Kamushki jewelry: The cherry on top of an outfit

Mariam and Dania Sawedeg

The appearance and rise of Middle Eastern jewelry designers on the international scene has been nothing short of staggering. Today, that rise is talked about with great adulation, especially when it comes to stunning designs that are a luscious mix of vintage and contemporary. Luxury retailers from the West have been promoting them for this very reason. It all comes down to their brand power, which is too big and alluring to ignore.
Part of this increasingly significant trend is the addition of another elegant fine-jewelry line: Kamushki (a Russian term for precious stones), which the Libyan-born, Swiss-raised, London-based sister duo Mariam and Dania Sawedeg founded in 2014. They have been extremely fond of jewelry since they were young. Their style reflects what they want their brand to look like.
“We both love jewelry so much because we grew up under its spell, watching our mother layer her jewelry before going out to grand events,” they said. “We grew up believing that jewelry is a timeless, valuable thing. Our take is that jewelry should always be sentimental, and we wanted to work with each other as sisters.”
While Mariam studied jewelry design at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in London, Dania chose communications and arts, and is therefore more involved with branding their jewelry. Dania always has an eye for current and future trends.
The special thing about their collections is the great story behind each one. Their signature collection “Wishbone” represents where they are from, Libya, where the fish is considered a symbol of protection and good fortune. The sisters wanted to share that with the world via their collection.
“Our pieces are for daring women on the edge who aren’t afraid to take risks in life. We also want our customers to feel as if they’ve purchased something special, unique and cultured,” said Mariam. Dania said: “The Kamushki woman is modern, valiant, loves to accessorize and to invest in pieces of jewelry with a story. Women these days look for jewelry that is timeless and meaningful.”
The influence of their Libyan heritage is evident in their innovative, trendsetting designs. Two of their collections, “Wishbone” and “Cyrene,” a Greek city in eastern Libya, have already demonstrated that incredible bit of history. “We’re very proud of our heritage, which keeps inspiring us in one way or another,” they said.
They are also inspired by their travels and music. “For our recent collections, we named AW16 Stardust after David Bowie and SS17 Diamonds and Pearls after Prince,” said Mariam. “We love to collect pieces from all our travels, and also to play around with our mother’s vintage jewelry.”
For their collections, they source stones from Hong Kong and pearls from Japan. Many of their clients come from as far away as Kuwait, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, which is why the Middle East market is a priority for them.
“It’s very important to us as we’re from Libya,” they said. “An important target for us is Middle Eastern women, because we know they’re willing to try new things. The region is very up and coming, and the women know jewelry extremely well.”
Well-informed about Arab clientele
The sisters are very aware of what pieces of jewelry women in the region will consider buying. “Mostly they love big shiny pieces with a lot of diamonds. With that in mind, our ‘Stardust’ and ‘Wishbone’ collections fit very well with Middle Eastern women’s style. We love extravagance so we love to layer,” said Dania. “Western women love pieces that are delicate and light. This is very true of our ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ collection, and ‘Wishbone’ to an extent.”
Celebrity endorsement is vital to their quest for more international exposure. “It plays a big role and gives a lot of publicity to our brand. It’s one way for us to stay on course,” said Mariam.
What they are doing is proof that jewelry means a great deal to them. “We love fashion too, but our inner conscience strongly reckons that jewelry is the cherry on top of every single outfit,” said Dania. “We don’t lose any chance to collect beautiful pieces from all our travels in any corner of the world, because we love the pieces and they’re our obsession.”
When it comes to their personal style, they have different tastes. While Mariam loves colors, and to mix and match patterns, Dania likes effortless looks that involve plain colors and a piece of jewelry that is chunky and makes a statement. As they map out plans to market their brand globally, there is a big idea behind their business expansion: “We intend to do it by introducing more cultural flavors into our designs,” said Diana.
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