l-Għarusa: A Maltese Bride’s Handmade Jewellery Journey with designMt
Għarusa means the bride in Maltese. This year, I was blessed to become one—and I decided to create something special to mark the moment. As a Maltese artisan who has been crafting handmade jewellery for the past three years, with a focus on floral designs, I was eager to create my own bridal collection.
The floral embroidery pattern of my bridal dress.
I started with the earrings. Inspired by the flowers on my dress, I chose a soft, shimmery white and added tiny glass beads and delicate embellishments. I tried a new technique too—each flower was crafted petal by petal around a thin silver wire. Once, baked (hardened) I could then assemble all of the flowers and embellishments by twisting all of the wires into one final design. A design that would naturally blend with my dress. It was a challenge, but one I loved. Imagine finalising the earrings only, it took me around 40hours of experimentation!
Photo credits: Shane P. Watts
The adventurer in me, couldn’t hold it’s horses on the wedding day either, and I happened to drive myself in a vintage Volkswagen Beetle to the Chapel. I was like a run-away bride! Only that I was driving straight to church. So this collection should resonate within you a sense of adventure, romance within, yet a free spirit.
Photo Credits: Shane P. Watts
DesignMT
Having participated in DesignMT last year, which resulted in being an excellent exhibition, this year I applied again, and I was honoured to be accepted as an exhibitor for the second time. For this exhibition, I decided to launch a complete bridal set, all with the same flowers of my dress: a necklace, a bracelet, a headpiece, and the sentimental earrings I wore on the day.
This year I am showcasing my work at the Church or Our Lady of Pilar in Valletta, during the week commencing 30th September till the 4th of October, between 10am and 8pm.
