Haneen Suhail – Khan, the creative designer of HS Jewellery is also the founder and owner of Krafters, an event management company. Her brand HS Jewellery is a parallel personal venture she began during the Covid-19 pandemic. HS Jewellery Oman had its origin from the vision to create an uber-luxury brand of statement jewellery pieces. Meant to add an extra oomph to your outfit and it helps you to alter from a day to night look in no time. To find out more about the new collection, FACES spoke to Haneen on her versatile designs.
What was the idea behind your brand?
The idea was developed over a period of time. I, personally, love jewellery and am always on the lookout for unique pieces, not fine jewellery in particular but pieces that stand out and ones that are not sold in bulk. Hence, HS Jewellery emerged bringing in my passion for creativity and business together.
What is your inspiration to create the designs? Are they handcrafted?
Inspiration is absorbed from all walks of life: your mother, your everyday women, your working women, your grandma, your colleagues, they are all our inspiration. We curate pieces that cater to all age groups. Women in general are our inspiration. They inspire us to bring out the versatility in our pieces, they inspire us to be different, they inspire us to be complete, they inspire us to be one of kind just like all our women — the epitome of grace. Our pieces are handcrafted by an extremely talented clique of craftsmen. Oman is blessed with a great deal of talent and we intend to capitalise on this resource as much as possible. It is our brand’s way of giving back to the community in whatever way we can.
What is the expansion of your brand name? Who is the best support in your work?
I am keeping it a bit of a secret, for now, aiming to have another launch shortly, so let the mystery prevail till then. My family has and always will be the biggest support. Mothers are a blessing in every way, craftsmen who help put my ideas to reality are great support, and friends and people who have appreciated the brand are our terrific supporters.
Where do you primarily source your materials from?
We source stones from different places: Muscat being the primary one, besides Sri Lanka and India. Researching places is a constant way of developing the brand and keeping our horizons open is one of HS Jewellery’s virtues.
What was the greatest difficulty or obstacle you faced in your journey to establish this brand? How did you overcome it?
The pandemic in itself was the biggest obstacle all SMEs faced. The restrictions on having a face-to-face interaction were a setback at a wide scale. The timeline for turning around pieces with craftsmen was again a challenge with the lockdown restrictions. We took it in our stride and ensured that the quality of HS Jewellery pieces was even more thorough than it was. We used this time to have virtual exhibitions along with private viewing which was strictly appointment-based. We ensured proper safety and hygiene protocols at all times.
Could you tell us about your newly launched collection and what sets them apart?
HS Jewellery Oman is a luxurious yet everyday-wear jewellery brand. What sets us apart from others is the fact that we are a local jewellery brand and the uniqueness of each piece. HS Jewellery aims to craft pieces around the stones. We try to maintain the stones in their natural element as much as possible. The array of semi-precious stones used is vast and each has a story to tell of its own. Each piece is unique and has its own characteristic; it’s almost like the pieces speak to you when you try them on. We laser cut the sapphire stones and the moonstone, peridot, quartz, etc are all raw uncut stones in their natural element and that’s where the beauty lies in designing around these adorable stones.
How is the overall response? And which of your designs are most popular?
The response alhamdulillah was overwhelming in more ways than one. With the very first collection, I wanted to test the waters and get a feel of what our demographic would like. I was pleasantly surprised and extremely happy with the way our clientele appreciated HS Jewellery and that motivates us to come up with more alluring pieces. Our statement pieces, minimalist collection, raw uncut earrings and the sapphire range were a huge success. We are aiming to introduce a 92.5 sterling silver range in the upcoming collection and as well introduce a heritage collection inspired by the beauty that lies in Oman, after all, beauty does have an address!
What next for HS Jewellery?
The vision for HS Jewellery is to make it a lifestyle brand. We aim to branch out into other genres over time. Jewellery will always be our prime focus as that is where our heart lies. But we definitely want to expand on the lifestyle aspect of the brand, making it part of the fabulous women’s lifestyle. In the current times, we want to pave our way forward with exclusive previews showcasing HS Jewellery, and eventually launch an online shopping experience. It is a work in progress and we will develop the brand as and how we see the development forward.
Is there any interesting story you remember regarding your venture?
Every work, every struggle, every piece has a story to tell. Launch day is always funny as in my mind I had eyed a few pieces that I would like to add to my personal collection and then once they were sold, I was thrilled. Our unique selling point is that we don’t replicate any pieces, we can always recreate something similar but never identical as mentioned above. We work with stones in their natural element, so replicating a piece doesn’t happen.
Which was your proudest moment?
When we sold almost 80% of our collection, on Day 2 of the three-day launch, was an extremely proud moment for me. That response was almost like an adrenaline rush seeing how well-received it was.
Where can we find your collection?
Social Media is the best place. You can reach out to me through Instagram @hsjewelleryoman or Whatsapp +968 99527362 to schedule a one-on-one consultation or for a private viewing.