Sanaz Hughes, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Rareté Studios, talks about the making of the Pastel Dream BELONGING Bracelet and why it’s the perfect every day piece of jewelry for anyone that wants to wear a personal statement of belonging.
Q. What makes the Pastel Dream BELONGING Bracelet so special?
Sanaz: I love all the BELONGING Bracelets, but the Pastel Dream is especially close to my heart because it was the very first design. It’s a unique mix of gemstones in soft pastel colors that feel sophisticated and effortless at the same time. The muted colors of the gemstones truly go with everything - a casual jeans and white t-shirt as well as a glamorous holiday look. The elastic band also makes our BELONGING Bracelet easy to wear. I love the contrast of the luxury materials and the casual pull-over technique we know from the candy bracelets we used to wear as kids.
Q. Tell us about the design process. What inspired you?
Sanaz: A lot of my inspiration comes from my travels. When designing the Pastel BELONGING Bracelet I thought of dreamy sceneries in nature, for example lavender fields in Provence and foggy mornings in the English country side. It’s a bracelet that reflects the colors of nature and is perfect for everyone that loves soft shades. The first version of this Bracelet was made with acrylic beads, but we soon realized that we want to create something that is made of lasting materials that does the meaning of the jewelry justice. That’s when we decided to design the world’s first letter bead bracelet of its kind in 18K solid gold with our master goldsmiths in the gemstone town of Idar-Oberstein. It brought the bracelet to a whole new level and makes it a true luxury piece.
Q. What are the most common personalizations that your customers are choosing?
Sanaz: One of the favorite parts about building Rareté Studios is to learn about the stories, values and people that are important to our customers around the world. People are choosing the names of people or pets they love, their kids, nieces and nephews, or partners. We have others that choose a meaningful date, initials or a word that reflects a personal value or reminder. For example we had one client that chose the Persian word sabr, which means patience, as a personal reminder to herself. What is especially amazing to see is that a lot of people buy a BELONGING Bracelet for themselves instead of waiting for someone to gift it to them. Of course there are lots of reasons to gift a BELONGING Bracelet to a loved one, but it’s such a powerful statement of self-love and self-determination to purchase something meaningful for yourself.
Q. When did you first have the idea for the BELONGING Bracelet?
Sanaz: When my son Casper was born in 2020 I wanted to wear his name with me every day, but I couldn’t find any jewelry that I really liked. I wanted something that is unique and different and that I would wear as an everlasting piece and a symbol of love and connection with my son. It was really important to me to make it visible in my professional life that I am a mom and express this part of my identity every day. That was the time when I fist came up with the idea of the BELONGING Bracelet and started with the first designs.
Q. What kind of gemstones are used in the Pastel BELONGING Bracelet?
Sanaz: The Pastel Dream BELONGING Bracelet is made of Morganite, Agate and pink and purple Turmaline. They all come in a faceted roundel cut. We chose every gemstone very carefully when designing each bracelet.
Q. If someone is thinking about purchasing a BELONGING Bracelet, but can’t quite decide which one, what’s your recommendation?
Sanaz: I would say that the Pastel Dream BELONGING Bracelet is probably the most versatile one, however a lot of them are true classics like the Aquamarine or the Kunzite Bracelet. You can’t go wrong with our personalized solid gold letter beads. They will last forever and you can repurpose them for all kinds of new designs, should you ever feel like you want something new. One thing to keep in mind: all of our Belonging Bracelets are limited edition designs so they will sell out eventually. If you require additional consultation or you have questions feel free to get in touch. We’re happy to help you make the right choice.