DESPITE its Italian sounding name, Bellucci (www.belluccijewelry.com), a Saudi company founded in 2002, prides itself for employing an all-Arab team. Princess Sarah bint Mossaed ibn Abdul Aziz, the Managing Director, praises Arab craftsmen who can easily compete with their European counterparts.
Renowned for stylish designs, Bellucci reinvents traditional and classic Jewelry. One of their earlier pieces, “Arabian Nights,” was inspired by an antique Hijazi headdress belonging to the unique collection of traditional costumes owned by the Riyadh-based Al-Nahda Philanthropic Society for Women. The modernized version of golden beads and diamonds, hand embroidered on silk, won the Eastern Innovations Award presented by the World Gold Council in 2002 in Dubai.
Renewing its sources of inspiration, Bellucci is currently displaying its latest collection of traditional Arabian Jewelry with a modern twist. Princess Sarah who has personally designed the pieces, is very excited about the customer’s enthusiastic feedback: “This collection, inspired by our Saudi heritage, is a huge success; in fact the outcome has gone beyond our expectations. Our younger clients are rediscovering our rich traditional handicrafts and the older generation is amazed to see how traditional jewels can be remodeled in a trendy fashion,” she says. She admits that while working on the collection, she was overwhelmed by the beauty of the women’s costumes, the colorful weaving, the silver Jewelry, the daggers and swords as well as the variety of household crafts.
People too often think that the Arabian Peninsula has always been a barren land inhabited by nomadic tribes. Research into the ancient history of the Kingdom has brought to light a rich urban life in the northwestern and southwestern regions, coinciding with the beginning of the process of civilization in fertile lands. All the contemporary Saudi handicrafts highlight the historic depth of Arabian arts and crafts.
In Arabia, rings were traditionally worn on both fingers and toes. The finger ring is known as ‘khatim’ — literally meaning ‘seal’ — but in most cases there is no seal but merely a plain flat metal or stone surface, sometimes engraved with geometric and other pictorial symbols, such as triangles and crescents. Bellucci has incorporated antique as well as new designs into their collection of rings, paying tribute to the wealth of designs adorning the regional dresses of the Kingdom. One ring displays the colorful flowery pattern of the traditional “shalki” material in a stunning white gold setting with an antique finish.
Until recently, Arabian jewelry was made mostly out of silver, especially Bedouin jewelry. If most of the pieces were crafted by silversmiths, very often Bedouin women purchased beads, coins, silver bells and semi-precious stones and created their own necklaces. The collection of Bellucci pendants are worn around the neck. In the past, many elaborate pendants decorated with exquisite filigree work, glass or precious stones were worn suspended from a strap at the top of the headdress and arranged to hang onto the forehead or on one side of the head.
One of the Bellucci pendants is a yellow gold sandal, decorated with enamel and encrusted with diamonds, inspired by the ubiquitous leather embroidered sandals worn by men all over the Kingdom. Leather handicraft in the Kingdom is indeed a very old tradition, going back as much as three millennia or more. Another pendant represents a white gold dagger encrusted with diamonds. Daggers are still worn by Bedouins and they always appear during ceremonial occasions. A dagger is fastened almost horizontally onto the belt, with the handle to the wearer’s left.
The Kingdom is also known for its beautiful wooden doors and window shutters: geometric patterns are incised into the wood and then painted in green, yellow, red and blue. It is not surprising that Bellucci has also been inspired by these old doors. The result is an attractive yellow gold pendant embossed with traditional patterns inlaid with diamonds.
This very special Heritage Collection also includes brooches which were not traditionally worn in Arabia. Inspired by the beautiful basketry made in Arabia, Bellucci has designed an exquisite gold fan set with diamonds and decorated with vivid enameled designs.
The great success of the Bellucci Heritage Collection highlights new trends in the Kingdom. Even the youngest buyers are looking for Jewelry which is different. Women are no longer buying pieces for investment; they want jewels which are artistic, jewels which stand alone as something unusual and unique, jewels combining great craftsmanship, fine materials and the unexpected.
