Bahrain-based creative talent Sally Moussa has designed a jewellery collection inspired by traditional Bahraini Naqda thread work, honouring the island she has called home for more than a decade.

The pieces are crafted with silver and gold-plated silver threads, reminiscent of khoos – the thin strands of gold or silver used in the embroidery. The special needle for this style and a small piece of linen – the material on which the thread is woven – also feature in the earrings, nodding to the age-old Arab heritage.

The ensemble was inspired from a workshop that the 39-year-old attended at Beit Al Naqda in Muharraq, deepening her love for the delicate art form.

“I visited Beit Al Naqda over a year ago and fell in love with the displays there,” the Egyptian expatriate from Hidd told GulfWeekly.

“When I learned about the workshop last year, I knew I had to attend. I remembered that in Egypt we have Tally, which also uses metal embroidery on fabric, and my interest further grew from there,” she added.

The concept of metal embroidery dates to ancient Egypt, as well as other areas of the Middle East, Asia, India and Europe. However, the patterns and motifs differ depending on the culture.

Soon after the workshop, the certified pharmacist and macro photographer, learned about a contemporary jewellery design workshop. As someone who is up for exploring different creative avenues, she signed up.

“Our instructor told us that we can use any material when it comes to ‘contemporary’ jewellery design. It took me back to my days at the Naqda workshop, where we would collect leftover pieces of gold-plated thread in a cup. Even then, I thought it resembled a work of art,” Sally explained, highlighting that the earrings in her collection are inspired by this ‘ball of thread’.

The neckpiece resembles the thread ‘loops’ that were given to each participant, which they would then cut up to use in their designs.

Culminating her passion for the style, Sally showcased both the creations at an exhibition in Milan, Italy, last year. While only two of her pieces were selected, given the parameters of the event, the artist designed a total of six.

She has ambitious plans to further expand the ensemble this year and return to Milan to showcase her works.

“I have already thought of some motifs for the jewellery and am excited to make them,” noted the mother-of-one, who also started her fashion label back home in Egypt this month.

The venture combines her love for butterflies and fashion that is inspired by the winged creatures.

“I have been photographing butterflies for many years. We print these visuals onto scarves,” she added.

Macro photography depicts a subject as larger than it is in real life – an extreme close-up of something small like the intricate patterns and colours on the wings of a butterfly, or the texture on the eyeball of a bug.

Recently, the ‘shutterbug’ was among the 37 shortlisted candidates, out of 800 applicants, for a photography award by Egypt’s culture ministry, and has also showcased her work at other exhibitions in Egypt and Bahrain.

“My jewellery line is named Elytra, which is a word for the protective wing-cases for a bug’s hindwings,” she explained, highlighting her love for the ‘enchanting’ word of insects.

“I want to display this hidden beauty of the insect world to the local community through my work.”

For more information, follow @elytra.jewels_by.sally on Instagram.