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Have
you ever wondered what it must feel like to soak in the
brilliance of diamonds, radiate in the sparkle of rubies
and lose your senses in the overwhelming sensuality of
emeralds and sapphires day in and day out? When this
experience becomes part of your daily routine, year
after year, will its irresistible enigma still hold
charm? Or will its lustrous appeal fail to hold sway?
“Indeed not,” says Abbas Mozafarian, a sixth generation
jeweller of the illustrious Mozafarian family from Iran.
“A jewel is closely linked to the heart and the creation
of jewellery is an intensely emotional affair. It is a
passion that grows within you, becomes stronger with
each passing day, and once you experience its magic, it
holds your heart captive.”
In the world of jewellery design, there are virtually no
limits, no boundaries to contain you, he adds. “It is a
vast universe where the imagination roams free and
creativity knows no bounds. At the end of it, when you
behold that beautiful creation in your hands, the
feeling it evokes is exquisite, one of joy, pleasure and
sheer ecstasy.”
Certainly,
with every breath and in every word that he utters,
Mozafarian’s fascination for jewellery rings forth loud
and clear. Hardly surprising when you consider that he
is the scion of a family that for three centuries now,
have been engaged in the fine art of creating jewellery.
This rich tradition is already being carried forward by
the seventh generation of the family - his two daughters
Allaleh and Bahareh.
The Mozafarian family has a continuous and long
established history and can be traced back to Neuchâtel,
in Switzerland, where over 300 years ago, they
manufactured clock towers and carriage clocks. When word
of their expertise reached Persia in the early 19th
century, the family was invited there under royal
patronage to build clock towers in the market squares of
major cities and royal palaces. A member of the family
then met and fell in love with a Persian girl, converted
to the Islamic faith, married and settled in Persia. It
was here that they later diversified into the gold and
silversmith trade.
The business has since expanded across the world and has
branches in America, Canada, England, Germany, Italy,
Iran and now Dubai.
It
sells its jewellery from around 200 stores across the
world, with each one led by a descendant of the man who
started it all.
Heritage is therefore a key word in understanding what
the Mozafarian style is all about, acknowledges the
veteran jeweller. “Our unique style and designs have
evolved through years of knowledge and experience. It
has been perfected over the centuries and we have been
fortunate to imbibe this wealth of expertise and
craftsmanship that today gives us a sense of proportion,
volume and design vocabulary.”
For three
centuries, Mozafarian Jewellers has succeeded in
combining traditionalism with innovation by way of
continued research and renewal of ideas.
The finest gemstones and precious metals have been often
combined to create unique pieces that have endured for
generations to come. Many of the jewellery pieces
crafted in the early years, especially for several royal
houses, can now be seen at museums in Europe, the US and
Iran, he says.
Amongst the most notable of its clients are members of
the royal family from Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well
as presidents of the USA, including John F. Kennedy,
Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. Modern day clients
include singer Dannii Minogue, socialite Tamara Beckwith
and former EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer.
Jewellery is linked to a very specific process in terms
of creation, to craftsmanship and manufacture, and so is
not so whimsical as fashion can be, he says. “Jewellery
design is always an intuitive process. It originates as
a sensation that then moves on to becoming an idea, then
a design, and eventually culminates in its final form.
The design of a jewel comes from the heart but there are
many points to take note of before you actually conceive
of the idea.”
The client for whom the jewellery is being designed is
given paramount importance. It is not only his/her
personal style or preference of motifs or gemstones that
are taken into consideration. But, according to
Mozafarian, “We have to literally get into the skin of
the clients, know their aspirations, characteristic
traits, aspects of their unique identity, what makes
them happy, etc. We also have to consider the age,
culture and the colour of their skin and sometimes, even
take into account under what light conditions the
jewellery would be worn - whether it is for the day or
night, will it be seen in natural or artificial light,
etc.”
