Concurrent with the 10th anniversary of the Museum's reimagined Islamic Wing—15 extraordinary galleries cohesively exhibited as Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia—The Met Store is delighted to present the Heirloom Project. This celebratory initiative commemorates The Met’s exceptional Islamic art collection and assists in the preservation of traditional craftsmanship by engaging with global artisans and designers such as Hanut Singh.
As a descendant of India’s impossibly fashionable Kapurthala royal family, Singh counts an inscribed photograph from Cecil Beaton, a picture of the Princess Karam by Man Ray, vintage Louis Vuitton traveling trunks, and a custom Golconda diamond ring made by Louis Cartier himself among his family’s abundant heirlooms. As such, luxury runs through this jeweler's veins, flowing freely into each of his dreamy designs.
An opulent brooch crafted by Cartier around 1920 has inspired two new pairs of earrings designed by Singh for The Met Store. The original adornment in the Museum's holdings boasts a 17th-century Mughal emerald carved with a leafy lotus blossom; in the 1920s, western jewelers popularly repurposed radiant Mughal jewels. Read on to learn more about Singh's contributions to the Heirloom Project and his ethos as a contemporary jeweler.
Tell us about yourself and your brand!?
My brand is, and has always been, completely organic. My style is very much a part of my DNA and cultural influences; coming from India, which is replete?with jewelry traditions, it's an amalgamation of...the east mixed in with the west, [put] through a cocktail?shaker of ideas and vibes, and voilà! Original and unique.
What’s your philosophy as a designer?
My philosophy is to have an open creative?mind, to use the mind's eye to create, and to assimilate other cultures and arts and traditions to come up with my own concoction and medley of jewelry [designs].?
Can you talk a bit about your contribution to the Heirloom Project?
It's been thrilling to correlate my work to the magnificence of the pieces in The Met’s Islamic Wing; be it the curve of a crescent?moon, the colors in the wondrous?carpets, the calligraphic elements of the Indo-Persian style, or the hues and shapes of the carved stones. Just to see and know how this confluence of cultures has informed my work organically has been marvelous.
What excites you most about the Heirloom Project??
Tradition, craft, and modernity all rolled into one. What an homage!
Is there anything in particular that you hope the public will learn from or appreciate about this initiative???
To have an open mind and absorb, absorb, absorb different eras and people and customs and styles. To honor the past and to gain knowledge.
Where else do you typically derive creative inspiration from?
Architecture, music, books, travel, and most of all, nature in her hybrid brilliance. As Diana Vreeland would say, "The eye has to travel." And you know what? It really does. Open yourself up to all creative forces.
What's next for you?
To keep on keeping on.
If you’re interested in the earrings shown above, please contact Hanut Singh.
