A Morocco native, Bounkit jewelry designer, Hassan Bounkit, started his jewelry line in 2006. Hassan began his career studying fashion design in Florence, Italy, but from that point onward, he began working for Couture houses Ferragamo, Marella Ferrera, amongst others. He later moved to New York where he worked for Nicole Miller and Arnold Scaasi. With an extensive resume in fashion design, Bounkit launched a jewelry line of his own.
In his current 2010 collection, Bounkit’s designs are very tribal and ethnic inspired based largely on the immense influences of Mediterranean and ancient Moroccan designs. Many of his bold statement jewelry features sensationally oversized stones as the center of attention. His collections are the perfect blend of modern architectural jewelry with a splash of Art Deco boldness. His experimentation with the different colored sunset hues stones creates these beautiful pieces and textures such as that seen with turquoise and rondells as well as crystal beads with organically cut colored stones.
Since the inception of his jewelry line, Bounkit jewelry has been featured in magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Allure, Glamour, O Magazine and InStyle. In addition, his collections have caught the attention from fashion editors and celebrities including: Oprah, Iman, Salma Hayek, Liv Tyler, Nina Garcia, Natasha Henstridge and Lily Collins.
Each year, Hassan Bounkit meticulously handcrafts three complete collections in his New York City atelier. One of his highly sought-after pieces is his Carnelian Cuff in 24K Gold ($550). You can learn more at www.bounkit.com.
