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| Sunday, 17 November 2002 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Local jewellery designer sparkles at int'l competition by INDUNIL THENUWARA
Competing with over 300 international jewellery designers and beating them all would be a challenge for anyone. It would seem even more so when a designer from a small country such as Sri Lanka competes with and beats giants in the global industry. However, this does not seem so daunting or impossible when one is blessed with the right degree of creativity, innovation and determination. These were the ingredients that 'clicked' for Mueen Saheed, President and jewellery designer of Regent Fine Jewels. He brought honour and glory to Sri Lanka by bagging the Golden Apple Award 2002 at the JA Jewellery Show, conducted in New York by the Jewellers of America (JA) this summer. Addressing a news conference held in Colombo to announce this achievement, Saheed said the competition, held for the sixth time, recognises the participants' innovation, sparkle, fusion and allure in their marketing efforts.
"I was rather privileged to exhibit at the Designer Gallery at this show, one of the most prestigious events in the industry. Well-known designers from France, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey, Belgium, Israel, USA, UK, Hong Kong and Thailand competed with me. My website was also launched at the show. I consider this as an honour not just to me, but to my Motherland as well," he said. The four winning collections Saheed launched at the event were Colour Fussion, Tropical Tryst, Turn 'n' Colour and Puzzle. All items have been made of 18k yellow or white gold. Colour Fussion is a mix of a symphony of colour with defiant lines and patterns. Here he has used the spectrum of colour harmoniously complemented by different shapes and lines. Different shades of sapphires lend colour to the pieces, which have small circular holes in them, creating the effect of bubbles. Coconut palms Tropical Tryst reminds one of the swaying of coconut palms along the beaches of the island. "Coconut leaves resemble elongated needles. I used a similar shape in two directions to get the twisted look of the palms. The items in this collection, which includes rings, pendants, earrings and a twisted brooch, are studded with sapphires and diamonds of different colours," he said. Turn 'n' Colour enables the wearer to mix and match different colours on the same piece of jewellery.
The rings and pendants in this collection can be rotated or twisted to get a different colour. Puzzle resembles different shapes in a zig zag puzzle and is studded with sapphires of various shades. The Golden Apple Award is not the first international accolade won by Saheed. He won the JA Jewel Award in the Men's Category at the JA New York summer show in 1996 and became the first runner-up in the Women's Category at the same show. Saheed became the first Sri Lankan to win this award and his achievement was commendable as it was the first time that he had taken part in such a high profile international jewellery competition. Vatti Collection "The Vatti (Sieve) Collection was my winning design at this competition where over 120 other designers took part. This line was inspired by one of the earliest and still-used tools in the gem trade, the gemming sieve. This basket is woven of rush and reed and is used to gather the gem-bearing gravel. The handcrafted pieces in the Vatti Collection echo the woven strands of the gemming sieve," he said. The line features gemstones such as sapphires, rubies, emeralds and cat's eyes and diamonds. It was developed by Saheed over seven years. The designer expressed his gratitude to the Export Development Board for facilitating his participation at these international events. Saheed has been designing jewellery for the past 20 years. He has taken part in trade fairs in Japan, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Germany, USA and UK. He has also travelled to many countries, marketing his designs. His designs are inspired by nature, geographic patterns and art. Saheed Jewels, founded in Negombo in 1946, has five retail outlets at Lighthouse Hotel, Galle, Royal Palms Beach Hotel, Kalutara, Blue Oceanic Hotel and Sea Shells Hotel in Negombo besides the Regent Fine Jewels outlet in Colombo. The handcrafted jewellery manufacturer's export markets include Europe, UK, USA and Japan. |
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