Siin Beirut Armband by Samara Diab is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award in IJzer in Sieradenontwerp Competition Category.

IJzerSieraden· 2022

Siin Beirut Armband

by Samara Diab

Client: Samara Diab

A' Design Award in IJzer Winner in Sieraden Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Siin Beirut Armband

Siin Beiroet is een gouden bedelarmband van 5 letters gebaseerd op het Kufische Arabische schrift dat het woord "Beiroet" vormt, met diakritische stippen in turquoise stenen. De charms zijn van een modulaire eenheid met karakters van 2,5x5,5 eenheden; deze structuur zorgt ervoor dat de stijgende en dalende tekens van de Arabische karakters uniform van grootte zijn. Hoewel deze karakters vaak met elkaar verbonden zijn, kunnen deze geïsoleerde karakters worden verplaatst om nieuwe woorden te vormen. De puntige bogen in het schrift zijn bovenaan met een laser gegraveerd om de bogen in de traditionele architectuur van Beiroet te weerspiegelen.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in IJzer

Siin Beirut Armband is winnaar van de A' Design Award in IJzer, een prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan goede ontwerpen die voldoen aan de professionele en industriële eisen die worden verwacht van goed ontworpen creaties. Winnaars in IJzer tonen grote vaardigheid, hoge specialisatie, deskundig inzicht en het creatieve vermogen van hun makers. Siin Beirut Armband wordt verwacht een hooggewaardeerde, bewonderde en gekoesterde creatie te zijn die praktisch en innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in IJzer heeft gewonnen, integreert de beste praktijken uit de sector en heeft bekwame technische kenmerken die verbonden zijn met knowhow en talent. Siin Beirut Armband wordt gerespecteerd om zijn grondigheid en is ontworpen om verbeteringen van de levenskwaliteit te bieden die helpen de wereld een betere plek te maken.

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”.