I was looking for a gift for my friend and I wanted to get something unique. A friend told me about this jewelry designer who has a line of her own and who works from her house with a very exclusive client list. She told me that she only deals with people she knows or recommended by her clients who are always well-chosen. My search for a good gift was a good motive, yet I was more driven by that mysterious and unfamiliar atmosphere of that lady. Madame S that is the name of that lady designer.
I got her number right away and called. A very tender voice replied. At the beginning, I thought that I dialed a wrong number. Her voice was so young and nice that I got a problem believing that she is actually a Madame (which is usually used in Egypt to refer to middle-aged married women). She welcomed me in a pretty conservative way, till I told her about my friend who happened to be a client of hers. Only then, her voice became tenderer and welcomed me to set a date and time to pay her a visit at her house.
On the day of the visit, I wanted to make a good first impression. “A lady like that would have an incredible taste,” I thought to myself. I dressed up, wore some good accessories too, and subtle makeup touches to glow a bit. I didn’t have the exact address. I just called her when I got to the neighborhood asking for directions. She had the same tender voice and her directions were helpful indeed. I walked into some old streets in a posh ancient neighborhood in Alexandria. A somewhat old building with no security, I climbed the stairs. Once I stepped in the building, quietness prevailed. It was as if the whole crowded Alexandria with its busy vital streets were switched to the silent mode.
A maid opened the door, and there she was. The “Madame” was standing with a comfy smile. She had no veil on. Petite as she is, I could not make a guess about her age. We exchanged a few words, and then we sat down for a little chat. I told her about what I was looking for. She talked about what she has right now and asked several questions that showed that she is a very considerate woman. I thought that she would have a very small collection as expected from a woman who is working from home. To my surprise, she had loads of boxes and sets that I was too dazzled to make a choice.
She was never bored to show me what she has. I was not feeling shy. On the contrary, I felt as if I were home. I was curious to know about the lady, even more than my curiosity to see the collection. I did not hesitate to ask her about her profession, how she started, how she manages her small yet prosperous business (it was obvious that she had a prosperous business by looking at the well-furnished house with the classic piano that reminded me of 18th century English movies), her showcases….etc.
It turned out that she was an architect, who gave up her profession and followed her passion to have an artistic career of her own (that is another thing to her credit in my point of view). She said that she has 3 exhibitions every year in a very exclusive place and only her clients are invited. “Wow, that woman knows how to have a direction of her own,” I thought. Amidst that whole mania with social media, she does not publicize for her work via the web. That was shocking to me, but she went on to explain that she does not want to get her designs copied. She creates one piece of each design and that is it.
What dazzled me even more was her great knowledge of her profession. She is not an amateur after all. It was very obvious that she knows many things about gems, astrology, psychology…etc. She mentioned something about having books about designing. No wonder, my jaws dropped during that conversation. I got two pieces with above average prices (Believe me; you would pay fortunes with such a serene ambiance). She got my number and added it to her exclusive list.) I left her house (I’d rather call a gallery, because of all of those works of art hanging on the walls or put on the tables) feeling so proud of the unique pieces I got for my friend, the fact that my name has been added to a list and finally that I got to meet a woman like her.
Here is a very fine lady, who is very classy, knowledgeable, talented, married with children and who knows exactly how to make good use of her life according to the limitations of her talent (if there are any limitations to any talent). Women like Madame S make me stop and think of what I want to do with my life. Yeah, sometimes we all get busy by our lives, work, outings, social life, or even problems. However, there are those points in our lives where we stand still and look closely at what is going on around us. Do I want this? Shall I quit my job? Shall I travel and see new places? Do I need to stop looking for this or that? Many questions pour into one’s head, and here is a woman whom you might look at her face and feel serene and peaceful. Here is a woman whose calmness and rationality reminded me that for once in my life I need to stop thinking too much about many trivial things and focus on what I want once I make up my mind about it.
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