Rook Blog — Nadeem Crowe
Misk Albahr Almayit - The Inspiration
I was born in Amman, Jordan to a Jordanian mother and English father. My mother was quite the pioneering woman and in fact was the first female to appear on TV in the Middle East, presenting the news in English.
My father's work brought the family back to the UK. Strong family connections are inherent to Arabic culture which mean frequent long summers spent back in Amman.
The thirty minute drive from Amman to the Dead Sea is beautifully scenic. Winding sand dunes, fruit sellers by the highway and shepherds herding their livestock. Eventually the beautiful Dead Sea comes in...
4160 Tuesdays Opal Workshop
On Wednesday I attended a workshop run by 4160 Tuesdays in collaboration with Gill Wing Jewellery in Islington.
Gill Wing currently have a fascinating exhibition called Fire and Facets. Several designers have created stunning pieces of jewellery each with opal stone at their heart.
"Each opal has been hand cut for this special show by Loren Gurche of Ancients 17. Loren is a paleontology student who carves natural gemstones in between excavating dinosaur skeletons. His magical opals caught the imagination of social media queen A Thousand Facets, known for championing independent designers by sharing them online to jewellery lovers all...
Broken Wings, Glenn Close and The Exorcist
Where science and art meet
My journey to this point has been quite convoluted to say the least. Having studied medicine at University College London and graduating as a doctor in 2010, I somewhat thought my life and career were all planned out.
I worked as a doctor full time for a few years but gradually felt a void in my life. When I applied to medical school I was always advised that universities like "well rounded people." Well I had many passions, particularly music, which I had to push aside once in the world of medicine.
In my final year of medical school I...
You won't offend me...
Sometimes when people smell a fragrance I have made, I can see the concern in their eyes that they don't like it and don't want to offend me. I quickly reassure them that they won't.
When I design a niche fragrance it is of course my nose it has appealed to initially. When I then bottle that fragrance and make it available to others; it is an amazing joy to be able to share with others where my nose has lead me.
This is for me the joy of perfumery. Thousands of noses all around the world creating a potion...