Jewellery designer Sif Jakobs will be visiting Malta next month to launch her autumn/winter 2014 collection. Simonne Pace is dazzled by the woman behind the SJ brand, which was born five years ago in an apartment and is still going strong.

A model wearing SJ jewellery.

Icelandic jewellery designer Sif Jakobs, 38, is the woman behind the luxury jewellery brand that carries her same name. Jakobs has a warm, infectious smile, not quite typical of Nordic people.

This is probably because she is constantly travelling and seeing what is happening around the world. Born and raised in Iceland, she moved to Sweden to carry on with her studies and become a goldsmith. Copenhagen has been her base since 2000 and Italy her second home.

Married to Soren Dahl, who is CEO of Sif Jakobs Jewellery, Jakobs is a creative woman who admits that her love for Italian elegance is a constant source of inspiration. In fact, her collections are all named after Italian cities.

Once Jakobs completed her education, she moved to Denmark, where she worked for a Danish-Italian jewellery firm. This involved several trips to Italy, which is when the young entrepreneur started admiring Italian culture.

“The relaxed atmosphere, the food culture, the architecture and the overall elegance became a huge inspiration for my work. I love the fact that Italians don’t need an occasion to dress up,” says Jakobs.

Malta is an important market for the jewellery industry

The designer has been to Malta on several occasions with her husband, who has family here. Every time they visit Malta, they love being out and about in the nature, observing the local culture and enjoying the food.

Sif Jakobs.

“Malta is an important market for the jewellery industry. The beauty and cultural heritage of Valletta, together with its importance in European and world history, makes it the perfect place to launch my new collection.”

Jakobs describes her designs as showpieces of Nordic minimalism with Italian elegance – a fine balance between stylish rawness and femininity. Her collections are made of rhodium or 18-carat rose gold plated, 925 sterling silver, high-quality zirconia stones, Italian calf leather, resin and Swarovski crystals. “My vision is to design and create mesmerising, yet affordable jewellery for modern women everywhere,” Jakobs explains.

Her travels are her inspiration. “I love to see what is happening around the world and to be inspired by current fashion trends.”

Jakobs has always been an artist. “I was born that way,” she says.

She has been drawing since she was a little girl. Her dream was to become a goldsmith and create jewellery pieces with her own hands.

“But when I studied, I was always seeing form and pictures. At the end, I had created so many designs that had to be turned into reality. Deep within, I’m a very creative person.”

An Aquarian and a dreamer, Jakobs says she makes sure all her dreams come true.

Her work in Italy definitely helped her start her own brand, as it taught the budding businesswoman to stand on her own two feet. The job required a high level of independent work and, as time passed, managing her own time became the norm for Jakobs.

“Furthermore, I had always dreamt of being my own boss and creating my products with my own name on them.”

Sif Jakobs Jewellery started five years ago in Jakobs’s and Dahl’s apartment in Copenhagen. The couple spent hours by the dining room table, trying hard to turn Jakobs’s numerous ideas into real jewels.

Sif Jakobs Jewellery was established once and for all in 2009 and the first two full-time staff members employed. A couple of years on, Jakobs and Dahl were still performing most of their work on the brand from their apartment.

“When cardboard boxes and design plans started to take over our entire home, we decided to look for more suitable premises. Today, we employ 20 staff members and located on Ostergade 4, in the centre of Copenhagen.”

Jakobs, who says she can look like both a biker girl and an elegant city chick, has lost count of how many collections she has come up with so far. “I don’t count them anymore,” she says. Every year, they launch two collections, together with a special Christmas collection and one for Valentine’s Day. Jakobs usually likes all of her designs in one way or another. “If I don’t like a piece, I don’t include it in the collection,” she points out.

“Every single jewellery piece is a tribute to the love and inspiration I feel when I’m in Iceland and Italy. When in Iceland, I take in the beauty of nature and can hardly wait to get going with my design drawings. When I visit Italy, dressing up and looking nice have an impact on my creations. I want my jewellery to be the essence of luxury, suitable for everyday life, as well as something special to wear for those special occasions.”

Who wears Jakobs’s very first piece from a new collection?

“It’s either me, one of my staff or a good friend. I always need to see jewellery on, test if it’s working right and if the shape and look are good. If they’re not, the jewel is out.”

Sif Jakobs will be launching her new autumn/winter collection on October 3 at 202 Jewellery, Valletta.