H&D (designed by Hanan Hayat and Dina Attieh) is a new concept in jewelry based in Kuwait. Using precious and semi precious stones of the finest quality from private collections, each piece is uniquely designed and handmade. Inspired by both vintage and contemporary styles, each necklace is a collector's item, and a statement in its own right combining timeless design and style. H&D is ultimately an extension of 5Scenes, the duo's firm that is dedicated to introducing new and different talents and things to the Kuwaiti scene: fresh designers, original interior pieces and concepts, new musical talents and just about anything that strikes them as special and noteworthy. 5Scenes has had several successful exhibitions at prestigious places like the 360 Mall and Zahra Mall. Between their exhibits, the duo find new talents they can launch in Kuwait.

StepFeed learns more about H&D through an exclusive interview with these talented ladies:

, Tell us about your signature brand, H&D. What sparked your interest in jewelry? "After launching several jewelry designers at our 5Scenes exhibitions and listening to what our clients were really looking for, we decided to venture into our own designs and created H&D. We have always been interested in jewelry design and have both previously designed for ourselves, family and friends. Since we have access to a private collection of high quality stones, the idea of creating something different and unique with them excited us and we decided to design our first collection back. The collection proved to be a great success and was sold out within 3 days! We have just finished our fifth collection which we will be show casing next week at Bayt Lothan."

Photo Credit: H&D

, Where do you get your inspiration from? "We are inspired by both vintage and contemporary pieces, but especially the old intricate pendant workmanship that is missing in today's jewelry designs." What exactly is the role of each one of you in designing?  "We both design, select the stones and color ranges, and decide on all design aspects together. We strive to evolve in our designs from one collection to the next hoping to impress our loyal and new customers."
Tell us more about your collections and the names of the precious and semi precious stones you use? "We want our collections to be impressionable and therefore we decided that we would make each necklace a one off unique piece - the necklace is then considered a collector's item as there is only one in the entire world. We use a large variety of stones, ranging from emeralds and rubies to lapis lazuli, jade, onyx, amethyst, coral, citrine, peridot, tourmaline and all types of colored quartz." What makes the Kuwaiti market unique and how does it shape your design? "The Kuwaitis love stones from precious to semi precious. One commonly finds people here with collections of stones. This love of stones has developed a great demand for all types of jewelry other than fine jewelry. We took this opportunity to launch H&D with the desire to design special pieces that show off the large stones and accentuate others to their fullest."
Would you say that taste preferences in Kuwait (and in the Middle East at large) differs from the West?  "The Kuwaiti women, as in the rest of the Middle East and in the West, like to follow trends and are really at the forefront of fashion. On an ordinary day in the mall, the women look like they've come off the catwalk! A big difference here is that they not only like to follow trends but they like to create their own trends. So many women look for 'new' designs, creative and different things, and new designers to really stand out. Creating our one off pieces has proven to be very successful here- the idea that they're wearing something no one else has set a new trend here."