Simply Abu Dhabi XXXI

W ith cosmopolitan origins and a contemporary vision for jewellery, Suzanne Kalan has built up her brand with stunning colours and pieces that are almost wearable modern art. With an important presence in the Middle East, Suzanne’s jewellery brand is now rapidly expanding worldwide. But who is the person behind one of the most contemporary jewellery brands of the Middle East? I met her to discover more about her story, her creative process and the future of her brand. SimplyAbuDhabi: Please tellmemore about yourself, your origins and your background. Suzanne Kalan: I’m Armenian. Born in Lebanon, raised in Kuwait, Lebanon, Montreal and Los Angeles. A little bit of all cultures. Simply Abu Dhabi: When did you start to realise that you wanted to create your jewellery? Suzanne Kalan: I was always creating something. First, it was designing my clothes and my mother would make everything. I started working for my father’s jewellery store when I was 18 and I would make pieces with colour beads such as onyx, lapis, malachite, tiger’s eye. When I finally left my father’s business, got married and had my daughter Patile, I started making fashion jewellery for myself and my sister with Swarovski crystals. That’s when the pieces got a lot of attention. A few months later, I had started making a collection and selling to major department stores in the US. Simply AbuDhabi: How did you approach your work? And how do you start the creation of a new collection? In fact, what surprises me in your jewels is your gem setting and cut. Suzanne Kalan: I have a few different ways of making my collections. First, it’s about the ideas of how a diamond should be used. Specifically, our Fireworks collection where the baguettes are scattered. We call it PERFECTLY IMPERFECT! I like non-traditional ways of making jewellery and setting the stones. Many times, classic jewellers and setters are surprised at the way I make my pieces. Settings are high/low stones, both large and small, nothing matches but always makes sense. My Starburst collection was just like that. Round brilliant diamonds, in different sizes and set high/ low to create an interesting different look yet still a classic piece that would never go out of style. Once the idea is there, I will start with just one piece, maybe a ring or a bracelet, then I create a whole collection around that one piece. Second, I love colour, coloured stones. Many of my collections through my 31 years of designing jewellery have been in colour. You will usually see me dressed in black or white, except when I’m vacationing in the summer, then I wear pink, reds and blues. I love colour and semi-precious jewellery. Once I decide what colour or colours to focus on for the season, I will have my suppliers cut shapes and sizes I would like to use. As usual, I will request unusual shapes and sizes as I like my designs to stand out. Our vitrine collection is a great example of cutting our semi-precious stones as we need them. They are flat on top and on the bottom. They are completely transparent. This is how you see diamonds set under the centre stone of each piece. very interesting yet elegant. It’s the same for our most recent collection. The Rainbow Fireworks. Our Fireworks collection was such a huge success and I was feeling very happy. We requested our cutters to cut tiny baguettes in specific sizes in all colours of Sapphires. SUZANNE KALAN: a colourful spirit b y I v a n A l l e g r a n t i 1 0 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I