After a three year hiatus from the Haute Joaillerie week, Ana Khouri is returning to Paris with a presentation at Christie’s beginning on July 3. “They really saw me for me,” explains Khouri, who is also a sculptor, “an artist, a female. Most of my peers are older men.” The designer is known for her modern and artful approach to jewelry that’s more akin to objets d’art. Her pieces are characterized by a simplicity that belies the intricate craft that go into making them.
“The beauty is in the combination of the stones and the design itself,” says Khouri of the 45-piece collection. Significant stones—such as a 42.18 carat rubellite and a 5.32 carat natural fancy pink diamond—permeate the collection. Feather-weight ear cuffs dripping with 7.45 total carats of pear-shape diamonds, gold torque choker necklaces with rock crystals, and chain-link pieces pavéd with diamonds—all showcase stones that are once-in-a-lifetime finds. Her vision may be clean and straightforward, but it’s certainly never boring.
Taking advantage of her accolades, like winning the prestigious ANDAM Prize for jewelry design in France in 2017, Khouri has been able to work with some of the finest—and notoriously closed-off—workshops in Paris, which combined with her connections to some of the most rarefied stone collectors has allowed her to infuse her jewelry with an oomph.
This isn’t the first time that Khouri has shown her collection outside of the traditional jewelry world. Previously she had been at Philips, Sotheby’s, and the TEFAF fair—and by aligning her independent brand with the art world, she connects not only with her creative beginnings, but is able to stand out in Paris during a time when the biggest houses are able to demand the most attention.
Khouri describes the act of exhibiting as “being vulnerable”— a common admission for an artist, but one that is somewhat surprising for a jeweler who has so much strength and presence in their work. “My work conveys my feelings, my thoughts, my past, my goals for the future, every part of me that makes up my life,” she says. It is this, combined with her three brand pillars: great design, great stones, and sustainability—the designer is a spokesperson for fair-mined gold—that enables Khouri to push through the boundaries of the week as an independent designer.
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