(May 2020)

Hello! Pakistan talks to Sana Z Khan, Founder & Creative Director, of luxury jewellery brand AZURE, about unlocking their first year milestone, as the brand turns one. Watch here to learn about her inspiration, the creative process, the brand philosophy, personal styling tips, and their journey in their first year.

Check out their stunning jewellery line that has made them the sought after jeweller-of-choice.

Forward: Creative Director & Founder- AZURE by SZK

Hi this is Sana from AZURE by SZK and we’re very excited because we have just hit our first-year milestone. So, stay tuned as we chat with Hello! Pakistan about our journey so far.

Do you think there is something for every woman at AZURE by SZK?

So here at AZURE, as I mentioned, we celebrate the versatility of the feminine, so what that means is celebrating the individualistic style that each woman has and separates her from one another. But also, the multidimensional nature and various styles that each woman adorns so for example, its different when you are going for tea, its different when you are doing the pickups and drops from school, its different when you are going out for dinner, its different for a wedding, and so on and so forth.

We have three collections here. One of them has a more delicate, feminine aesthetic. The other is bold and edgy, and the last is more classical and sophisticated. So here at AZURE we have something for every woman.

What’s your earliest memory associated with jewellery?

My earliest memory associated with jewellery is actually when I got my ears pierced. I must have been about 6-7 years old, and my younger sister and I, went in to get them together where I got these traditional gold Bali’s (hoop earrings). Back in the day, it was much more common to get your piercing done with a wire rather than a gun. However, soon after I lost one of those bally’s while swimming and was given a box of lots of little studs which had different shapes: hearts, circles, moon, and so on and so forth. I think that’s basically when my love affair with jewellery began.

When did you create your first piece of jewelry?

I created my first piece of jewellery many years ago ironically. It was 2012 and I designed my bridal set with this jeweller. He turned around and said to me that he really liked the design and that he was going to go ahead and craft it, regardless of whether I was going to take it or not because he felt it was beautiful. I, soon after got a second phone call saying that he had indeed made this set and someone else had come in and really liked it and if I still wanted to go ahead or not. It was a quite an opulent set and it was out of my budget at the time so I asked him to go ahead (and sell it to the interested party). I didn’t actually even understand or consider the notions of what had happened. But lo and behold, many years later I found myself slowly moving down this track of designing and creating jewellery, and here we are now in 2020!

What’s the creative process behind crafting a piece of jewelry at AZURE by SZK?

The creative process that we take on here at AZURE when creating jewelry is like with many other art forms: taking note of the inspiration around you. So, a particular shade of color that you’ve seen, the shape of a petal, to of course much more extensive research by way of reading books, looking at art so on and so forth. We, here at AZURE, use a lot of pearls and often our designs revolve around those pearls or adjacent gemstones depending on their color, shape and size, and sometimes the design comes first. Either way, we go through a rigorous process; it starts with a mood board, to sketching, to sampling and of course testing, and this is to ensure that the end product is not only beautiful but technically sound.

How do you define your personal style when it comes to jewelry?

My personal style when it comes to jewelry as you can see, tends to be wearing fewer pieces in one go. I feel that whether they are statement pieces or more subtle everyday pieces, it’s essential not to overpower the look, because one doesn’t know where to look then, and often the details and beauty of any given piece may get lost. In saying that, for me personally I am a big fan of tops unless it’s a special occasion in which case I do wear drops as well, but I think it’s always important to stay true to one’s personal aesthetic and what looks good on you, your physique and your personality.

The one year milestone! How has the journey been?

Wow, this is so exciting. So here we are, we have reached our one year milestone at AZURE and it has been an incredible journey. It has been so humbling to see the responses that we’ve been getting. We read every single message that is sent to us and it’s just so exciting. You know when I was starting AZURE, I just had my first born and there was so much to do and so much to learn, and it just makes this milestone so much more significant. We are so excited to move on to our next phase. Soon we’ll be launching our website so please stay tuned for more details.

What’s the brand and style philosophy behind AZURE by SZK?

Here at AZURE, our brand and style philosophy takes on a design aesthetic that is feminine, contemporary, and bold. We celebrate the versatility of the feminine and this can be seen through our designs and we use a lot of pearls. We feel that they are very complementary to the skin tone and exude an unparalleled radiance when worn. All of our pieces are crafted only using precious metals, sterling silver and gold, and also only genuine gemstones. We only use the finest craftsmen to ensure that each product in intricately detailed and finished.