Stones from the mountains
Sayed Jawad designs every ring around the stone in front of him, never the other way round.
Sayed Jawad's bench is no wider than a kitchen table. On it sit a small wheel, a row of files, a jeweller's loupe and a tray of uncut stones: green emerald, violet amethyst and the deep green of tourmaline.
The stone comes first
Most jewellers choose a setting and find a stone to fit it. Jawad does the opposite. He studies each stone under the loupe, looking for its colour and its flaws, then cuts and polishes it to show the best of both.
Only then does he draw the ring. A pale stone might get a thin silver band so the light comes through; a dark one, a high gold setting that lifts it up.
Made to last
Each ring is shaped, soldered and polished by hand. A simple band takes a day; a ring with a carved setting can take a week. Jawad signs the inside of every piece with a small mark, so it can always be traced back to his bench.
