ABOUT TABAYER
The design philosophy of Tabayer is a pursuit of unity between design and material. Closer to sculpture than ornament, each piece is the juxtaposition of curves and voids, inspired by the principles of American modernist sculpture. Exquisitely crafted using ethically sourced materials, Tabayer fine jewelry is rooted in notions of protection and empowerment, set in pure and elemental, contemporary designs.
From the core collection, image by Deo Suveera and Pamela Dimitrov
Nigora Tabayer
Founder, Creative Director
Photo by M Levy
OUR FOUNDER
Nigora’s love of jewelry began as a child growing up in Central Asia, where amulets and close-knit family traditions were very much part of her upbringing. A passion and sentiment for jewelry transcends generations of women in Nigora’s family. A pair of ruby earrings, for example, is an important heirloom infused with meaning and protection: now worn by her daughter, the earrings once belonged to her ancestor and has been passed down and worn by each generation of women in Nigora’s family.
Nigora’s vision has been influenced by American sculpture. The interplay of mass and void in Alexander Archipenko’s work informs her designs, as does the tubular minimalism found in Isamu Noguchi’s urban pieces. She also cites female sculptors like Barbara Hepworth and Eva Hesse as inspirations.
Tabayer’s debut collection, Oera, brings these influences together, merging sculptural volume with the idea of a universal talisman. It reflects a visual language grounded in balance: between the abstract and the symbolic, the masculine and the feminine, fragility and force.
IN CONVERSATION WITH CONTEMPORARY ART
In the 20th century, contemporary artists like Isamu Noguchi and Barbara Hepworth reimagined form, space, and material, turning minimal shapes and interlocking structures into carriers of emotional and symbolic weight.
Their work emphasized continuity, balance, and the interplay between void and mass, echoing the same tension of opposing forces found in ancient talismanic motifs.
Tabayer channels this language into jewelry, transforming gold and ethically sourced stones into sculptural objects that reference both protective symbolism and the refined abstraction of modernist sculpture, merging heritage with contemporary artistic expression.
At left, Isamu Noguchi, ‘Magic Ring’, 1970
Right, Barbara Hepworth, ‘A Quiet Form’, 1970–75 © Tate
