Aya Alshalal is an Iraqi-Canadian jewellery designer and multidisciplinary artist based in London, who recently completed her MA in Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins following a background in Architecture and Material Art & Design. Working at the intersection of contemporary jewellery, craft, and cultural research, her practice is informed by a family history of curating, collecting and preserving tribal and Bedouin crafts, jewellery, silversmithing traditions, textiles, and material culture from Iraq and the wider SWANA region.

Her work reinterprets endangered Iraqi and Bedouin jewellery traditions by combining traditional craft with sculptural/experimental forms and digital processes. By creating speculative collections that preserve and evolve cultural heritage for contemporary fashion cultures and alternative diasporic communities, Alshalal explores how ancestral knowledge can remain relevant through changing identities, modes of dress, and cultural expression.

For inquiries, pricing, or consultations, please contact:

       
Iyuhstudios@gmail.com , @iyuhstudios ↗

Education
MA Design: Ceramice, Furniture, Jewellery 
Central Saint Martins
2026

Environmental Design Major +
Material Arts & Design Minor
OCAD University 
2021


Employment
Founder 
IYUH Jewellry
2023 - present


Assistant Professor
University of Guelph-Humber
2021-2024

Architectural Technologist
ATA Architects INC
2022-2023

Program Coordinator and Interior Designer
Shoot For Peace
2023-2024

Graphic Designer and Customer Service Representative
KUVRD
2021
Exhabitions, Awards and Projects 
Highly Commended Award at New Designers by AGC Associazione Gioiello Contemporaneo 
Awarding excillence and innovation in contemporary Jewellery
July 2026

New Designers 2026 — Exhibitor
London, UK
July 2026

Central Saint Martins MA Degree Show
University of the Arts London
London, UK
June 2026

Future of Inhabited form Gallery
Florance, Italy
May 2018

GradEx 106
OCAD University
Toronto, Canada
June 2021


Software Proficiency
Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
Rhinoceros 3D (Rhino)
Autodesk Revit
Autodesk AutoCAD
Autodesk Fusion 360
V-Ray


Skills
Graphic design
Creative direction
3D visualization and rendering
Freehand sketching and concept development
Design research
Advanced materials knowledge and specification
Prototyping and model making
3D printing
Casting
Traditional jewellery craftsmanship: Soldering, Fabrication, Engraving, Metal forming, Finishing and polishing


Press
So Mint Issue   
Current Obsession Magazine 
Aug 2026

ObjectObjectsObjectsObjects
The people and stories behind their creations
Aug 2026 

  
Cargo® Demo SiteSample Prvw (Material)Demo Index p.(1-21)

Iyuh Portfolio of Selected Works
London, United Kingdom Based. Jewellery that connects cultural memory with today's alternative SWANA subcultures, drawing parallels between contemporary communities and the original Indigenous tribes whose knowledge, visual languages, and craft traditions continue to inspire the work. Each piece explores how ancestral heritage can evolve while remaining visible and worn.

4

Niyya Earrings
May 2026

Bold sculptural statement earrings that explore visual weight through lightweight construction. Inspired by the suspended forms of traditional Bedouin adornment, they reinterpret ancestral jewellery languages using a hybrid process of hand-sculpting, digital modelling, and silver casting. Designed to create movement, presence, and comfort, the earrings balance exaggerated volume with everyday wearability.



Dimensions: 11 × 6 × 4 cm
Materials: Recycled sterling silver (for orders)Residual Bodies
First debut at Central Saint Martins


Hand-carved and digitally developed. Copper electroformed with a silver-plated finish. Custom and recycled sterling silver commissions available.
Lorem Ipsum...

Photographer: Zahra Alnajjar
Model:  khuloud.alo
Edited by:  Aya Alshalal

3.1
3.3
Residual Bodies is a jewellery collection born from the study of volume, movement, and the performative presence of endangered Indigenous and Bedouin Crafts. Inspired by the way jewellery extends the body and communicates identity, resilience, and power, the collection explores how sculptural volume can become a language of visibility and cultural strength.

Rooted in the cultural Sacrality of silver as a material of protection, value, and memory, the project reinterprets endangered Iraqi and Bedouin jewellery traditions through contemporary design. Combining handcraft with digital processes, the collection seeks not to replicate the past, but to carry ancestral knowledge forward.

Influenced by both Indigenous tribal adornment and contemporary alternative subcultures, Residual Bodies imagines jewellery as a living archive one that preserves the craftsmanship of displaced and disappearing communities while creating new spaces for cultural expression, belonging, and continuity.

