Nadine Kanso was born in Beirut , Lebanon. She spent her entire childhood there and later gained two degrees from the Lebanese American University. Nadine majored in Communication Arts and Advertising Design; these degrees laid the foundation for her work in design and photography today. Having worked in various design-related fields as well as dabbling in journalism, Nadine took it a step further last year by trying her hand at jewelry design, resulting in her first collection, Bil Arabi.
Using 18-carat gold and the Arabic alphabet as inspiration, the Bil ‘Arabi’ series (which literally translates to ‘In Arabic’), is a collection of rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets that draw on the inherent beauty, calligraphic shape and lyricism of the Arabic alphabet. Nadine updated the traditional letters and added a funky twist to the hand-crafted pieces using both gold and rose gold. The collection kept growing with additional elements added on using semi-precious stones as well as diamonds.
“You could call it Arabic ‘bling bling’ insofar as making a statement goes, because bigger is always better,” says Nadine. But apart from being invested in creating beautiful pieces, Nadine is more than anything else, interested in capturing the emergence of the modern Arab identity in the 21st century as she sees it – unique, unavoidable and with a need to be seen and heard.
Nadine’s Bil Arabi collection is sold exclusively out of S*uce(Village Mall, Dubai and Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi)
