Selim Mouzannar is on a high. His latest creation – a beautiful collar necklace crafted in rose gold and Muzo Colombian emeralds – has won him the Couture Design Awards 2016 for ‘Best in Coloured Gemstone Above $20K.’

“I must say it's nice to win; it’s a recognition that I wasn’t really expecting,” he says. The designs, thus, are unmistakably reflective of Selim’s Middle Eastern roots: his family has been in the jewelry business in Beirut for many generations. “The jewels I create are inspired by the architecture and everyday life of a city by the sea. Furthermore, I am an activist for nonviolence and my jewels talk about that too.”

Symbolizing love and hope, the design of the collar features over 100 articulated arms that hinge the stones together in an order dictated by their shapes. Aptly named Amal (in Arabic meaning hope), it is set with 47 round and oval cabochons, and punctuated with eight trapiches, featuring cartwheel-shaped inclusions. Each stone has its own perfections and imperfections, just like the people around us, explains Selim. The design is evocative of human solidarity, while the veins are symbolic of people reaching out to one another.

Green being the colour of hope, Selim chose to use emeralds. The emeralds of Muzo are the most beautiful in the world, he observes. “For a long time, the Muzo mine has had a bad reputation. It was the scene of much misery and violence. With the new operators taking over the mining, hospitals and schools were built, and people now lead a much better life,” adds the Beirut-based Lebanese designer, who sourced the gems from Muzo.

The Amal necklace indeed makes a strong statement: it talks about the importance of non-violence.

Smitha Sadanandan

Image Courtesy of Couture Show