“It started off by tweaking around with some of the jewelry that I had, designing pieces to suit the style that I had in mind. This led to sketching my own designs and sending them to workshops. After wearing the jewelry pieces I had designed in public, I received amazing feedback and people started requesting some of my designs. I kept on designing jewelry and built myself up until I was ready to start my business in 2010.”

During the last four years, Suad has created eight collections, each one consisting of 30 to 40 one-of-a-kind pieces. These collections have been inspired by various themes such as horoscopes, calligraphy and organic shapes. But her greatest inspiration is Tous jewelry founded in the 1920s by Tous Blavi and Teresa Ponsa.

“The reason I got so attracted to Tous jewelry is due to a common interest in a similar style: Natural, simple and original.”

Sami’s latest creations are displayed at Maison Bo-M. This iconic store, with branches both in Riyadh and Jeddah, is reputed for its regal choice of the best exclusive brands and for its trend-setting mission. Maison Bo-M is also doing a great job in showcasing the creative work of the best designers in the Gulf Region.

Sami’s creative style leans toward simplicity and diversity but this minimalism is all about warmth, emotion and texture. Her unique pieces focus simultaneously on strong but simple shapes and on tone and texture with a singular depth of meaning to the design.

“My style is more or less contradictory, I design pieces that can be worn on an everyday basis which is simple yet extravagant, casual yet fancy, simple yet extravagant enough to complement women’s beauty and enhance their style” explains Sami.

A passion for the endless colors, shapes and textures of natural stones is what really convinced Sami to pursue her passion for jewelry. She readily admits that she prefers working with diamonds but acknowledges that rubies and pearls are her favorite stones.

Diamonds, particularly larger ones, are increasingly rare and their price is continuously rising. However, Laurence Graff the man behind the sparkle of some of the world’s most fabulous diamonds, believes that diamonds are still cheap compared with art.

Stones are not only magical but they also create a mood. Furthermore, stones enhance the wearers’ personality by reflecting their character and they also define the timelessness and value of a piece of jewelry. This is particularly the case with Sami’s most popular piece, the horoscope ring. This special ring, adorned with a horoscope design inserted with diamonds, comes in white, rose or yellow gold.

Suad compares the process of designing to writing an essay.

“I start by brainstorming, looking through magazines, galleries and other sources. Then, I start sketching my ideas, like writing up a draft. I continue sketching until I am completely satisfied with the design. The third step is going to the workshop in order for the sketch to come alive. I give the materials and the design to the team and they create the piece” explains Sami.

Sami is very much aware of the interaction between fashion and jewelry. And although she recognizes fashion trends she manages to keep her own very personal vision. This singular designer is proving that the key to the fashion-jewelry connection lies more than ever in the fact that an increasing number of women are designing jewelry. A decisive factor also is that women have become the decision-makers in jewelry purchase, exerting a powerful and adventurous influence on jewelry.

Sami’s original jewelry is essentially timeless and fashionable and the one-of a-kind pieces denote an irresistible mood of self-expression. Most of all, her success highlights the increasing role, the Kingdom is playing on the regional scene in the world of fashion.

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