Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Born in Brooklyn in Coney Island, Miriam Silat is a beautiful story of a young woman strung together with jems of success. “Both my parents were engineers, so following in their footsteps I became a civil engineer.” She began making jewelry as a hobby and sold it on weekends. “A buyer from a major department store saw a few pieces and asked me to create a collection. Three months after designing my first collection, I was selling in Barneys.” After Barney's in 1993, Silat launched her namesake collection of resin, sterling silver, and 18kt gold vermeil in February 2010. “Our jewelry uses a very unique technique that is not available locally and therefore we make our product abroad,”said Silat who designs in New York City. The collection is made up of statement cuffs, cocktail rings, earrings and necklaces. Each piece makes a bold statement as they are made of resin, sterling silver, 18kt gold plating and cubic zirconia. Silat said jewelry is meant to adorn the woman and enhance her beauty. “I hope my jewelry makes the wearer feel beautiful, confident, and powerful.” Describing the Miriam Silat customer, she said: “My customer is the type of woman who is passionate about jewelry. Many of them become collectors. A woman's jewelry is a representation of her sophistication and taste level.” For Silat, owning a piece of jewelry is one way a woman expresses her sense of style and individualism. “My jewelry obsessions change. Currently, I love our stacking cuff concept. They are so many ways to combine colors and styles. It is a very sexy and bold look.” Discussing the importance of getting involved with cutting and manually designing jewelry, she said: “Every successful brand has a niche look that evolves from a novel combination of materials, innovative techniques, and original designs. I think it is always advantageous for a designer to create the original prototype, but developing a concept that is turned into jewelry by the factory is also effective.” Silat told Saudi Gazette her inspiration stems from fashion, vintage jewelry, nature, and travel. “For example, a fashion trend might inspire me to think of jewelry from a certain period. I also think a lot about the type of jewelry women want to wear.” Her jewelry pieces have a lot of interesting details and simplicity. “It is modern and clean. My current collection uses resin and sterling silver. I call resin a “hyper” stone, because it comes in an endless array of colors and varies from transparent to opaque.” Silat's current collections use CZs and resin. “We hope to introduce semi precious stones to the collection in the near future. I believe new stones are always coming into the marketplace. I am always excited to source new materials.” Silat revealed that other beautiful unique design or art is always inspiring to her as a designer and making her customers happy gives her the ultimate pleasure as a jewelry designer. When asked which piece of jewelry would she never leave the house without, she said: “A bangle stack.” In the future, Silat plans to grow the brand and add new jewelry categories. “We release approximately four collections a year. Two in the fall and two in the spring.” The prices range from $135 to $1835. Oprah, Michelle Obama and Nicole Scherzinger are Miriam Silat fans. We asked her how the glamor quotient makes her feel. “I am honored that these amazing women are drawn to the collection.” Miriam Silat jewelry is available at Saks Bahrain, Saks Dubai and through their sales office, Copia Group. Customers can email for private orders about specific pieces through Silat's representatives for the region Copia Group at [email protected]
