This Ramadan, Turquoise Mountain artisans in the Middle East and Asia have created handcrafted gifts inspired by Islamic artistic traditions for Jo Malone London. Here, we sit down with the artisans behind the collection to find out more
Inlaid box, inlaid coaster and mother-of-pearl bottle charm, all made by Turquoise Mountain artisans for Jo Malone London
Tell us about the collection.
We have created four limited edition pieces with Jo Malone London to commemorate Ramadan. Two delicate mother of pearl bottle charms, an intricately carved mosaic inlay box and a decorative wooden coaster. All of which are handcrafted.
What inspired this collection?
The shape of the box and coaster are traditional forms found in Islamic art and architecture, we wanted to take this geometric beauty and put it into the designs. The fasting of Ramadan begins the day after the sighting of the crescent moon and ends with the new moon, so these shapes seemed to be really fitting for the mother-of-pearl bottle charms. They are all cut and ground by hand. We wanted to create something that showed the beauty of our craft and celebrated our love of inlay.
The full collection, handcrafted to celebrate Eid 2020
What is so special about this collection?
We are proud to have perfected the pattern and made something that celebrates our craft and artistic traditions. The boxes and coasters are handmade by carpenters and then the surface mosaic pattern inlaid by hand. Each box includes 80 wooden pieces and 26 mother-of-pearl pieces. They are true labours of love.
What materials did you work with?
We used a variety of woods: walnut, cherry and dyed walnut, as well as mother of pearl, as they are the traditional choices when working with inlay, but the colours are also really rich and vibrant.
An artisan works on an inlay piece
Why is craftmanship so important to this collection?
Craftmanship is part of who we are. We like to be in touch with things happening around us and we are always trying to expand our practice to include new designs and contemporary ways of making, but it is important to maintain skills which have existed for centuries. There’s nothing quite like hand made.
Why does this collection make such a thoughtful gift?
Each piece contains a part of the soul of its makers, it’s what makes handmade products so special. Inlay takes years to master, and each one of these pieces is handmade with the utmost care and precision.
Inlaid coaster, made by Turquoise Mountain artisans for Jo Malone London
These pieces are not available for purchase outside of the Middle East, but for more unique gift ideas and to support artisans this Ramadan and Eid, visit some of our partners via the link below.