Emanuela Duca Inspiration Trip

Buckle up, kids… we're on the road again! This time? We're following jewelry designer Emanuela Duca as she hits up Qatar for a little inspiration, making the W Doha her home away from home for the week. Why Doha? As Duca told us, "I've always been attracted to the straight and slightly sinuous sand ridges of the desert. The ever changing dunes connect with my constant investigation of shapes in my jewelry collections. Doha is scheduled to become the next Dubai!" Can you really argue with an endorsement like that?

Arriving on Monday, Duca checked into the W early in the evening, before settling and hitting the sack before a full day of Doha-style dune bashing, wrapped up with a nightcap back at the hotel. Wednesday saw a day of editor interviews, a jewelry showcase event in W Doha’s Living Room and a late dinner at Spice Market. After taking Thursday to venture off to Pearl, the Islamic Museum and the old market, and Friday to explore the city. Duca explained, "I found a very different society from the one that I expected. There is almost nothing left of the old world. The city is very new and for the most part still in construction with many skyscrapers that are still empty. It is impossible not to feel the general wealth that surrounds everything." Heading off to the airport on the crack of dawn Saturday, Duca filled us in on the trip, "I have totally fallen in love with the Sea Line Desert. The lines and the colors of the dunes were extraordinary.....so dramatic!"

So what's next now that Duca's done Doha? She told us, "The trip has inspired me a lot.. I'm about to debut my DOHA collection in sterling silver and blackened sterling silver with cognac diamonds at the prestigious international jewelry show, Couture. [I'm] taking the next step in my business with the support of wonderful organizations (CFDA & W Hotels) that believe in creativity, passion, integrity and most of all, in talent. I feel truly fortunate to be a member of the Incubator program!" Aw… kind of a match made in heaven, no?

All images courtesy of W Hotels.