A decade ago, architect and urban planner Nohma Kaaki set out to design a piece of jewellery for herself – something sculptural, personal and unlike anything she had seen before.
What emerged from her experiment was the Celestial Module, a three-dimensional trapezoidal form inspired by the way constellations trace shapes and symbols across the sky. “We’ve seen horoscopes,” Kaaki says. “But for me, this was more universal. That’s why I called it a ‘module’, because it could be anything. It wasn’t just a ring.”
Originally 3D-printed in plastic, the prototype caught the attention of several passersby. “It was worth nothing,” she explains. “But the aesthetics made people stop me and ask about it”.
In 2015, a man approached her, asking to commission the piece as a proposal ring. Only later did she learn it was for a member of the Jordanian royal family.
That moment marked the beginning of Nohma Design, which quickly garnered critical acclaim. Within a year of launching, Kaaki won the Middle East Jewellery Awards. Her designs, rooted in architectural principles and the mathematical Golden Ratio, feel both precise and poetic – bold, yet skillfully balanced.
Now crafted in solid gold, the Celestial Module is as versatile as it is symbolic. It can be worn on any finger, as a pendant, earring, or even as a bracelet. With a mirrored counterpart – the two halves are called Zenith and Nadir – worn together, the shapes evoke butterfly wings; reversed, they resemble a shield. “Being Lebanese and from a turbulent part of the world, last summer I felt like being in a defensive mode,” she says.
When scaled down, the module takes on echoes of the Tree of Life – whether a Lebanese cedar, an olive tree, or a palm. Even the packaging for the brand reflects the colours of her upbringing: Phoenician purple lines the interior – an homage to the ancient dye discovered on the shores of Tyre, Lebanon – while the outer shell comes in cedar green or golden orange, symbolising the sunlit dunes of the UAE, where she was raised.
Her pieces, some recently featured in Emily in Paris, aren’t designed for mass appeal, she explains. “It’s meant to be niche,” she says. “Like a hidden gem. People need to find it.”
Kaaki invites the wearer into the creative process. “I give you the jewellery as a blank canvas. You become the artist.” Each design is adaptable, deeply personal and expressive. A dual-wear earring, for example, can be worn as a minimalist stud, or with an added blade-like element that cuts behind the ear. “It’s not just about personality, it’s about emotion.”
Her method is as labour-intensive as her vision is clear, every piece begins with a 3D-printed wax model, then cast in gold. “It’s not the typical way of doing things. The manufacturing cost is more than triple the cost, but it allows a human element, a high level of finishing.”
The many surfaces of the design become a canvas for diamonds or engravings to mark anniversaries, births, or even just prose. “It becomes a legacy,” she says. “It’s very personal.”
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs: Volvo XC40
Price: base / as tested: Dh185,000
Engine: 2.0-litre, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 250hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.4L / 100km
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
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Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
