RIYADH, 15 April — An exhibition featuring Islamic jewelry designs will be held in Riyadh next month as part of a pioneering effort to incorporate Western designs into the jewelry woven into abaya and sheyla worn by Saudi and other women.
Dr. Maria De Toni, owner of Auritalia Co. in Italy, was in Riyadh recently to discuss the project, the first of its kind to be held on the premises of Al-Nahda Philanthropic Society in Sulaimanya. It will feature the hundred best designs of Arabic/Islamic jewelry selected from entries from all over the world. A cross-section of the jewelry will eventually be manufactured in the Kingdom.
Dr. Maria did her Ph.D. in Economics in Verona before launching her own business. She is currently writing a book on Islamic jewelry as part of a project financed by UNESCO. She is also working on new designs in which modern technology and Islamic character find a dazzling blend. Rainbow, Aqua and Gold Fabric are some of her new collections that will be launched in cooperation with L’azurde showrooms.
“It was an important project, conceived in 1999, because schools and designers from all over the world studied Arabic culture to participate in the design competition under a bilateral arrangement between UNESCO and L’azurde Factory for Gold and Jewelry,” Dr. Maria said, adding that she was incorporating Islamic designs in abaya and sheyla in 18 karat gold.
Dr. Maria designed for UNESCO the “Jewel for Peace”, marking the launch of its manifesto for peace in the year 2000 and signed by the Nobel Prize winners. Earlier, she was involved in the UNESCO-sponsored international competition for the design of Arabic/Islamic jewelry.
The idea was to develop art in jewelry so as to create awareness of Islamic heritage in jewelry. This will give the consumer an inner identity.
Dr. Maria said the idea of holding a jewelry exhibition cum fashion show emerged from her meeting with Abdul Aziz Saleh Al-Othaim, president of L’azurde Factory for Gold and Jewelry. The new line of jewelry worked into the traditional Islamic wear is something that the women of Riyadh will be seeing for the first time.
“We are trying to bring what Europe has in terms of technology and mix it with the artwork of the East. In essence, it will be a blend of the East and the West,” Mohannad M. Jrab, gold purchase manager of L’azurde, said. He pointed out that the jewelry with this new vision will be worked into the traditional Islamic wear at their women’s only factory in the industrial estate.
Dr. Maria disclosed that she will cooperate with a college of jewelry design to be set up by the Al-Othaim Group. The designers participating in the show could also interact with the college by giving it the benefit of their experience and know-how. There is also scope for collaboration between the Italian designers and the college, whose students could benefit from their skills.
Middle Eastern countries are generally lacking in schools of design. On the other hand, a jewelry manufacturer like Al-Othaim Group, which uses a lot of gold, has no college of jewelry designing.
Dr. Maria said what they are doing is to recreate the design, which came originally from Valencia in Italy and other Mediterranean countries. By manufacturing jewelry based on those designs, the link between the East and the West will be re-established through the upcoming fashion show. In the process, business will be combined with ethical values.
Speaking on behalf of the Al-Othaim Group, Abdul Aziz Al-Othaim, president of L’azurde Gold, said a novel feature of their project is that it is the Kingdom’s first all-woman training and jewelry manufacturing facility established under the patronage of the Al-Nahda Philanthropic Society. It currently employs around 1,000 women and aims at imparting trade skills to socially disadvantaged women. It carries out some production operations which complement the work of other factories in the group.
Al-Othaim said the aim of the all-woman factory is to provide job opportunities to the less privileged women by promoting self-reliance and equipping them with an ability to earn their livelihood. Other objectives are to utilize the Kingdom’s vast productive potential through its female population and promote as well as establish jewelry craftsmanship/industry in the Kingdom.
Asked whether women were being accepted on the factory floor, Khadiga Al-Ogail, the factory’s female production manager, said: “The Kingdom’s custom in relation to women was a major barrier for families willing to send their daughters to learn a trade. It was only the assurance that the factory was totally managed and run by Saudi women that the concept gradually gained acceptance.”
Today its success can be measured by the fact that there is a waiting list for women wanting to join and get trained.
