Ghada El Sokkari Sultan embarked on an exciting venture that seamlessly blended her diverse background and love for jewelry. Her goal is to design jewelry that exudes charm, sophistication, and a distinctive sense of quirkiness, catering to women from all walks of life.
According to Ghada El Sokkari Sultan, the driving force behind her creative endeavor is the belief that their jewelry and designs are a means of self-expression. She rejects the notion of reserving jewelry for special occasions, advocating instead for the idea of making every moment special. Each piece is infused with a blend of elegance, originality, and beauty, offering a fresh perspective on modern jewelry-wearing.
- Could you tell us about the origin of the project?
{G.S.S.} : The story of Rock by GS starts in 2019. I was at a point of my life where I felt I should start my own project, with the ambition to disrupt the well-established market of jewelry. To do so, I came up with a young and disruptive brand.
I began in my homeland, Egypt, where I had enough connections and was comfortable enough to raise money on my own. It was important for me to do it by myself and to be able to convince investors that my project was ultimately a great business opportunity… and I did. I was able to settle the first event and, thank god, we were sold out.
Everything was coming into place when the COVID came in. With the lockdown in place I had to reconsider my strategy. I decided that, instead of doing nothing, I should take that situation as a unique opportunity to generate brand awareness as I knew people were at home, spending most of their time on their phone. What a better time to launch a marketing campaign on social media ?
- Hence, launching a jewelry brand requires a certain expertise. Do you have any background in gemmology or jewelry ? or were you able to gather a team of talented people?
{G.S.S.} : Launching a new jewelry brand requires the full spectrum of skills and expertise: from gemmology and goldsmith to accounting and marketing. Mine is related to marketing, advertising, public relations and events. Those are key aspects of your business model if you want to stand out in such a competitive sector. My expertise does not come from an academic background but from the experience I had with Bulgari, Chaumet and other international brands.
For the rest, I rely on the extraordinary craftsmanship available in Dubaï. The workshops are working at the best level you can imagine and they are extremely reliable. Also, I am used to creating jewelry for myself. So; working with those workshops felt pretty natural to me. It makes our collaboration easier.
We are still an emerging company. But I have a talented team and we have now the ambition to grow on an international level. We have people in Dubaï and in Egypt of course but also in Qatar and in Jordan.
- How did you come up with the different collections ?
{G.S.S.} : The collections I create are a testimony of my deep and life-long passion for jewelry. Most women know the does and don’t and all sorts of little tricks when it comes to fashion, but their jewelry tells you who they really are.
I thought that, at first, I wouldn’t be able to compete with the well-established competitors in the market. So, my only option was to do something totally different. When I introduced my first designs, at first, people were shocked, they thought it was over the top. That it almost looked fake. But I was sure that I could make people wear it.
My collection was inspired by Art Deco, which is probably my favorite artistic movement. Then came the safety pins… Until I decided to create a collection inspired by ancient Egypt. It was a bolder move that it seems: it is perceived as tacky and no Egyptian usually wears anything that has to do with the time of the Pharaohs. Then, one day, as I was walking in the streets of Paris, I decided to pay a visit to the Chanel boutique, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. I was struck by the fact that everything was covered with gold. This is when the salesperson informed me that the gold has to do with one of Karl Lagerfeld’s last collections that was precisely inspired by ancient Egypt. It was a sign for me to go ahead. Few months later was released my new collection with includes the lotus, the scarabs for prosperity, and the Ankh as a symbol of life.
Lately, I was so thrilled to discover that Maria Grazia Chiuri reintroduced butterflies in her new collection for Dior. As the insect is the theme of one of my latest creations. Although my butterflies are inspired by the hippie movement, encouraging peace. Something that people should hear about, today more than ever.
- Do you create the design of your jewelry first, then start to investigate to find the stone you need ? Or do you tend to create jewelry depending on the stones and material available ?
{G.S.S.} : I come up with a concept and do a sketch. So it all starts with an idea…
I work with four different workshops in Dubaï and I try to use stones and material that I am pretty sure they have. I am a big enamel lover, so I use the best quality I can get. I work with 18K gold and real gemstones. I use K color diamonds which are very common and when it fetches 0.3 or 0.5 carats, I tend to pick a fancy-shape.
My golden rule is that I will never sell something that I would not wear. My clients already wear jewelry from the most prestigious brands, so they are only expecting the best from me. Ultimately that is what differentiates me from many brands based in the region. But then again, Dubaï is very strict when it comes to the quality of the stones and I can rely on the talent of the workshops I am working with.
Sometimes I produce bespoke high jewelry for private clients. Those sometimes require more valuable stones. But I consider them as one-off projects.
- There is a certain humor and “joie de vivre” in your approach. Is it important not to take yourself too seriously ? Do you think it might make the process of buying a ring or a necklace less impressive ?
{G.S.S.} : This is very true for the younger women that take smaller pieces (the clips-on or so…)
But I also have women that are 40/50 years old or above, that already have their van Cleef, Cartier and other High Jewelry and want to wear something different. It helps them feel young and somehow connected with the street culture. I was so flattered when some of my clients told me that the rest of their jewelry looks a bit boring compared to my collections.
- I’m sure you love all the pieces you create but did you notice that some of them are more successful than others ?
{G.S.S.} : The heart ring is one of my best-sellers. The lotus and the scarabs are a big success as well.
Also, I started very early-on the clip-ons collection. Those are a mini-version of all the designs I have created. You can clip them on a necklace and wear twenty of them at the same time if you wish. It was an instant hit.
- Dubai obviously became a financial hub. Is it a great place to launch a new jewelry brand?
{G.S.S.} : Dubaï is an amazing place. This city gives you a lot of energy. I love to live there and it is a great place for your brand to be seen. .
However, the customers are still very focused on brand recognition. This is the reason why historical jewelers like Cartier, Bulgari and van Cleef are so successful here. Therefore, some potential customers would rather save money to buy a bracelet or a necklace there, instead of looking for a new disruptive brand like mine.
However, thanks to online sales I can reach other countries in the region and are way more appealed to my collections. Particularly in Saudi Arabia.
Ink & Voices 