JEWELLER’S VISIONARY TWIST ON AGE-OLD SKILLS
Artist and designer Azza Al Qubaisi’s award-winning work draws on her Emirati heritage and the natural world
Azza Al Qubaisi is a trailblazer. The jewellery artist has set up government projects displaying Abu Dhabi’s craft and design talent to the world.
People questioned her decision to study art, but she believed it was a calling – one that has led to success and a range of awards.
Ms Al Qubaisi’s pieces reflect thought-provoking perceptions of nature while preserving local traditions. Respectful of the past, she wants to lead the way forward for a new wave of Emirati jewellers.
“I have always had an interest in making things, but initially I didn’t know you could study to become a jewellery designer and make it a career,” says the mother of two, who studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design and London Guildhall University.
“My father loved collecting gemstones and at one point my mother designed her own jewellery. But when I had the opportunity to travel to the UK to continue my education, my main goal was environmental studies.”
This soon changed. “It became very clear to me that art was something I wanted to pursue,” Ms Al Qubaisi says. “It made me happy.
“At Chelsea College we worked in a lot of different mediums, and I felt jewellery would be my best option because I would be able to express myself and reach many in my community, because people wear jewellery.”
Back in the UAE, she formed a jewellery design workshop, but it was a tough initiation.
“The reality was that people were shocked as to why I would be designing and making
jewellery,” Ms Al Qubaisi says.
“They thought my work was weird. It was an issue of taste and what people were used to.
“In the past, it was about a brand and diamonds and wearing copies. Now people want bespoke pieces – they want to be individual.”
Collections based on nature and tradition – such as her Marine Symphony, using an ancient technique to fashion cuttlefish into pendants and rings, and Angel Tears, referencing the UAE’s maritime-trading past and rich natural resources – gradually gained attention.
“When I held my first show in Abu Dhabi in 2004, some people started to appreciate that it was different,” she says.
Ms Al Qubaisi is still handson in the creative process – from first sketches to production. She never restricts herself to one material, saying: “I work with diamonds, gold, silver, asphalt and leather – it’s not the value that matters, but what it is telling us.
“The story is the No 1 aspect. I don’t see my sculptures and jewellery as just being sculptures and jewellery – I see them as works of art.”
She established the Made in UAE project to develop Abu Dhabi’s crafts and design, and the jewellery exhibition space Voice Gallery. In 2011, she was named the British Council’s most successful UAE Young Design Entrepreneur in Fashion and Design, and Emirates Woman of the Year for community contribution and business achievement. It was, she says, a milestone – “a real award with true value”.
For all her creativity, she remains rooted in her culture, valuing her heritage, and preserving it as a philanthropist who treasures local traditions. The Lamst Ibdaa initiative in Abu Dhabi, which she launched in 2011, is a workplace for talented UAE designers to hone their skills.
She remains inspired by the world around her. “I always wanted to find ways to express myself and, for me, it was all about the balance of nature,” she says. “I seek to create pieces that tell a story and change people’s conceptions about jewellery, while opening their minds to the realisation that the world is delicate.
“I held collections that were about the oud, one of my bestsellers. Wearing this wood was not something people thought about, and it was shocking for them when I did my first show, but shocking in a good way. I still remember the face of the lady who bought one of the first pieces, and how it lit up – she didn’t believe she was seeing oud that was wearable.
“To me, that was a challenge, because I wanted to tell a story, not just of how oud can be beautiful and smell nice, but about the reality of it. It was such an affordable material that has now become so expensive. It is those types of stories I want to create – capturing their essences, evoking an emotion.”
Her creations range from camel bone prayer beads to pendants made from incense holders, using materials as diverse as fossilised shells, rusted iron, stainless steel, as well as gold, silver and diamonds.
That echoes the message she sends to young Emiratis about participating in WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, which she sees as an invaluable platform to sample and experience skills, and set themselves on a career built on what they love.
“I believe that each person, if they just focus internally, will find their true calling – what makes them tick, what makes them come alive, and, at the end of the day, what makes them successful,” she says.
“It is very important to try out skills, find what really suits you, go out there and talk to people, because that is a big part of learning. WorldSkills is an incredible opportunity that never existed in my generation, and such platforms are an amazing opportunity that future generations need to maximise to find their passion.
“Today, so many opportunities are available locally – they are greater than ever. But we cannot all do the same thing. We all need to identify our inner calling. We all need to appreciate our own skill, and to embrace it.”