New designs on accessories

LIKE a rolling stone, jewellery designer Leylan Savasman has used her extensive travel experiences to create a powerful set of designer accessories.

Her love of nature clearly influences her collections and she aims to ensure her jewellery makes a statement, using natural materials and stones to create oversized and distinctive rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

“I get my stones from India, Germany and Brazil and I pick stones from my travels around the world,” explained Leylan who lives with her husband and young daughter in Saar.

“Pieces with stones are unique and my designs in silver or gold are limited in number to around 20. Designs change every two years so there can never be a repetition.”

Leylan graduated from the University of South Carolina in the US where she studied Art History and Hotel Management. She later went on to work for a company called International Corporations in the hotel project and construction development field.

She now runs her own company called QiDe. Qi, in Chinese philosophy, stands for the ethereal psychophysical energies of which everything is composed, commonly known as the energy flow. And De is also a key concept in Chinese philosophy relating to inner power; integrity, moral character; virtue and morality in Confucianism.

Leylan added: “I have to express myself artistically. I wanted to create striking, simple and unique designs that offer something refreshing and new in Bahrain.”
Her jewelley can be found in Germany, France, Dubai and South Africa and she often showcases her work and sells her designs in local private exhibitions. Only last week she gave a talk and displayed items to an enthralled audience at the Capital Club in Bahrain Financial Harbour.

Leylan, who comes from Turkey and has lived in Bahrain for two-and-a-half years, first grew an interest in renaissance art and architecture as a schoolgirl. She later fuelled a passion for artistic expressions of Asian, Middle Eastern, African and South American cultures and started designing her own jewellery in 2002, giving herself two years to attend courses, design and research the world of hand-crafted accessories.

“I design jewellery that I would describe as elegant, eclectic, striking, handmade and a work of art,” she said. “I am an artist and my work is creative. As Oscar Wilde put it - a work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament!”

As a child, Leylan collected stones, ancient beads, and sea-washed glass that she piled around her home, creating her own little treasure island. It was only once she became older that she pieced the map together to make a diary of souvenirs; unfolding a story from her travels to every item of jewellery she has created.

For more information, visit www.qidejewellery.com