Ornaments for every occasion

Pakistani jewellery designer Shafaq Habib's line strikes a balance between elegance and simplicity

South Asian women love the elaborate jewellery they have inherited from their grandmothers and mothers. However the heavy, beautifully worked gold ornaments mostly stay in the locker to be taken out only on very special occasions. Most of us wish that these jewels were lighter, easier to wear and more contemporary in look, so we could wear them more often.

Pakistani jewellery designer Shafaq Habib has the answer to this dilemma. She has created a line of jewellery that strikes a balance between the elegance and simplicity of western styling and the rich motifs and intricate craftsmanship of South Asia. Her latest collection will be on display during the Sahoor Night to be held today at Dubai Media City, 9.00pm onwards.

Shafaq's collection is an eclectic mix of kundan, polki or uncut diamonds, pearls in unusual shapes and colours and a variety of precious and semi-precious stones, set in 22 carat gold. There are sets of matching necklaces and earrings, individual rings, bracelets and even tikka to be worn on the forehead.

A line of smaller pieces including tikkas is particularly suitable for young girls looking for jewellery to match the fusion wear in vogue these days.

"For this exhibition I have only brought light jewellery that will look good with evening wear as well as casual wear," says Shafaq.

Shafaq has a flair for combining unusual materials like kundan with beaver pearls, uncut diamonds with amber or antique coins with emeralds to create a harmonious blend of traditional and abstract motifs that have a very distinct identity.

Every piece is traditional in essence but with a contemporary flavour. Moreover, the ornaments look heavy, but are light, easy-to-wear and reasonably priced between Dh400 to Dh4,000.

"Our traditional jewellery has outstanding motifs and craftsmanship, but the designs are too crowded. The jewellery designing courses I did in New York taught me to appreciate the importance of balance and clean lines," says Shafaq.

Her design concept is based on creating a focal point in the piece that will immediately attract attention and make the jewellery stand out. The concept is then reinforced but not overshadowed with peripheral patterns, often designed to match the contours and colours of traditional ethnic dresses.

Shafaq held her first exhibition in the U.S. capital, Washington D.C. in 1982. The success of this showing encouraged her to take her creative hobby more seriously. "My designs were more westernised then, but when I moved to Islamabad in 1995, I got interested in our own traditional designs," she recalls.

Shafaq researched antique royal jewellery and in an effort to revive dying traditional crafts like kundan with polki and 'meena work' she began to train craftsmen in her own workshop. "I started with one craftsman and have 12 working with me today," she remarks.

All her jewellery is handcrafted and she only makes a few pieces of each design. She often mixes bits of antique pieces with her own creations. Shafaq is particularly well known in Pakistan for her stunning bridal wear.

With offices in Lahore, Karachi, Chicago and New York and regular exhibitions in various cities in the U.S. and Pakistan, Shafaq successfully caters to a large culturally diverse clientele.

This is Shafaq's second visit to Dubai. Two years ago she was invited to participate in the 'House Of Talent' exhibition during the Dubai Shopping Festival.

Encouraged by the response to her designs, Shafaq is now planning to exhibit here more often. "My sister Dr Zarqa Taimur has offered to keep my design catalogues and liase on my behalf with interested customers in the UAE. She will also help me to organise future exhibitions," says Shafaq.

"We come from an academically-oriented family and I think my older sister is just brilliant to make such a success of her creative talent," says Zarqa, a consultant physician at the Jebel Ali Medical Centre.