Nour Jahan is on a mission to expand her family’s jewellery business beyond Genèva and the Middle East, but with her signature touch.
Jahan Genève has been in the business of fine and high jewellery making for nearly 170 years. “My ancestors, the Jahan dynasty, gained the trust of many members belonging to the royal houses in the Middle East and beyond,” says the eighth-generation designer. Their business has thrived and today has a global presence offering fascinating designs to new generations of clients, adds Nour.
Interestingly, she is also the first woman jeweller in the Jahan family. Each generation, observes Nour, brought something new to the family business – and she decided to do things her way. “Being born into the world of Jahan, I instantly knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of, which is why I decided to create my own line. I always had in mind that my designs should be contemporary.”
She recalls fond memories of her creative journey from her childhood: after class, she would often head straight to their workshop and observe her uncle Shahpour Jahan, CEO of Jahan Genève, at work. “I would sit by his side watching him analyse the gemstones and refining his designs. He played a huge role in inspiring me with his devotion to the craft as well as his attention to detail.” Nour would take her designs to Shahpour, who would then advise her on how to improve the jewellery as well as what she needed to do before he could make the piece.
When she had enough pieces to showcase, she debuted the collection at an important jewellery exhibition, and all the pieces were sold out. This spurred the young designer to create pieces with a distinct aesthetic and launch her own line in early 2020.
Diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds are precious gemstones she likes to use in her gold fine jewellery. “I like to use traditional gemstones in new and inventive designs. My design aesthetic is focused around combining movement with an elegant, modern design.” She admits to being very “fortunate to have decades of expertise” to draw on for “technically complex pieces” in her Dancing Diamonds and Play collections. “Each centrepiece diamond in the Play series is suspended in an innovative and unique invisible setting, allowing the stones to move, play and catch the light as you wear the piece,” explains the jeweller, whose earlier collections include Jolie, Play, Kiss, Dancing Diamonds and her signature namesake (Nour) creations.
The latest offering, Passion, is embellished with rubies and sapphires and accented with diamonds – all set in custom blue and reddish-pink hued gold. The line includes earrings, rings, bracelets, chokers and jewelled timepieces. “For this collection, I have created complete sets which focus on the splendid colour of the gemstones and celebrate them in their full glory.” Jewellery watches are a key part of her collections. Watches, she informs, represent the Swiss heritage, which the house of Jahan has always focused on.
How do you meld your Middle Eastern heritage into your design style?
As my designs reflect me, the Middle Eastern heritage aspect of my life trickles through. For example, the use of moving diamonds on yellow gold lines in the collection Dancing Diamonds – all Swiss-made to the highest quality – is a signature combination designed for the Middle Eastern clientele. For me, it is really important that each design has a special meaning, a story to tell – and I want each jewel to be the wearer’s favourite piece.
When did you launch your bridal rings?
At Nour by Jahan, the new Eternity Bands from our bridal collection is at the beginning of its expansion. Although the bridal pieces are created on bespoke orders, they have been a key part of the Jahan brand.
What has kept you busy this year?
As the pandemic is slowly easing, a lot of my focus has been on designing new collections and launching them soon, while also exploring more ways to grow the brand globally.
