Passion -- according to Fred Mouawad, entrepreneur and fourth generation co-guardian of the century-old Mouawad jewellery house -- is about emotion.
"It's the feeling. It's the fire you feel in your belly," he said. Behind him, projected on a large screen in a theatre inside Nongnooch Garden Pattaya, was a picture of the "Flame of Passion" -- an exquisite rose gold-plated crown adorned with citrines, topazes and diamonds. It was crafted exclusively by Mouawad for the winner of Miss Universe Thailand 2021 pageant.
The actual crown -- valued at 3.5 million baht -- was also displayed in the same room, dazzling under the light in front of 30 pageant contestants on the day before the final competition. Upon closer look, fiery heart-shaped citrines, eight of them weighing 65.74 carats in total, signify the universal symbol of love. Passion, as the saying goes, is from the heart after all. Additionally, the top of the crown, which symbolises the head, features 168.49 carats of white topazes and 3.83 carats of white diamonds.
"Passion requires that we align our heart with our mind in a way that does good for others and the world. Whoever wins the Flame of Passion crown will have the power and the passion to make a dazzling and positive impact," stated Mouawad.
Anchilee Scott-Kemmis, Miss Universe Thailand 2021, wearing the Flame of Passion.
Last Sunday, the pageant world and general audiences alike watched as the crown was given to the Thai-Australian beauty Anchilee Scott-Kemmis who is known for her body positivity campaign #RealSizeBeauty. Crowning Anchilee was none other than her predecessor Amanda Obdam, Miss Universe Thailand 2020, who was wearing her Power of Authenticity crown, also crafted by Mouawad.
The Flame of Passion is Mouawad's second crown created for the Miss Universe Thailand pageant, and the fifth overall that has arisen from the partnership between Mouawad and the Miss Universe Organisation.
In crafting the crown, Mouawad said it all started with an idea -- "an attribute or quality that can be a force for good in the world". Past crowns the jewellery house has produced for the pageants have revolved around themes of unity, hope and positivity, which were then translated into the colours and designs that can best express the idea. After months and multiple sketches, the design was finalised and given to skilled craftsmen.
Anchilee Scott-Kemmis, centre, Miss Universe Thailand 2021, and her runners-up.
These five crowns, as well as many of Mouawad's creations, were all manufactured by Thai craftsmen.
"As a company, although we're international, we take a lot of pride in saying that some of our diamonds, even [those on the] world records, are actually manufactured by highly skilled Thai craftsmen. We're proud of that. Thailand is producing many crowns for the world," said Mouawad.
The gemstones used were sourced worldwide from reputable, conflict-free sources with traceable origins, something Mouawad feels is very important in today's business.
"Consumers want to know what they are buying," he said. "They want to trust the jeweller and want to know that the jeweller is sourcing the product in an ethical way. Not only for diamonds, but also for other luxury products like food. More and more, people want to be able to identify the source in the food business all the way from farm to fork. And, in the diamond business now, we say from rough to jewellery. In our case, it's from rough to ring."
Fred Mouawad holding the Flame of Passion.
Back in 2010, Mouawad -- an entrepreneur of a still-growing portfolio of companies under Synergia One, of which he is the founder and chairman -- stepped into his role fully as the fourth generation co-guardian alongside his brothers Alain and Pascal to carry on the family business that has long served royalty and members of high society.
As part of a new marketing initiative, the company approached the Miss Universe Organisation (MUO), proposing a possible partnership, but they weren't able to agree on the terms and the idea was dropped. The interest was rekindled later following the end of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2018, of which the jewellery house was a long-time collaborator. The relationship with the MUO thus began in 2019, with crowns being produced for the three pageants associated with MUO, including Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
"What I like about Miss Universe is that it's not just about beauty," said Mouawad. "It's also how you can use your beauty and intelligence to make a positive impact on society. So, it really bodes well with who we are as a company and what we believe in."
Regarding the crowns, he added: "We are jewellers to royalty. So, building a crown is natural. But now we're doing it for the pageant world. That association has been very positive for us and we plan to continue for a number of years.
"A crown can be a part of royalty. But a crown can be a crown of achievements. It could be your own crown. Your own perspective. Your own world. It has a lot of different meanings. And a crown, when you look at jewellery, is still one of the most symbolic and one of the most telling of all jewellery pieces."
In Mouawad's sponsorship for the Miss Universe Thailand pageant, the crown is for each winner to keep. Hence, it has now become an annual challenge for the team to come up with a new design. The goal is not to best previous creations, but rather to showcase different kinds of beauty, Mouawad commented. He added that he's already thinking about the crown for next year, which he's trying to get his son to design.
It's been over a decade since Mouawad has been running the family business -- a task he admitted was not easy. Before he started out, he was used to being his own boss. Now, however, he shares that responsibility with his brothers.
Surrounded by beauty queens, Fred Mouawad presented the crown to Piyaporn Sankosik of TPN Global, national director of the Miss Universe Thailand pageant.
"It teaches you a lot about how to find the right place for each family member before thinking about business performance. We put family first. That's the conclusion," said Mouawad.
He then elaborated on the family's co-guardianship model, which involves him and his brothers guarding the heritage and making key decisions together. However, the day-to-day implementations are handled by the management team in order to minimise friction and protect the family's relationship. As the fourth generation, he's also joined by the fifth generation of co-guardians who are his children. And one of his future missions will be to groom them to perpetuate the century-old heritage of the Mouawad legacy.
In managing such a business and carrying it forward into the modern world, Mouawad said it's crucial to reinvent the business all the time.
"I think the most difficult thing is to be relevant. We always say to ourselves, 'How does the world look like today? What do consumers want today? What will they likely want five to 10 years from now?'. "
Partnering with the Miss Universe Organisation was one such attempt that has proven to be fruitful. And Mouawad said the company will continue to leverage that relationship in the coming years. As part of the company's next phase, he revealed that Mouawad will soon launch an e-commerce platform and provide a more accessible price point instead of focusing on just clients at the very top end.
The market segment of the US$1,000 (33,000 baht) to $20,000 price point for luxury jewellery is growing, he said, whereas the $1 million and above is shrinking over time.
"Of course, you have a lot of people who can spend over $1 million. But, for us to build a business around the million-dollar-plus only pieces, it limits our ability to touch the larger population," said Mouawad.