Such attention to detail may seem rather far-fetched and
excessive to most of us. But, says Mozafarian, “This
keen interest is warranted because each jewellery is
very much a personal piece. Unfortunately, people may
more attention to the wedding dress and not to the
jewellery although it is the latter that can be passed
on from generation to generation and is perhaps the best
token of a momentous occasion.”
Be it classical or contemporary upbeat jewels loaded
with emotional dynamism, or strong, sculptural and
modern designs characterised by luxuriously large rings,
silky, tactile gold meshes, and the subtle interplay of
a colourful medley of precious gemstones, every piece of
Mozafarian jewellery retains its trend-setting image
through the ages, he says.
“Jewellery is about expressing individual feminity and
personality. What we create are forms that mould to the
body and move with its movements. Each piece is unique;
there are no collections in our brand. Neither do we
create a specific number of the same jewellery. Each new
idea challenges the skillful mastery of our craftsmen
whose precision, technique and geometry of form are put
to the test to give the product a precise
representation.”
When it comes to unique and exquisite jewellery, value
is not the criteria, believes Abbas Mozafarian. “Our
philosophy rests on the simple foundation of creating
bespoke masterpieces that can, in the long term,
appreciate as pieces of art or become highly treasured
as family heirlooms thus transforming itself into a good
and wise investment. By creating such eloquent
expressions of excellence, jewellery is elevated to a
completely new level of art form.”
Specialised in fine quality engagement and wedding
jewellery, Mozafarian prides himself on being second to
none in this field. “We make pieces that are really very
personal and which fits the character and personality of
the wearer,” he says. However, while tailoring the
jewellery to the individual, he also aims to make its
designs as multi-functional as possible.
This is especially important in the case of wedding
jewellery. Unlike a wedding gown that cannot be worn
again for another occasion, Mozafarian wants his
jewellery to be admired and enjoyed for several
occasions to come. “Recently, we made a wedding necklace
that can be worn in 14 different ways,” he says. “For
instance, it can be used as a tiara, or as a necklace
and earrings, or as a brooch or bracelets and so on. In
fact, every time you wear it, you cannot escape the
feeling that it is a new piece of jewellery.”
What Abbas Mozafarian brings to the world of haute
joaillerie is a certain individuality, a marked
difference that separates him from the commercial
jewelers. It is not the numbers that fascinate him but
the quality – both of raw materials and the creation of
timeless pieces of fine jewellery. The brand, he says,
is about very real excellence and undisputed
craftsmanship, which is reflected in superb and
technically innovative work forms.
As a descendant of one of the oldest family jewellers in
the world, Mozafarian also seeks to keep the line of
continuity running from one generation to the other. “We
need to make sure that the business is conducted
respectfully with trust and confidence and that the
expectations of our clients are served well,” he says.
“As part of the older generation, it is my
responsibility to ensure a conducive and attractive
trade environment such that the new generation will want
to continue in the same line of business.”
64-year-old Abbas Mozafarian still remembers the day 50
years ago when, at the age of 14, his father entrusted
him with his first and most important task. “My father
appointed me to carry his vast collection of jewellery
from Teheran to his important clients in Isfahan and
adjoining areas,” he recollects. “I was nervous and
apprehensive: how could my father entrust me with such
an enormous responsibility, I wondered. But my father
said that if he hadn’t had the confidence in me, he
wouldn’t have asked me to shoulder that risk. I
successfully carried out what I was asked to do and
returned home weeks later with three new clients!”
That was his initiation into the family business, a
legacy he inherited from his father and one that he is
deeply passionate about to this day. It is this
self-same respect and admiration for this intriguing
work that he has passed on to his daughters, who he
trusts, will in due course carry the torch forward to
the next generation.
