Symbolic Statements: Arab Jewelry Brands Expressing Creative Solidarity With Palestine
For eons, jewelry remained a quintessential part of our daily fashion but also our culture. Wearing a specific piece of jewelry can be a powerful form of self-expression. When it comes to the ongoings in Gaza, jewelry can also be a great tool to express your support. Across the region, artisans and jewelry makers took out their shears and calipers and began etching out statement pieces symbolic of the thriving nation of Palestine. Let’s meet some brands that showed creative solidarity.
Watan Palenstine (Jordan)
Serving both the East and West with storefronts in Amman and Chicago, Watan Palestine is the unique art studio dedicated to exploring Palestinian heritage and identity. Through expert craftsmanship, they produce cool products linked to Palestine like their stackable Palestine Map wooden dishes or Mahmoud Darwish Arabic coffee cups. Along with that, they specialize in crafting unique pieces of jewelry symbolizing the Palestinian land. Some great options include their mini Palestinian flag stud earrings, golden classic keffiyeh pattern etched rings and their delicate Rhinestone encrusted Palestine map necklaces.
Dima Jewellery (Egypt)
Since 2003, Dima Jewellery has been making beautifully handcrafted pieces that meld both the ancient and modern worlds. Founded by Dima Rashid, an entrepreneur of Palestinian roots who made a home for herself in Egypt. Pooling from her mixed identity and experience, she created several pieces of jewelry devoted to bringing the Palestinian nation to the limelight. Tuning into her passion and talent, she crafted a necklace in the shape of a key to symbolize the Palestinian key, a symbol of all the homes lost in the Nakba. She included a red gem in the key to symbolize the undying fight of the martyrs in Palestine. Her collection also includes a simple Palestine map necklace.
Tiba By Kinzzi (UAE)
Dubai-based and female-founded by two entrepreneurs, Dana Jaber and Rasha Abdelhadi, Kinzzi is an online lifestyle marketplace that offers everything from fashion essentials to homeware items. Being so diverse in their collection of products, they also craft unique pieces of jewelry many of which symbolize Palestine. Bringing something special to the forefront is their Tiba collection which means kindness in Arabic and includes jewelry pieces for men and women. For men, there’s their lava bead bracelet with a Palestine metal map while for women, they created a delicate Palestine map bracelet encrusted with white diamonds. Along with that their collection also includes necklaces like their green aventurine chip beaded necklace with a diamond-encrusted Palestine map outline.
Galassia Jewellery (Palestine)
Bringing something new to the jewelry game is Bethlehem-based Galassia jewelry, a Palestinian brand that handcrafts necklaces, earrings and bracelets using delicate mosaic and silver. Each piece of jewelry is akin to a work of art, bursting with color and unique illustrations. In support of Palestine, the brand crafted several pieces devoted to celebrating the country and its culture. Their pieces include ombre-hued Palestine map earrings, micro mosaic watermelon necklaces and a necklace shaped as a rectangle mosaic illustration of old Jerusalem.
Elmas Jewellery (Jordan)
Specializing in silver jewelry is the Jordanian Elmas Jewellery, a storefront at Amman’s Marj alhamam that crafts simple, elegant and classy jewelry. For Palestine, the brand made several pieces in different styles and variations to take part in the ongoing support for the nation. At their store, one of their special items includes a mini Palestine map charm made specially for Pandora bracelets. They also have their very own Palestine map necklaces engraved with Arabic calligraphy that translates to “friends are home to each other”, referring to how Gazans find solitude in each other’s company.
ZS Jewelry (UAE)
Known as a family business, the Dubai-based and online jewelry store is known to offer a carefully curated selection of pieces that reflect a passion and love for jewelry making. From sparkling rings to delicate necklaces, they offer a huge collection of handcrafted jewelry. In honor of Palestine, they put a lot of effort into crafting a wide and creative collection with a unique variety of designs. In their necklace collection, they have an 18-karat gold hung keffiyeh necklace, a red, white and green “From The River To The Sea” necklace as well as Palestine’s map necklace with flag color stones. While for their bracelet collection, they have a simple watermelon bracelet as a gem-encrusted Palestine map bracelet.
Seeing how all these brands tapped into their talent and creativity to represent Palestine and its powerful symbols in the form of artistic jewelry showcases the level of solidarity present across the region and even the globe at large.
