A Charmed Life: 10 Things to Know About Jewelry Designer Haneen Saber

Haneen is a jewelry designer by accident: “Although I have always been passionate about gemstones and jewels, I never wanted to be a jewelry designer.” She took up a master’s degree in History of Islamic Art and Architecture at SOAS University of London with the hopes of restoring one of the old buildings in her hometown – specifically in Old Jeddah – and turning it into a boutique hotel.

Haneen refers to Jeddah as “home”, as this is where she was born and raised. She studied French Literature at King Abdulaziz University.

While taking up her master’s degree, Haneen went for a trip to The British Library, where she was able to view manuscripts of old Quranic parchments decorated with ornaments. Haneen thought it would be lovely to recreate them into jewelry in order to reflect art and history.

The learning never stops for the designer. After taking up courses in London, she continued her learning journey in Florence, where she studied jewelry design at Le Arti Orafe Jewellery School.

Haneen has always tried to tie her designs with historical art. “Sometimes, it can be difficult to translate as it can be a sensitive subject when too much information is given, but every piece always has a story behind it,” she shares.

Her debut ‘A Piece of History’ collection includes pieces that are inspired by the “Blue Qur’an”. She has created pieces that embody the unique indigo-colored parchment with vibrant golden text. The earrings (pictured on the left) say, “You are in our eyes.” The words were taken from the Holy Quran and are embedded onto indigo ceramic in 18K gold.

“Pisa Griffin – the mythical half-lion, half-bird creature placed on the top of Pisa Cathedral in Italy – is a representation of power and protection. The figure contained a device thought to be a sound machine that manipulated air so as to produce deep and mysterious noises, and was believed to protect its owners from all evil, real and imagined.”

“The story behind the Mamluk lamp is also quite interesting,” says Haneen. “Between the years 1250 and 1517, the rulers of Egypt and Syria created Mamluk lamps to illuminate places such as mosques and schools. The lamps were ornamented with floral designs and heraldic emblems in gold, white, blue, red, yellow, or green enamels. A Quranic inscription was engraved on the lamps for its symbolic meaning.”

“The rock-crystal ewer is one of the most valuable objects in Islamic art. It symbolizes the multiple planes, translucency, and colors of crystal rocks, all facets of which shift as light moves through. It was carved in Fatimid, Egypt, where transparent quartz was highly valued due to its crystalline brilliance.”

Haneen was fascinated by Shajarat al-Durr, one of the very few Muslim females to become queen. “She ruled in the Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties after capturing the King Louis XI of France, resulting in coins being minted in the new monarch’s name,” Haneen tells Savoir Flair. She was mesmerized by this story and considers Shajarat al-Durr a true role model for female  empowerment, which led her to designing these coin-dangling earrings.