Maison Tabbah: 150 Years of Heritage Arrived at Couture 2019

June 20, 2019

By Katerina Perez

4 min read

The luxury jewellery house Maison Tabbah is having an exciting year. Simultaneously breaking traditions and creating new ones, it has exhibited at Couture Las Vegas 2019 for the first time, presenting their contemporary ‘New Looks’ collection alongside their headline designs.

This historically important brand has produced timeless jewellery creations since the brand’s founder Joseph Tabbah turned his artistic skills in silk printing to filigree and engraving precious metals in 1862. Now, the eponymous House is run by Nagib Tabbah – the fifth generation of jewellers – who is focused on reinvigorating the brand, by staying aware of consumer demands in the current jewellery market.

Maison Tabbah 'Aquatica' necklace with diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Aquatica' necklace with diamonds in gold

 Maison Tabbah 'B-Glam' earrings with diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'B-Glam' earrings with diamonds in gold

 Maison Tabbah 'Flora Magnifica' ring from the 'Les Sublimes' collection with diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Flora Magnifica' ring from the 'Les Sublimes' collection with diamonds in gold

 Maison Tabbah 'Talisman' earrings with diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Talisman' earrings with diamonds in gold

 Maison Tabbah 'Talisman' necklaces with diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Talisman' necklaces with diamonds in gold

Unusually for a heritage house, Tabbah’s latest Reptilia, Aquatica, Fusion, Obsession, Talisman and other ‘New Look’ lines succeed in proving Nagib’s awareness of trends, and the importance of understanding the new way that women wear and interact with jewellery. Having adjusted and simplified the designs to fit the daily life of modern women, Tabbah applied the rules and traditions of high jewellery making to even the simplest of rings – this is in maison’s DNA.

I spoke to Nagib Tabbah to hear how he creates luxury jewellery which relates to the modern client…

Maison Tabbah 'Wonders' collection earrings in white gold with with diamonds

Maison Tabbah 'Wonders' collection earrings in white gold with with diamonds

Katerina Perez: How does Tabbah continue adapting after 150 years?

Nagib Tabbah: What happened during the five generations of our family history is the transmission of our know-how, and though it’s important that new designs emerge to include the ‘New Looks’, the DNA of the House remains intact.

KP: The DNA for me in Tabbah is the quality and craftsmanship…

NT: It’s the knowledge and deep understanding of jewellery across the seven crafts in our workshop. We mostly focus on exceptional execution of varied jewellery forms. As a designer – I am free in my choices to do what I love, and this is the spirit of the jeweller. You wake up, you have a great idea, you go to the workshop and you design it because you love it.

Maison Tabbah 'Wonders' ring with colourless and black diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Wonders' ring with colourless and black diamonds in gold

 Maison Tabbah  'Wonders' ring with colourless and black diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Wonders' ring with colourless and black diamonds in gold

KP: For me, the contemporary ‘New Looks’ collection that was launched in 2018 still has clear lines of derivation from Tabbah’s heritage. What made you want to try something new; more minimalistic and original in the way that ‘New Looks’ can be worn?

NT: I wanted to share the Tabbah experience with a larger audience. In our workshop, the same person who works on a unique high jewelry piece will work on a New Looks piece. The craftsmen who have 30 years of experience or more put the same amount of knowledge into every piece, no matter its value, so when you touch a Tabbah piece, the feeling is unique because it’s been made by expert hands. The New Looks are more accessible in price but retain the same quality of craftsmanship, polishing, setting and diamonds. This is the Tabbah experience.

Maison Tabbah 'Wonders' ring and sautoir necklace with diamonds and multi-gemstone embellishment in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Wonders' ring and sautoir necklace with diamonds and multi-gemstone embellishment in gold

KP: So, unlike many jewellery houses, you are not looking to have signature collections, that can be instantly recognised as Tabbah?

NT: I care that someone looks, touches and feels a Tabbah piece and think ‘this jewel is beautiful’ and desire it for that, not because of the status of the brand. For me, exclusivity means that you can’t find Tabbah jewellery everywhere as opposed to just having highly-priced pieces and calling them ‘exclusive’. In high jewellery, I never repeat the exact same piece twice. I mix different stones or metals so that each iteration becomes unique.

Maison Tabbah 'Modernist' choker from 'New Looks' collection with diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Modernist' choker from 'New Looks' collection with diamonds in gold

 Maison Tabbah 'Modernist' bracelets from 'New Looks' collection with diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Modernist' bracelets from 'New Looks' collection with diamonds in gold

 Maison Tabbah 'Modernist' lip jewellery from 'New Looks' collection with diamonds in gold

Maison Tabbah 'Modernist' lip jewellery from 'New Looks' collection with diamonds in gold

Having debuted at Couture Show this year, Maison Tabbah sought to find only a few selected retailers with the same ethos who can represent their jewellery in the USA. Have they succeeded in doing so? Of course, jewellery crafted with much love and attention to detail is bound to success.

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