Hassan Bounkit began designing rings for a very special person…

“My mother never wears her wedding band, but always has a cocktail ring on her finger,” says Hassan Bounkit. His eponymous jewelry line, rich in candy-colored stones and bold, organic forms, gives his mother and women the world over ample choice of tantalizing jewels.

His sculptural necklaces and statement earrings, in hues like green onyx, aquamarine, tiger’s eye and smoky quartz, add interest to any outfit. Bounkit designs have attracted the notice of an impressive roster of major celebrities, including Liv Tyler, Salma Hayek, and Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively and Leighton Meester.

But the most satisfying celebrity fan so far has been none other than First Lady Michelle Obama: “I loved when Oprah chose to wear some of my designs, and Michelle Obama asked her whose jewelry she was wearing,” he says.

Another admirer? Perhaps unsurprisingly, his mother: “She likes statement rings so much that in the past, every time I traveled abroad I had to go to a local jewelry market to find a ring to bring back to her,” Hassan says. “That’s the main reason I started designing rings two years ago… Now I am relieved, I don’t have to look for a ring to give her each time I travel.”

Mothers and wives, take note: jewelry-making courses suddenly seem like an excellent holiday gift idea for sons and husbands… or you could just introduce them to Bounkit.