3

Citra Earrings
May 2026

Sculptural forms inspired by the protruding volumes of Bedouin jewellery and craft traditions, reinterpreted through contemporary making.


Dimensions: 6 × 6 × 6 cm
Materials: Recycled sterling silver (for orders)
Residual Bodies
First debut at Central Saint Martins

Hand-carved and digitally developed. Copper  with a silver-plated finish. Custom and recycled sterling silver commissions available.
Lorem Ipsum...
Lorem Ipsum...

Photographer: Zahra Alnajjar
Model: khuloud.alo
Edited by:  Aya Alshalal
3.1
3.2
Residual Bodies is a jewellery collection born from the study of volume, movement, and the performative presence of endangered Indigenous and Bedouin Crafts. Inspired by the way jewellery extends the body and communicates identity, resilience, and power, the collection explores how sculptural volume can become a language of visibility and cultural strength.

Rooted in the cultural Sacrality of silver as a material of protection, value, and memory, the project reinterprets endangered Iraqi and Bedouin jewellery traditions through contemporary design. Combining handcraft with digital processes, the collection seeks not to replicate the past, but to carry ancestral knowledge forward.

Influenced by both Indigenous tribal adornment and contemporary alternative subcultures, Residual Bodies imagines jewellery as a living archive one that preserves the craftsmanship of displaced and disappearing communities while creating new spaces for cultural expression, belonging, and continuity.

2

Niyya Pendant
May 2026

The Niyya Pendant is composed of sculpted cast forms inspired by the geometric language and ornamental patterns found in Bedouin jewellery and tribal craftsmanship. Reinterpreted through contemporary jewellery design, the pendant explores bold volume, repetition, and architectural form, translating ancestral motifs into a modern sculptural object.


Dimensions: 50.8 cm long chain
Materials: Recycled sterling silver (for orders)
Residual Bodies
First debut at Central Saint Martins

Hand-carved and digitally developed. Copper  with a silver-plated finish. Custom and recycled sterling silver commissions available.
Lorem Ipsum...
Lorem Ipsum...

Photographer: Zahra Alnajjar
Model: khuloud.alo
Edited by:  Aya Alshalal
Residual Bodies is a jewellery collection born from the study of volume, movement, and the performative presence of endangered Indigenous and Bedouin Crafts. Inspired by the way jewellery extends the body and communicates identity, resilience, and power, the collection explores how sculptural volume can become a language of visibility and cultural strength.

Rooted in the cultural Sacrality of silver as a material of protection, value, and memory, the project reinterprets endangered Iraqi and Bedouin jewellery traditions through contemporary design. Combining handcraft with digital processes, the collection seeks not to replicate the past, but to carry ancestral knowledge forward.

Influenced by both Indigenous tribal adornment and contemporary alternative subcultures, Residual Bodies imagines jewellery as a living archive one that preserves the craftsmanship of displaced and disappearing communities while creating new spaces for cultural expression, belonging, and continuity.

1

Mienna Two Finger Ring
May 2026

explores protruding sculptural forms and negative space to create a bold silhouette that extends beyond the hand. Enveloping two fingers, its exaggerated volume creates a strong architectural presence while remaining lightweight and comfortable to wear.

Dimensions: 7 x 5  x 4cm
Materials: Recycled sterling silver (for orders)
Residual Bodies
First debut at Central Saint Martins

Hand-carved and digitally developed. Copper  with a silver-plated finish. Custom and recycled sterling silver commissions available.
Lorem Ipsum...
Lorem Ipsum...


Photographer: Zahra Alnajjar
Model: khuloud.alo
Edited by:  Aya Alshalal
3.1
3.2
3.3
Residual Bodies is a jewellery collection born from the study of volume, movement, and the performative presence of endangered Indigenous and Bedouin Crafts. Inspired by the way jewellery extends the body and communicates identity, resilience, and power, the collection explores how sculptural volume can become a language of visibility and cultural strength.

Rooted in the cultural Sacrality of silver as a material of protection, value, and memory, the project reinterprets endangered Iraqi and Bedouin jewellery traditions through contemporary design. Combining handcraft with digital processes, the collection seeks not to replicate the past, but to carry ancestral knowledge forward.

Influenced by both Indigenous tribal adornment and contemporary alternative subcultures, Residual Bodies imagines jewellery as a living archive one that preserves the craftsmanship of displaced and disappearing communities while creating new spaces for cultural expression, belonging, and continuity.
Top Cargo® Demo Site