“My two daughters are my greatest assets,” he says
fondly. “They are both artistic, patient, creative and
have shown a sincere interest in learning the ropes of
the business.” While his elder daughter is currently
based in London managing the Knightsbridge store there,
the 25-year-old younger daughter Bahareh, has been
handed over the reins of the newly opened outlet in
Deira, Dubai. Says Bahareh, “I am part of the seventh
generation in this business and have practically grown
up with jewels and diamonds since the age of six. Though
the business wasn’t an immediate love affair, it began
to blossom when at the age of 14, I started working
part-time at Mozafarian. Until then I was set on
becoming a lawyer.”
Soon she realized that the business consumed her
completely, just as it has with all previous generations
and today, she is involved in designing jewellery,
maintaining close ties with clients, and also managing
the business part of the trade. “Any jewellery is a
metaphoric representation of your character. Hence, you
have to get the ‘ingredients’ right to make it a
valuable asset that you can cherish forever,” she says.
Though she personally prefers the young and trendy
pieces in jewellery, there is a trend, especially in the
Middle East for daring, bold pieces, she says. “This
trend is catching on in Europe too and the appeal lies
in creating fascinating motifs that become a
conversation piece for the wearer.”
An element of fun makes wearing jewellery all the more
attractive, she says. “Colour is a very spontaneous fun
element and people also love gimmicks, especially
detachables that can be worn in various ways. What is
essential is to not be inhibited by the rules of
jewellery making but to experiment with infinite
combinations of materials, colour and form. People are
not afraid of colour or volume now. They look upon
jewellery as a reflection of their personality and an
expression of their innermost feelings.”
Amongst the most “outrageous” requests she had was from
a client who was so enamoured of the skull and bones
insignia. “He wanted us to create a bracelet for him
incorporating this design,” she says. “It was an
extremely complicated and unusual piece of jewellery set
with baguette diamonds and which could also be worn in
two different ways. The client was extremely happy with
the end result and that led to several of his friends
joining our list of esteemed clients.”
But then creating complicated designs is nothing new for
Mozafarian jewellers. They are also the creators of the
most expensive jacket in the world. Crafted for a
charity function at the request of De Beers, the
innovative denim jacket is richly jewelled in diamonds
and attracted considerable media attention at its
unveiling ceremony. “It is a piece of living history in
the annals of the fashion and jewellery industries,”
remarks Bahareh.
This event, attended by famous celebrities including
Ivana Trump was held in June 2002. However, more than 40
years earlier in 1960, this same jewellery house was
publicly commended for some of its most exquisite
creations. This time it was the creation of several
royal casks to commemorate 2,500 years of the Persian
Empire that drew them to the limelight. The intricacy of
work here was extremely detailed as it involved the
soldering of several thousand pieces by hand.
Incorporating nature motifs in gold and precious stones
encasing the Bohemian crystal casks required such
attention that it took almost seven years to be
completed. “But unfortunately, this complicated
technique of soldering died with the craftsman who
painstakingly created it piece by piece,” she says.
“However, their value is priceless today as these are
part of the museum collection.”
Although Mozafarian has been dealing with the Arab world
for more than 70 years and is highly regarded in Iran,
this is the first time it has opened a store in Dubai.
Says Bahareh, “We have one of the largest
representations in the Middle East. The family deals
with several royal houses in the region too. Some of our
clients are also among the largest investors in Dubai
who are buying property and setting up businesses here.
They have been partly instrumental in our coming to
Dubai and for our well-established clients, it gives the
comfort of knowing that they can be served by the same
family jewellers even in Dubai.”
Indeed it is this implicit faith and trust that is
required when buying jewellery, she says. “When you buy
jewellery, it is essential to go to someone you can
trust, someone with a good background, one who uses only
certified gemstones and can give you a certification
guarantee for your precious jewellery. Your jeweller
should also be the one who consistently keeps to a high
standard and one you can go to with closed eyes.”
As thousands of satisfied clients will agree, Mozafarian
Jewellers perfectly fit this description and is the
reason why it continues to enchant and mesmerize both
young and old, men and women, even after 300 long years. | 
