Just six years after launching her brand, Nuun Jewels, Saudi jewelry designer Nourah Al Faisal has earned an international reputation, and she is using her celebrity to help support the Kingdom’s fast-growing design community.
“Designers like me who have the good fortune to work outside Saudi Arabia understand what a strong and confident design ecosystem should look like,” says Nourah, who owns a boutique in Paris. “We want to create our own Saudi identity as designers, develop the local marketplace, and encourage talent and creativity across our design industry.”
Nourah’s own success is testament to the international appeal of the abstract shapes and geometrical lines that are among the prominent characteristics of the Kingdom’s visual arts.
Nourah made her debut as a jewelry designer with two very different collections. The more traditional collection, “Light,” made extensive use of colors, flowers, and classic designs inspired by nature. The second collection, “Shadow,” deconstructed the same motifs into two-dimensional lines and shapes using only black and white, and heralded the arrival of a major new talent on the international jewelry scene.
“With the first collection, I wanted to pay tribute to classic jewelry looks and show what I was capable of in that style,” Nourah says. “With the second collection, I let loose and showed what I really wanted to do.”
The road to success for Nourah was as intricate and unusual as some of her pieces. After studying interior design after graduating, she often designed jewelry for friends and family, but gave little thought to turning her hobby into a profession. But when an international expert saw her sketches and helped her win an apprenticeship in a jewelry workshop, she gained the skills and acumen to set out on her own.
“The best way to get to know a people and understand their values is by exploring their arts, their designs, and their culture.”
Nourah Al Faisal, founder and creative director, Nuun Jewels
A familiar figure at international exhibitions, Nourah encourages and supports other talented Saudis across the design industry, and she recently founded the Adhlal initiative to help Saudi Arabia fulfil its potential as a regional hub for design, manufacturing, and marketing. “Adhlal’s job is not to teach design but to give the designers the tools they need to succeed,” she says. “I will do anything I can to help the young generation of Saudi men and women express themselves to the world.”
Q&A with Nourah Al Faisal
What are the main inspirations for your work?
For me, it is balance rather than symmetry that is important. I am very influenced by geometry and by the organic shapes in nature. In nature everything is balanced, not symmetrical. Symmetry can be boring but balance can be quirky and exciting. The fact that something is not perfect is what makes it beautiful. My sweet spot is looking at things from a different angle and trying to capture that balance.
Which stones are your favorites?
I always work with asymmetrical stones. There are entire universes within opals. They are miraculous to me. Currently I am obsessing over colored gemstones like tanzanite, which has lovely, almost edible shades of lavender, gray, and pink spinel. These kinds of stones do nearly all the work for a designer.
Why did you establish Adhlal?
Adhlal aims to boost and promote the local design industry in Saudi Arabia by supporting and amplifying the abilities and voices of local designers. I believe that Saudi Arabia can develop a locally and globally competitive design industry. We just need to grow our expertise and develop our knowledge base. Until now, Saudi designers have had to do everything by themselves. With Adhlal, we are building a community and an ecosystem that will give them the support they need to design and manufacture in their home country.
How fast is life changing in Saudi Arabia?
The speed at which change is happening is unbelievable, especially for artists and for women. Young women now have so much confidence and so many aspirations. It is a pleasure to work with them and to help them achieve their goals.
And as Vision 2030 becomes a reality, the voices of our young and talented artists and designers will help make connections with the outside world, share our values, and build a new level of cultural dialogue and understanding
