Style Etc. THE
Style Etc. THE INNOVATORS The Scarf, a pendant and necklace combination, and the Cuddles ring, both in white palladium gold with white diamonds Ralph Masri The wunderkind A young Lebanese designer with an international upbringing, Masri’s first love was painting. “I had always grown up in a jewellery environment with my parents being in the business, but it wasn’t until … my first year at college that I realised I genuinely … wanted to be a part of it, and it eventually became my passion,” he explains. His shift in focus paid off: as a first-year student at Central Saint Martins in London, he snagged the coveted Swarovski award. Following an internship at Pomellato, Masri founded his namesake label. His latest line, Arabesque Deco, merges Middle Eastern motifs with architectural patterns and an Art Deco touch. “I am now in the midst of developing a new collection,” reveals Masri. “I mostly focus on statement pieces with a strong identity and presence.” ralphmasri.com Myriam Soseilos The pragmatist Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote. Cypriot designer Myriam Soseilos has taken the sentiment to heart – and adopted these words as the ethos for her highly original line – just like, according to Soseilos, the women who inspire her artistry. Intended for “strong-minded, business women characterised by their inner power and perseverance”, her pieces draw heavily from modern architecture and technology, featuring, importantly, a distinctive versatility: “I wanted to offer [women] the possibility to transform the jewellery they wear: to dress up or down according to the circumstances by using the same pieces without having to travel all the way home just to change their look.” Her Transformers collection comprises convertible, handcrafted gold and diamond rings and earrings with “dual faces” that can be turned inside out (in the case of the rings) or unhooked along the length and linked together (in the case of the earrings) to unveil another colour diamond or a tennis bracelet, respectively. sos-jewellery.co.uk Square eternity ring in rose gold, white diamonds and a single princess-cut diamond Above: rhodiumplated sterling silver earrings with rubies from Masri’s Arabesque Deco line; left: white diamond ring from the same collection COURTESY OF THE DESIGNERS 38 DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM
