With her Gaia collection, this Beirut-based designer employs vividly colored rough gems to tap into the power of nature.
Lebanese designer Clara Chehab’s first collection is an ode to nature, raw stones and the powerful energy they hold. Before becoming a designer, Chehab worked for 10 years in investment banking and wealth management for various international banks. She left the corporate world of London and moved back to Beirut, where she decided to give her full attention to jewelry making. The inspiration for her first creative concept, Gaia, started when she became a mother and wanted to express her deep connection with Mother Earth. Her creations are available exclusively through London-based gallery Objet d’Emotion.
Where do you source the raw stones, and how do you choose them?
I source my stones from India and Brazil mainly, through a trustworthy stone dealer I work with. Since the stones are mainly rough stones, I go through the process of choosing individually, since each one has a different shape and each one is unique. The color, vivacity, the cut, the compliance with the designs, and the harmony between the rough and cut stones are among my main selection criteria.
Which gems’ energy attracts you the most?
I am very attracted to tourmalines, aquamarines and emeralds. I have included tourmaline stones in my first collection. A painterly gem owing to its unusual chromatic range, tourmaline comes in all the colors of the rainbow, plus black and colorless hues. Some types can even embody two or three distinct zones of color, all in the same piece of rough material.
Tourmaline also conveys different meanings and symbolism in different cultures. For some, it is the stone of self-love and compassion, while others believe that it can heal and protect the wearer. My son was supposed to be born in October, [and] my mother offered me a pink-tourmaline ring before I gave birth, except I delivered the last day of September. Today, that ring is one of my favorites; I feel the protection when I am wearing it.
As for aquamarine, I love the blue color, since it’s a very calming and soothing stone. And emerald is the stone for eternal and unconditional love, while green is one of my favorite colors.
How do you work with your craftspeople?
Clara Chehab Fine Jewellery employs a handful of third- and fourth-generation artisans in Beirut to bring my inspirational designs to life. As a proud international designer with Lebanese roots, I am passionate about upholding cultural traditions, preserving ancient skills passed on from generations before, investing in the local community, and providing work for those affected by trying economic times in the country.
Each jewelry piece is manufactured in a workshop — from creating the prototype to the setting and the final polishing — using both age-old and modern techniques. With great focus on detail and perfection, each piece tells the story of its master craftsman as his talents blend with the timeless tales of the stones themselves.
I started working with this workshop a few years ago after a jeweler friend of mine recommended it. When I conceptualized Gaia, I knew they would be the perfect team of craftsmen to work with.
Can you give us an example of a piece that was particularly exciting to create?
For the Gaia collection, it all started with an idea of using rough stones, going back to what Mother Earth would give us. Though I wasn’t sure how this would look in reality. So when I started my first two pieces, it was so exciting to see those pieces coming to life. Every time I go to the workshop, I actually feel like I am going to check on my babies.
A very exciting piece I created before I started my brand was a custom cuff I did for my sister-in-law for her wedding, including all the birthstones of herself and her husband, with their month of engagement, wedding, etc., in one cuff. It was important for me as well to feel that I was creating something she would love and that would be comfortable to wear.
Would you say your jewelry has something intrinsically Lebanese about it?
Us Lebanese people have always been attracted by beauty. Moreover, femininity is a trait in the Lebanese culture for women. Strength as well, when you see what Lebanese people have been through. The same way, I would describe the jewelry [as] bold yet sensual and feminine, strong yet subtle, durable and resilient in the same way Lebanese people are.
What aspects of nature inspire you in your creative process?
I am very inspired by what Mother Earth gives us, and I tried to convey this gratitude without altering it. I am attracted to the raw beauty of nature; I love rough landscapes and all these magnificent sites I visited during my travels that are today at the core of Gaia’s connection with nature
Who are your muses?
Mother Nature is my muse.
I admire independent, generous and kind women in all walks of life. My mother and grandmother have been strong influences.
My first collection is also influenced by various art trends, including 20th-century painters and masters of color like [Wassily] Kandinsky and [Joan] Miro; by cherished memories of my travels; and by my feelings as a new mother. These designs are an ode to the poetic asymmetry of stones, to the amazing creations of Mother Nature, and to the beauty of humanity itself, in all of its contrasts.
As a new brand, what challenges did you have to overcome?
Being an entrepreneur and launching a brand is always challenging. It’s really about building the brand itself with a consistent and authentic brand identity and not just creating or designing a collection.
One of the main challenges is to choose the right people to work with. I am luckily working with true experts, but it wasn’t an easy process to find the right people at every level…the production team, the stone supplier, the startup consultant…. The quality of the stones I use is quite specific, and the [pieces are] handmade, so this made the whole team-building process even trickier.
Another tedious but essential task is to plan cash flow and budget on all the important things that matter in creating a sustainable brand.
Finally, I would say another challenge was to keep believing in myself, since everyone thought I was crazy to start a jewelry business — especially since I am not from a family of jewelers and had to learn it all the way…and in those market conditions!
How do you see the evolution of your brand?
As a designer, I express my emotions through creating pieces, and would love to have women [feel] empowered every time they wear a piece of jewelry and feel connected to the piece. As a [company], I would like to create a timeless jewelry brand that is transmissible to the next generation.
Main image: Clara Chehab. (Clara Chehab)
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