Every jewel a stunner

While the global trade in gemstones and jewellery has lost some of its shimmer, reportedly due to the increasing rarity of precious stones, Thailand is playing a leading role – thanks to local expertise in buying rough gems and outstanding craftsmanship.
 That’s the view of Fred Mouawad, one of the world’s top jewellers, who recently showed directors of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) around his long-established factory in Bangkok. He and his brother Pascal are fourth-generation members of the clan that set up shop on Soi Pradu (Charoen Krung Road Soi 107) four decades ago.
Mouawad also unveiled his latest astonishing creation – a GIA-certified emerald-and-diamond set – and displayed his Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, which was cited by Guinness World Records in 2010 as the planet’s most valuable handbag, with a price of Bt117.8 million.
The heart-shaped bag was put on show at last year’s Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition after touring many countries in the Middle East as well as Malaysia. Encased in 4,517 diamonds weighing 382 carats in total, it was designed by Robert Mouawad and made by 10 master craftsmen over the course of 8,800 hours.
The Mouawad family owns many collections featuring some of the rarest and largest diamonds. The Mouawad Splendor had its own place in the Guinness book in 1990 as the most expensive single pear-shaped diamond, at nearly 102 carats, and you likely read about the Very Sexy Fantasy Bra, which Guinness dubbed the most expensive piece of lingerie ever made. It was designed for Victoria’s Secret in 2003 and was valued at Bt341 million.
Setting world records has become second nature for a firm that’s been in business for more than 120 years and has bejewelled royalty and Hollywood stars in its time. Today there are 14 boutiques in nine countries, mostly in the Mideast and also Malaysia and Singapore. Thailand meanwhile hosts Mouawad’s primary and biggest production base.
Mouawad opened its first gem factory in Saudi Arabia in the 1960s, then branched out to Italy, France and Thailand. Here, the company employs about 70 people, its top craftsmen claiming an average of 15 years’ tenure.
Thailand was a natural choice, Fred Mouawad said, since the firm had been buying coloured stones here for decades and hired Thai artisans for its Saudi Arabia operation in the 1970s.
“Thailand has a rich history of jewellery-making, with know-how and expertise that’s hard to find in other countries,” he said. “I’m very proud of the Thai team.”
The jewellery-creation process isn’t a one-man show, he pointed out. Many people contribute ideas based on a philosophy of “universal beauty” and many more make the ideas a reality. Mouawad’s own aesthetic taste doesn’t correspond to that of the majority, he said. “We like to regard ourselves as ‘celebrity designers’. We don’t like the idea of bringing in some famous designer – Mouawad is already well known and our core ability is the design.
“When gemstones are available, all designs are possible, but when it comes to masterpieces, where gemstones are very rare and precious, then clearly we’ll start our design base on the gemstones that we have. A good example is the emerald necklace and earrings.”
The Emerald and Diamond Haute Joaillerie set – a necklace and earrings – earned a GIA monograph report, a certification reserved for one-of-a-kind ensembles. The entire design and production was done in Bangkok.
Kenneth Scarratt, the GIA’s managing director for Southeast Asia and director of the GIA Laboratory in Bangkok, praised the emerald-diamond set’s excellent presentation and the intensity and purity of the Colombian emeralds, grass green and exceedingly rare.
“It’s truly important that we buy precious gemstones and diamonds from trusted traders,” Mouawad commented. “We’re especially careful that the stones don’t include ‘blood diamonds’ and the like, which entail inhumane labour practices, with the money sometimes supporting terrorism.
“We’re at a great advantage having the GIA nearby. It gives us extra confidence when buying stones, because there are so many traders that come to us demanding that we buy. We simply refer them to the GIA and get a report in a short time.”
While enthusiastic about Thailand’s status as a centre for the jewellery trade, Mouawad has held off opening a retail outlet here, but that should soon change. “The challenge is where to open it,” Fred Mouawad said. “We have a base in Thailand, and we do believe there’s a client base here too. Many Thais know the brand well.”