The winner of Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) 2023 Design Fun award, Badria Ali Saif Salem, received a five-day trip to Paris to attend courses led by, master craftsmen in high Jewellery creation at L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts.
Her winning design, "Al iqd Al Bahir (The Brilliant Necklace)", is an intricate and highly creative piece. Inspired by the UAE, the stunning necklace features brushed gold, malachite, pearls, lapis lazuli and pave diamonds.
As part of her prize, Badria also received an AED50,000 grant to help further establish her jewellery design career, in addition to her five-day trip to Paris.
Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo, the visionary Founder of ADMAF and the esteemed Artistic Director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, expressed ADMAF's pride in its collaboration with L'ÉCOLE, School of Jewellery Arts supported by renowned French jewellery Maison, Van Cleef and Arpels. This collaboration resonates with ADMAF's dedication, to fostering the career evolution of Emirati artists and designers.
She said, "Four years since its inception, the project's focus on nurturing professional growth, celebrating artistic ingenuity, and cultivating a culture of excellence, has solidified the scholarship's role, as a vital Emirati platform. This platform champions brilliance, innovation, and the advancement of the creative economy, especially within the domain of jewellery design.
"It particularly shines a light on the essence of traditional craftsmanship and the aesthetics inherent in the Emirates' distinctive style - a trait evident in the continually subsidised creations year after year."
In her closing remarks, Alkhamis-Kanoo celebrated Emirati jewellery designer Badriya Salem, the triumphant recipient of this year's scholarship, honouring her work, 'The Shining Necklace.' The masterpiece intricately captures the UAE's journey from its inception, depicting its evolution through empowerment to the renaissance that graces our present.
Badria Ali Saif Salim, is an emerging Emirati artist specialising in jewellery design. She has obtained certifications, from prestigious global institutes such as the International Gemmological Institution, the Gemmological Institution of America, and the Belgium Gemmological Institution.