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Alaghband and 100 Stories of Love: How did the concept of “Love” bring together Mohammad Ehsai, Homayoun Shajarian, and MohammadAli Alaghband?
These days, on the stage of Middle Eastern art, the sparkle of the jewel piece “Love” has captivated eyes; “Love” with one hundred alluring and diverse designs from the Alaghband jewelry brand [Alaghband's Eshq Collection].
A special piece of jewelry that is rooted in three icons: music, poetry, and calligraphy‑painting, and precisely because of this, it distinguishes itself in the world of jewelry.
Ḥob حب, Love, Amour, L’amour, Eshgh or Eshq عشق … In every language, it illustrates the most beautiful emotions that transform a person’s mood;
The magic of love, this romantic feeling, still holds a mythical aspect and has never diminished in its lofty importance throughout history.
Lovers still reign supreme and love remains the center of the universe!
And it’s interesting to know that even in our mechanized era, “love” is more attractive than ever, and the phrase “What is love?” in English was the most searched expression in Google’s English search engine in 2012.
And now, in Spring 2025, an Iranian group in the heart of the Middle East has brought “Love” from artistic perspectives under the title “Who is Love ?” to the headlines of art and jewelry news.
Certainly, love has its own definition, scent, taste, and shape for each individual,
And perhaps it is for this reason that, based on the initiative of Mohammadali Alaghband, founder, director, curator, and chief designer of the Alaghband jewelry brand, none of these hundred loves is like another, and each one has been presented with a unique design made especially for one person only.
What is the story of the birth of the “Love” series in Alaghband jewelry?
About a year ago, Master Homayoun Shajarian [one of the intellectuals of Iranian music with tens of millions of fans] suggested to Mohammadali Alaghband to collaborate on the unveiling of the song “Az Doost Dashtan” (About Loving).
“Az Doost Dashtan” is a poem by the renowned Iranian poetess Forough Farrokhzad [Dec 29, 1934 – Feb 13, 1967], who, in addition to her distinct poetry, is known among Iranians and even Middle Eastern literati due to her untimely death at age 32.
This charming song, composed by Vahid Pouyan, sung by Homayoun Shajarian, and accompanied by Bahareh Bahari, was ready for release. And it was requested from the Alaghband brand—which always takes a cultural stance in creating jewelry in addition to aesthetic action—to accompany this concept.
Mohammadali Alaghband eagerly reflected for a while to find a way to implement this collaboration, and finally decided to design a piece of jewelry on the theme of Love, to be introduced alongside the song.
To create this Love, various Iranian and Arab artists came to his mind, until Homayoun Shajarian himself suggested that this jewelry, taken from the Love series, be inspired by the calligraphy‑paintings of the prominent Iranian master “Seyed Mohammad Ehsai”.
Mohammad Ehsai, born in 1939 in Qazvin, is one of the pioneers of contemporary calligraphy in Iran and the Middle East. He has a fusion approach combining traditional calligraphy with modern expression, and the Love series is a clear example of that.
Master Ehsai, by blending tradition and modernity, has created a visual language based on the flow and curves of letters and words, which has gained global recognition with his signature. After many years of practicing traditional calligraphy, he achieved modern readings of Persian and Arabic words, now celebrated in the art world.
That is why his earliest experiences—dating back to the 1960s and 70s—were recently exhibited in the 2024 Venice Biennale, in the curatorial section at the Giardini gardens.
Ehsai’s works are preserved in museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and The British Museum,
And his works enjoy growing popularity in the art market, with notable records such as a $1 million sale at Christie’s auction [2008].
Master Ehsai’s Love series is among his most stunning works; he also has a strong background in graphic design and made full use of this art in creating this series.
In this collection, Love turns in four directions, indicating its all‑encompassing nature.
The combination of curved, ribbon‑like lines creates a kind of dynamism, rhythm, and energy in the center, prompting the viewer to visually rotate around the core.
The interwoven structure of letters reflects the complexity, entanglement, and even contradiction of love.
The lines are executed symmetrically and rotationally, which may symbolize the continuity, timelessness, restlessness, and placelessness of love.
Using different thicknesses in the letters creates a kind of visual depth.
This work is understandable for the traditional audience [in terms of script and meaning], and attractive to the modern audience [in terms of visual form], and so on…
Now, to describe the unique beauty of the Love jewelry, it is enough to say that Master Ehsai, upon seeing these “Love necklaces” in small and large sizes, was amazed by their design and execution and said:
“Bravo! Creating these curves and knots is extremely difficult even for a calligrapher, let alone rendering them in the form of jewelry; truly, the Love jewelry has been created masterfully, and I offer my respects to its designer.”
Mohammadali Alaghband also believes:
“To create a jewelry piece like Love, more than sculpting or jewelry‑making skills are needed; for such a concept, the designer must understand love themselves and have experienced it. If this work has reached a level where Master Mohammad Ehsai confirms it, then surely, this elixir has been present.”
Interestingly, Persian speakers familiar with literature and music have also found numerous connections between this piece of jewelry, Forough’s poetry, and Homayoun’s musical innovation in this work.
For example, when Forough said :
“If life were to happen a thousand times,
Once more you, once more you”
This circular rotation and endless repetition of the Love jewelry in four directions symbolizes exactly that point.
As if the world, from a lover’s viewpoint, is circular—and no matter how far you run or go, the center of the world is Love and the Beloved.
And certainly, the fact that Homayoun Shajarian, who like his father is the heir to classical Persian singing and in this piece also stirs hearts with Persian vocal modes, for the first time creates a work with Spanish musical elements, shows that same blend of tradition and modernism which is clearly reflected in the sparkle of this Love jewelry…
About the Love jewelry series and its 100 unique editions, each designed uniquely for just one individual, there is still so much to be written…
Final note:
The song “Az Doost Dashtan” with poetry by Forough Farrokhzad, recording, mixing, and mastering by Kaveh Abedini, was released on May 23 and is now available on music streaming platforms.
The music video of this work was produced under the design and direction of Ramin Heidari Faroughi.
Sahar Forouzan was the project manager, and Alaghband Gallery supported the release as one of the other executive collaborators.
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