“Jewellery has the power to be this one little thing that can make you feel unique.”
FHM: Tell us about yourself?
NTK: Nazneen Tariq was born as a designer in 1981. When Samina Ibrahim interviewed me for Herald she wrote that, I was known to be the first woman who brought fashion of eastern and western designs in clothes. When I started designing clothes, Mrs. Kazmi was my only competitor in the market, who was doing oriental fashion. I was doing really well when suddenly by 2006 there was a boom in the industry and a lot of designers emerged from everywhere. That was a time when I realized that its now time to call myself a seamstress. However, when you need something you work hard for it, as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. I came into this field because it was in me and one doesn’t need to study if there is something he/she is capable of doing. Hence, once I started designing my own clothes, they were later copied at my tailor’s shop, and that is when my husband made me realize that I need to start my own line.
FHM: What inspired you to choose jewellery designing as your profession?
NTK: Jewellery was a fluke thing! Two years prior starting designing jewellery, I met someone in USA who told me that I play good with jewellery, to which I replied that I design clothes not jewellery and the story ended there. Two years later, when I was in Dubai I met a guy at a shop from where I was buying stones and other material, who was holding some pieces of jewellery in his hand, purchasing stones for them. I asked him if he designs jewellery and he said yes, telling me that he works for someone. I told him that my son does good calligraphy and I want to incorporate that in jewellery so if he could make some pieces for me, and he agreed upon it. That is when I designed my initial pieces with the Name of God and and gifted them to a few friends of mine in USA. When I presented those pieces to them, one of my friend actually got surprised and told me to startup a business. She told me about the potential market for such kind of jewellery and since then my profession as a jewellery designer began, to which after sometime I managed to open up my own factory.
FHM: Enlighten us about Heavenly Regalia? What is the basic theme of your brand?
NTK: I started my brand Heavenly Regalia – Heavenly because it’s connected with God and Regalia means Regal. After being made in Pakistan, all the jewellery goes to Dubai to be authenticated, stamped and finished lastly on the machines there. The jewellery is completely solid silver with a percentage of gold in it. I kept the theme of calligraphic jewellery for a certain time but then friends and clients started demanding different designs of jewellery that can be worn anytime, any day.
FHM: From where do you get the inspiration to design such unique jewellery?
NTK: Not a single idea comes overnight, you need to search and research more to create one fine piece. I read books on Indian Jewellery, Italian Jewellery and many more. To create your own designs one must know where to derive the inspiration from.
FHM: What kind of jewellery designs do you prefer working on the most?
NTK: Contemporary! Even if a mother passes a piece of jewellery to her daughter or daughter in law, it never goes out of fashion.
FHM: What type of stones & elements do you use in your jewellery?
NTK: Precious and semi precious stones. I never use any artificial stone or metal in my jewellery.
FHM: How much time does it take to design a single piece?
NTK: As an artist I say it takes a lot of time to implement the idea to create one piece. I feel awful when people ask whether these the only designs? They still don’t have the idea that jewellery making takes a lot of time. My designs go through 15 steps of processing to become one final finished piece.
FHM: Where do you see the trend of designer jewellery in 5 years?
NTK: It is going to go like fire, exactly like the designer clothing trend went up. And then maybe I will switch to making furniture or sandals or anything else.
FHM: How do you differentiate between jewellery, that is, according to eastern & western wear?
NTK: Eastern jewellery is more like Baali’s and Jhumka’s but western is more of a funkier type of jewellery but, on the tamer side. Jewellery is heirloom, so I prefer contemporary forever because whoever is paying the price for it can forward it to the next generation.
FHM: How many exhibitions have you had so far?
NTK: Countless! I have lost track of the exhibitions. I am hardly in Karachi, I keep travelling for exhibitions.
FHM: Any plans of opening up a flagship store?
NTK: No! My clients like to be private. They come and buy jewellery from me, so that they can pass it off wherever they can go as an heirloom piece. They easily say that my jewellery has been passed as the real gold and diamonds because of its quality and I consider it as an achievement.
FHM: Any message for the jewellery lovers?
NTK: Enjoy my jewellery.
RAPID FIRE:
FHM: Favourite Model?
NTK: I have a lot of favourite models but to name a few, I would say Rubya Chaudhry, Sabina Pasha and Nadia Hussain.
FHM: Favourite Perfume?
NTK: Oud Al Mushakal.
FHM: Favourite Designer?
NTK: Rizwan Beyg and Umar Sayeed.
FHM: Are you a foodie?
NTK:I love food but I am allergic to 99 food items.
FHM: One thing you can’t live without?
NTK: God.
