Selim Mouzannar
Selim Mouzannar | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Selim Mouzannar | |
| Born | February 5, 1963 (age 61) Beirut, Lebanon |
| Known for | Jewelry Design, Civil Rights Advocacy |
Selim Mouzannar (born February 5, 1963) is a French-Lebanese jeweler and civic activist. He is the founder and CEO of Selim Mouzannar, his eponymous jewellery house and artisanal manufacturing corporation based in Beirut, Lebanon.
Biography
[edit]
Scion of a family of craftsmen originally from Damascus, Syria.[1] Mouzannar was shaped by training at his father's jewelry shop in Beirut's old souks.
In 1980, Mouzannar left Lebanon in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War and went to study in Paris, France. He graduated with a degree in mineralogy and gemology in 1983. From 1984, Mouzannar worked as a production and purchasing manager for a jeweler in Saudi Arabia. In 1989, he moved to Bangkok, Thailand, managing an international workshop. In the late 1980s, he spent 6 months at the Thai-Cambodian border working in a Ruby mine.
In 1990, Mouzannar headed back to Paris, where he acquired additional mineralogy expertise from Institut National de Gemmologie. He returned to Beirut, Lebanon in 1993 to establish his own jewelry brand, Maison Selim Mouzannar.[2][3] Mouzannar opened his workshop followed by his flagship store 5 years later in Beirut.[4][5]
Following the 2006 war over Lebanon, Mouzannar participated in worldwide exhibitions.[6]
Mouzannar is known for his crafting technique, known as 'Falamenk' ("Flemish" in Arabic), which combines rose-cut diamonds, with silver-bottomed bezel settings.[7]
Several celebrities have been seen and featured wearing jewels designed by Selim Mouzannar, such as pop star Rihanna,[8] actress Gwyneth Paltrow,[9] Emma Stone at the opening of the Venice Film Festival in 2016,[10] Jennifer Lawrence when promoting her movie Passenger in Seoul in December 2016.,[11] French actress Isabelle Adjani during a visit to Beirut in 2017,[12] and Star Wars's new trilogy vedette Daisy Riddley on the movie promo tour in December 2017.[13]
In 2016, Mouzannar created the 'Amal' Necklace, composed of emeralds of varying sizes and reflections. Amal won the "Best in Colored Gemstones" category of the Couture Award in Las Vegas,[14] and was named one of "30 breathtaking jewels" by Forbes for the year 2016.[15]
Achievements
[edit]
2010, Mouzannar is amongst five Middle East jewelry designers who featured at a Christie's auction.[16]
2011, Selim is nominated as one of the best 5 jewelry designers of the year by Elle Style Awards during a ceremony held in Istanbul, Turkey.[17]
2012, Selim is designated as one of the best 10 designers for the ‘Great Designers’ award by the World Gold Council.[18]
2014, Mouzannar is designated amongst the 30 Lebanese who emerged and influenced Lebanon in 2014.[19]
2016, Mouzannar's necklace 'Amal' was named as one of "30 breathtaking jewels" by Forbes for the year 2016.[20]
Awards
[edit]2016, Mouzannar wins the "Best in Colored Gemstones" category of the Couture Award in Las Vegas for his "Amal" Necklace.[21] "Amal" (which means hope in Arabic)[14] stages 47 emeralds from the Colombian mine of Muzo, crimped on hexagonal bases, among which are placed 8 trapiche emeralds.[22]
Community
[edit]As a member of the Executive Committee of Achrafieh2020, a citizen-led environmental initiative to reinvent Beirut's historic neighborhood of Ashrafieh as a sustainable and livable space,[23] and as a joint founder of Right to Nonviolence, a NGO based in Beirut, focused on legal activism and advocacy,[24]
Mouzannar was involved in the nonviolent Cedar Revolution of 2005 that forced the departure of the Syrian military from Lebanon.[25]
A profile in the International Herald Tribune headlined ‘Translating violence into wearable beauty’ pointed to the cross-culture of Mouzannar's collection.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Modern Orientalist: Selim Mouzannar". MOJEH. 2015-11-27. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
- ^ Métiers d'art, Métiers de luxe: Joaillier, Selim Mouzannar
- ^ King of Diamonds.
- ^ Un caractère unique.
- ^ Le Beyrouth des arts.
- ^ Lebanese Jewellery Designers Are Making Waves.
- ^ Rysman, Laura (2016-11-20). "In Lebanon, a Jeweler Modernizes a 19th Century Setting". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
- ^ ""Rihanna ama Selim Mouzannar"]". Archived from the original on 2015-07-24.
- ^ Gwyneth Paltrow e Mouzannar Archived 2015-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Emma Stone Leans Into a New Ladylike Look for Fall - Vogue". Vogue. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
- ^ "Every Outfit Jennifer Lawrence Wore on Passengers' Press Tour". Us Weekly. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
- ^ "Isabelle Adjani et le collier Amal". March 2017.
- ^ "Daisy Ridley's Been Sneaking Secret 'Star Wars' References into Her Outfits Lately". 14 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Selim Mouzannar and the Muzo emeralds". 8 June 2016.
- ^ DeMarco, Anthony. "30 Breathtaking Jewels For 2016". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
- ^ Creativity and Innovation: Contemporary Jewellers of the Middle East.
- ^ Selim Mouzannar’s Ode to Istanbul Archived 2013-08-28 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "The National Jeweler". Archived from the original on 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
- ^ les-30-libanais-qui-ont-defait-2014.html.
- ^ DeMarco, Anthony. "30 Breathtaking Jewels For 2016". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
- ^ "The winners of the Couture Design Awards are". 10 June 2016.
- ^ "Transparency Amal trapiche emerald necklace". Archived from the original on 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
- ^ Member of the Executive Committee of Achrafieh 2020 Archived 2015-02-10 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Co-founder and member of the administrative board of the NGO Right to Non-Violence Archived 2014-08-12 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Young, Michael (2010). The ghosts of Martyrs Square: an eyewitness account of Lebanon's life struggle (1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781416598626.
- ^ Translating Violence Into Beauty.
External links
[edit]