Siin Beirut Polsera by Samara Diab is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award de Ferro in Disseny de Joieria Competition Category.

FerroJoieria· 2022

Siin Beirut Polsera

by Samara Diab

Client: Samara Diab

A' Design Award de Ferro Winner in Joieria Category

16,256
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #140428

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Siin Beirut Polsera

Siin Beirut és una polsera d'encants d'or de 5 lletres basada en l'escriptura àrab cúfica que forma la paraula "Beirut", amb punts diacrítics en pedres turquesa. Els encants són d'una unitat modular amb personatges de 2,5x5,5 unitats; aquesta estructura permet que els ascendents i descendents dels caràcters àrabs siguin de mida uniforme. Tot i que aquests personatges sovint estan connectats, aquests aïllats es poden moure per formar paraules noves. Els arcs apuntats del guió estan gravats amb làser a la part superior per reflectir els arcs que es troben a l'arquitectura tradicional de Beirut.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Ferro

Siin Beirut Polsera és un guanyador del guardó A' Design Award de Ferro, un reconeixement prestigiós concedit a bons dissenys que compleixen els requisits professionals i industrials esperats de creacions ben dissenyades. Els guanyadors de Ferro demostren una gran habilitat, una alta especialització, una comprensió experta i la capacitat creativa dels seus creadors. Es preveu que Siin Beirut Polsera sigui una creació molt apreciada, admirada i estimada que és pràctica i innovadora. Aquest disseny guanyador del guardó A' Design Award de Ferro integra les millors pràctiques del sector i té característiques tècniques competents lligades al coneixement i al talent. Siin Beirut Polsera és respectat per la seva minuciositat i està pensat per oferir millores en la qualitat de vida que ajuden a fer del món un lloc millor.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The charms are the center of my bracelet's uniqueness. They are a combination of Arabic characters and arches as a local and cultural architectural element.
This bracelet has 5 letters of the alphabet forming the word Beirut which the bracelet is named after. One can mix and match between letters to create different words.
Dimensions & Packaging: The letters are based on the Square Kufic calligraphy of the 12th century. This calligraphy is distinguished by its straight lines, right angles, and equal spacing between lines and spaces to conform to a regular grid. This grid follows a system of units. Each charm on the bracelet has a width of 2.5 units and a height equivalent of 5.5 units. The diacritic dot is equivalent to 1 unit of a turquoise stone. The arches are laser-engraved on top.
Tags: Siin, Beirut, Jewelry, Typography, Charms, Typeface design, Arabic typeface, bracelet design
Production Technology: Materials used are yellow gold metal and blue turquoise stones.
Design Challenge: The major challenge I faced was trying to fit all the charms (Arabic alphabet) of the word Beirut into the same grid. Knowing that the Arabic alphabet has many ascenders and descenders within its characters, it required precise measurements and calculations to have all charms fit into the same height (5.5 units).
Research: After the devastating explosion that occurred in Beirut Port on August 4, 2020, much of the city of Beirut was severely damaged. Many historical features were destroyed; this is why the research concentrated on the historical and cultural background of the city in order to revive and hold it dear through charm designs to commemorate a precious and heartfelt memory. Since most of the old traditional houses in the city stood out from other contemporary architecture, the pointed arches, a particular feature, were thus adapted as the design element complemented by an Arabic alphabet.
Inspiration: SiiN is a concept of a jewelry brand that combines typography with cultural design elements. It aims to treasure the beauty of locations across the world through artistic representations, thus it encompasses several collections that represent different cities. The bracelet is a piece from the Beirut collection. Through the charms, the aim is to preserve the written language and the cultural aspect of Beirut city, to be SiiN (seen) by the whole world.
Project Duration: The project is an Academic project that has started in September 2020 and finished in April 2021 in Beirut, Lebanon.
Operation Flow: Each charm creates an emotional link to the person wearing it as it resonates with a memory of certain places visited and their written language. It can also embody a personalized experience as one can form a word or simply choose letters. The Beirut collection specifically was designed as a tribute to the city of Beirut after the devastating explosion on August 4, 2020. To me, there was a direct emotional link to my city, exemplified by the expression “wearing your heart on your sleeve”.