It’s not often that a young jewelry designer plants herself at the lobby of a global toy company’s headquarters in Singapore for days in the hopes of speaking with someone about a design idea that she had conceived years earlier. But that didn’t deter Nadine Ghosn, founder and designer of NGFJ.

“I just showed up at their headquarters every day and refused to leave until they gave me the name of a contact person, “says Ghosn. It wasn’t until someone Googled her, took her ID and ran her information, when they realized she was exactly who she claimed to be.

All this for permission to launch her latest jewelry collection, “Building Blocks.” On the surface, the construction resembles a very famous children’s toy that adds and snaps into place, creating spaces, places, and characters.

It was only after Ghosn submitted her sketches for their review that Lego finally green lighted Ghosn’s collection with the understanding that she would not be using their four letter name.

Inspired by the colorful shapes, functionality, and the joy from childhood nostalgia of the toy, the collection reflects a deeper layer in Ghosn’s life during a recent difficult period, the concept of rebuilding. 

Recent global newsworthy events affected Ghosn’s life, both personally and professionally, but she was determined to persist, to keep life moving forward, and to continue finishing her collection. 

“We’re always building in our lives. Each piece from this collection reminds us that any of life’s challenges can be overcome-step by step, block by block. We are constantly assembling and reassembling pieces as we construct our collective stories,” explains Ghosn.

When her manufacturer in Beirut was on hold due to the chemical explosion and her vendor in Italy was on lockdown due to the global pandemic, she pursued another gem cutter willing and capable to see her vision through to her exact specifications. Ghosn discovered someone in Thailand interested to undertake her designs. 

Each ring, topped with the iconic circle and square shape, is created from a single stone. The colored stones reflect the primary colors of the original toys, and Ghosn uses jade, agate, white quartz, diamonds, and rubies to represent the block shapes. The bands and bases are precious metals of white and rose gold. The eye catching piece in the collection, The Bling Block Ring, weighs in at 3.33ct of diamonds, set in 18k white gold.

Launching her new collection has also allowed Ghosn to pursue interesting partnerships. Her obvious next step is to collaborate with Lego in an official capacity, hoping to replicate the success of her campaign with McDonald’s for the launch of her hamburger ring. She’s optimistic that the opportunity will present itself in time and is patiently waiting. But her days sitting at their HQ’s lobby are finished for now.