A touch of humor, a dash of elegance, with her first collection Wilderness, jeweler Anya Sayad, tamed the wildness of nature into wondrous jewelry pieces. From a crystal clear idea in her mind, to a whimsical piece of jewelry, she unveils the intricate process of creating gems.
When Lebanon’s economic crisis unfolded in 2019, Anya decided to start a new chapter as a fashion Marketing Manager, in Paris. ‘On paper, it was a promising career, but something never felt quite right.’ She was looking for something deeper, where she could unleash her creativity and find fullfillment. In late 2022, she met her partner and when he saw her knack for jewelry, he asked ‘Why not create your own brand?’ That question changed everything for Anya. She realized that was what she wanted to do ‘build a fine jewelry brand that aligned with my personal style, one that spoke to an audience looking for distinctive, high end pieces beyond the maintstream.’ Playful, refined, unconventional and minutely detailed, the entrepreneur paved her path, returning to Lebanon to be close to her family and friends, where she found the local atelier she now works with. ‘Our collaboration ensures that each piece is crafted with the utmost attention to detail and meets high standards of quality.’ Anya’s process for creating a piece begins with inspiration for a theme. She sketches her ideas on a digital platform, fine-tunes the designs, then moves to 3D modeling adjusting proportions, size, and the details of each element to ensure everything is in harmony. The next step, is to craft a wax prototype ‘which brings the design into a physical form, allowing me to assess the piece and make sure every detail is right before proceeding.’ At this stage, Anya can make some tweaks to ensure it aligns with her vision.’ Once the wax model is approved, the piece is cast in 18K gold, ‘chosen for its durability and luxury.’ The jeweler then selects her precious stones, white diamonds, rubies, emeralds, amethysts, or sapphires, and carefully sets them. ‘For certain pieces, I also add hand-painted enamel for an artistic, personalized touch.’
Her first collection ‘Wilderness’ brings play to the jungle; a monkey chases a banana on the ‘Monkey and Banana Double Ring,’ a crocodile is softened with light pink florals for the ‘Crocobloom’ necklace, and the cactus, a sharp, dangerous plant turns joyful, with vibrant stones and colors, becoming ‘The Rainbow Cactus.’ ‘I love turning something fierce into something gentle and beautiful,’ Anya tells us. The jeweler admits she is a perfectionist. When she took her leap into jewelry design, learning about stones, materials, and design seemed to come naturally. ‘The real challenge however was capturing my ideas on paper just as I imagined them.’ Anya pictures her designs with intricate level of detail and precision; cactuses engraved in the rear of a ring, tiny sun rays, or mushroom gills delicately crafted, making it quite challenging to translate on paper. ‘Although I grew up surrounded by art, with my mother being an urban sketcher,’ she found it difficult at first to translate her artistic vision. When her cousin, a fashion stylist, introduced her to Procreate and modern drawing techniques ‘everything started to click.’ Anya honed her skills, ‘practicing relentlessly.’ For her first collection, nature felt like the most ‘natural starting point,’ with its rich textures, colors and forms, that provide an endless source of inspiration. ‘Even something as small as a leaf or a stone can have hidden beauty.’ While sketching and brainstorming, the entrepreneur found herself drawn to the wild side of nature. ‘Every piece in this collection holds special meaning for me.’ Sweet crocodiles, mischievous monkeys and enchanted mushrooms take shape into beautifully crafted timeless fine jewels, infused with a sense of fun. Anya’s dreamlike ode to nature came to life trough utmost care, patience and persistence, and we impatiently await her upcoming collection which she is now working on.
www.anyasayad.com
@anyasayadjewelry
