“There’s something about the texture of the earth, the granularity that connects you to the planet and I really feel that when working with the gold miners on site,” says Khouri of the lovely nobbly textures she has introduced in her newest Edition collection. “As a jeweller, you must find a way to accentuate the natural elegance of what are arguably the most beautiful materials found on earth. My goal is to spin these precious materials into something that is much more than an extravagant accessory,” she says.
Khouri who works as an ambassador for Fairmined, Fairtrade Gold, deploys her values of craft, quality and design in all areas of her work from the mining, to the bench and to the dialogue with her band of committed collectors. Her followers and clients include some of the most discreet and stylish women in the world including Zoe Kravitz and the Olsen sisters.
They come to Khouri largely by word of mouth, attracted to her striking, ingeniously designed pieces that slip into and onto our complex anatomy with ease. Ear cuffs are balanced just so, rings ripple round the finger and chokers are a study in ergonomics featuring precious materials including Brazilian rosewood and crystal. “It’s all in the balancing act of how the piece is going to sit, how the volume works, the size - there is so much trial and error and I work until it feels right,” says Khouri of her sensory radar.
Ana Khouri
@anakhouri // Instagram
Ana Khouri x Sotheby's // Instagram
Crystal Minaudière
@anakhouri // Instagram
The time and study involved means Khouri never wants to own a store but instead keep small and agile designing haute collections of one off pieces (showcased at auction houses) and the Edition line which is over when the finite number of pieces have found a home. She collaborates with The Row to showcase the Edition line but be warned her collectors move fast: blink and you will miss it.
“I want to reflect the culture of today: I do not want to design something you wear once a year and then place in a safe. I want you to wear the pieces all the time,” says Khouri who trained as a sculptor in her native São Paulo, before going on to explore jewellery design in London and New York, and launching her eponymous brand in 2013.
“The feeling I want to impart is one of radiance, in every sense: that of light, of emotion, of energy and, of course, that of beauty,” smiles Khouri.