While UK-based jewellery house Annoushka is among the several new companies participating in this year’s Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE), it is quite familiar to many Qataris because the brand, founded by jewellery designer Annoushka Ducas, is located at Harrods in London.
“It made a lot of sense for me to come to Qatar because I know I have a lot of customers here, and luckily people like my work… I actually have a very good relationship with Qatari customers.
“That is probably the best way to describe why I am here because Qatari people like the narrative, there’s lots of stories in what I do,” Ducas told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the exhibition, which concludes today at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.
As a woman designing jewellery for women, Ducas pointed out that she is very conscious of how things feel and how jewellery is worn by her clients, “85% of which are women buying jewellery for themselves.”
Asked about her impression of the Qatari woman, Ducas said: “I see my clients (Qatari women whom I’ve already met back in Harrods) as incredibly sophisticated, very well-educated and well-informed, and very
beautiful.
“They are very interested in the stories … and I found that they are very appreciative of just talking to them about my jewellery and some of the reasons why I do things, and quite often they have a similar story from a Qatari cultural point of view.”
Ducas said a lot of her jewellery is influenced by childhood memories, travel, or nature. One collection, ‘Seeds’, was influenced by ‘conkers’, a traditional children’s game Ducas used play as a child using the seeds of horse chestnut trees.
“Details such as this and the backstory puts a lot of sentimentality to my collections … jewellery is about that; it is very personal. It is very intimate and it has a lot of personality. It is about memories, emotion, and so many things,” Ducas said.
For the 16th edition of the exhibition the white gold and diamonds of Annoushka’s ‘Dreamcatcher’ collection and the added diamond to the ‘Beatle’ collection are among the exclusive pieces that were brought in for the Qatari lady, according to Ducas.
She said the future collection for the Qatari market would include exclusive designs fused with
Qatari culture and heritage.
“I believe that Qatar will be a strong market for Annoushka and that there is a big opportunity to do something, which is more about the narrative behind the piece, the story, and the way I design … I hope this is the beginning of a very long journey. We would come often, specifically to see clients,” she said.
On Annoushka’s partnership with Alfardan Jewellery, Ducas said: “I feel very honoured that they’ve asked me to be part of this exhibition because to sit with all these wonderful brands is fantastic. It’s been very early in the relationship but they’ve been enormously supportive … and they clearly look after their partners very well.”
Jewellery designer Annoushka Ducas. PICTURE: Thajudheen
