A charity auction for bespoke jewellery pieces created by young Qatari designers (YQD) will be held on February 25 as among the highlights of the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) 2018.
DJWE partnered with the AlBahie Auction House to promote the YQD initiative by hosting this event on the fifth day of the exhibition – a chance for buyers to bid on luxurious and locally-designed jewellery items. Speaking at a press briefing yesterday at Katara – the Cultural Village, AlBahie Auction House director Jennifer Bishop said proceeds of the auction will go to Education Above All (EAA), a global movement that helps poor children to have access to quality education. “Working with DJWE and YQDs for this auction fits well with our mission to contribute to education and the cultural scene in Doha,” she said. “DJWE and AlBahie share a vision to nurture these brands and the young talent in Qatar.”
Educate A Child (a programme of EAA) executive director Dr Mary Joy Pigozzi thanked DJWE organisers for supporting EAA’s mission to build “a global movement that contributes to human, social and economic development through the provision of quality education.” The starting bid for each of the jewellery pieces for the auction is at QR30,000, according to Bishop.
Meanwhile, three new and three returning talented YQDs will unveil their collections for the exhibition, from which a signature piece will create a showstopper item for the auction. The YQDs include Nouf al-Sulaiti (Hairaat), Nouf al-Meer (Nouf Jewellery), Ghada al-Buainain, Leila Abu Issa (Leila Issam Fine Jewellery), Shikha Mohamed (Alghla Jewellery), and Jawaher and Hissa Mohammed al-Mannai (Ghand Jewellery).
Ghand Jewellery will showcase ‘Mihrab’, a pair of diamond and white gold earrings designed as tops of curving archways with suspending lines of baguette and round-cut diamonds set in 8.61g of white gold with 2.74 carat white diamonds.
‘Tiara’ signature piece by Al Ghla Jewellery is set in yellow gold with the outline of Qatar in mother of pearl amongst starbursts of rubies while Leila Issam Fine Jewellery’s ‘Ombres’ features a pair of white gold diamond and pink sapphire earrings.
Nouf Jewellery will present its ‘Qatar’ piece, a Qatari flag inspired white gold hinged-bracelet with 2.05 carat round-cut diamonds and 11.80 carat rubies, totalling 684 stones set in 36.85 grams of white gold.
Meanwhile, Hairaat’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ is a pair of drop earrings each designed as tops of oval-cut natural turquoise framed by round-cut diamonds suspending a single Tahitian pearl. Ghada al-Buainain Jewellery created the ‘Pipe in Gold’, a white gold necklace erupting in a spectacular cluster of pearls and diamonds.
“Supporting entrepreneurs and constructive social initiatives are two of the most important goals that Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is working to achieve,” QTA’s exhibition director Ahmed al-Obaidli said in a statement. “Under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, DJWE continues to support YQDs not only through offering them a platform to showcase their collections but also to display their creativity in this charity auction,” he stressed.
The YQD initiative allows young emerging Qatari talent to shine alongside well-known heritage brands. Presented by QTA and delivered by Auditoire, DJWE will run from February 21 to 26 at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre. The six-day event will feature more than 400 brands from over 10 countries, bringing an extensive display of classic and contemporary luxury collections by internationally-recognised brands and designers.