2023-08-13 16:32:00
Daughter of an Indian diamond dealer from Mumbai and a Belgian mother passionate about decoration, Salima Thakker was born in Antwerp, where she studied at the Academy before heading to Padua, a city known from the 1970s for its nursery of high-flying goldsmiths. “I developed my technique there before completing my two-year training at the Royal College of Art in London. Then I went to work at Damiani in Milan. »
A prize list of 5,000 pieces where gold and precious stones give each other harmonious repartee
But the young girl at the time had a more personal vision of high-end jewelry and dreamed of bringing her touch to express the heart of her sensitivity. She returned to the city of diamonds in 2001, set up her studio there and worked with several contemporary jewelry galleries in search of original creations. Rich in her experience, the young woman, who is fluent in Dutch, French, Italian and English, finally embarked on a more personal adventure and in 2008 opened her own brand in Oever, in the old quarter of Antwerp, delighted to be able to express an exacerbated creative vein. This will then find an echo in Knokke, with a second shop on the sea wall, then on the Kustlaan, in the heart of the seaside resort. “I just celebrated its 10th birthday last July,” says Salima.
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If we do the accounts, at the rate of 300 to 400 pieces made by his hands each year, we now arrive at a prize list of 5,000 pieces where gold and precious stones give each other harmonious repartee. “I don’t go through the usual drawing stage, because I prefer to work directly on the materials with the small team that assists me. Even if, when I create, I prefer to stay alone. »
What is closest to my heart is when people come to me for the creation of an original piece. This allows me to establish a closer relationship, more lasting over time.
The production follows three main axes for three distinct collections. The first, Labyrinth, declines sculptural forms whose architecture envelops the body. “I named it that because the designs in the gold are lost in a maze of lines which makes the jewel lighter, more transparent and allows the light to be reflected, to vibrate. His second collection is called Modular. “The jewels are made up of small tubes nested inside each other to make large moving bracelets. The effect is striking, it looks like reptile skin! This collection also includes necklaces and earrings. They move, they dance with the gold or silver that constitutes them, sometimes in the company of tourmaline, moonstone or set with diamond cabochons. Finally, the Facets collection uses all sizes of stones – brilliant, Asscher, emerald and others – starting from geometric shapes and sometimes combining sizes, whether for necklaces, rings or bracelets. The line alone has hundreds of pieces.
In addition to its jewelry stores in Antwerp and Knokke, the Salima Thakker brand has made a name for itself even in the Charon Kranson gallery in New York or at Second Petal in Paris, but also through temporary exhibitions in Vienna or in the capital. French, as is the case throughout the month of August. These creations also participate in the most prestigious fairs, such as Vicenzaoro or Pad Art and Design in Paris. The designer took advantage of the Covid period, which nevertheless put a brake on many initiatives, to launch a new additional brand, Elementals. “A range of bracelets in wood, shagreen (ray skin) or other materials, in various colors, with a gold or silver clasp. »
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We get it: the Antwerp jeweler never stops. She also intends to further develop her two brands internationally, notably in Las Vegas, at the next Couture Jewelry Collection & Conference show. But what matters most to her now are the direct contacts with her customers, which is why she is relying more than ever on private orders. “What is closest to my heart is when someone comes to me to create an original piece. This allows me to establish a close relationship, more lasting over time than if I were dealing with a simple passing customer. It is this type of contact that I wish to favor in the future. »
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