Like candy to a child’s eyes, the jewelry of the self-taught designer Dima Rashid has become quite a sight for women to wistfully stare at. It is never an easy decision to make: the liquorice sticks or the strawberry lollies? The ruby and sapphire earrings or the tourmaline necklace? The options are endless and, unfortunately, the depths of one’s pockets are limited.
After seven years of creating unique pieces from gold, silver, precious and semi-precious stones, Rashid has quite a story to tell.
In the wake of the second Intifada in 2000, Rashid left Palestine with her family and came to Egypt. Here she found a plethora of resources and a lot of inspiration.
“Egypt is a serious melting pot, and I suppose that is why I was able to settle down well. In addition, the workmanship of different crafts in Egypt is of a very high level, thus serving her curiosities of playing around to create small pieces of simple jewelry. Today, good craftsmanship is the trademark of Rashid’s products.
She started working with anklets, beads and leather strands and in three months “it took me to a different level. I taught myself off the internet, and took my stones and ideas to my personal jeweler directing him what to do with it all.
Thus her first collection was born: “Basic rough handmade pieces that were limited to me and my friends. Today, Rashid’s pieces are anything but rough and limited to a few supportive friends. Celebrities such as Eva Mendes, Victoria Beckham and Vanessa Williams regularly sport her creations.
Rashid uses stones rarely seen in conventional jewelry stores: her current collection of jewelry highlighted with crysophrase, a stone from the emerald family, is dazzlingly set on gold. Her trademark evil eye suspended with tourmaline stones redefines the conventional design, and the profusion of color dripping from every piece brings one’s senses to life, like a child who can taste and smell a toffee that is still in a jar.
This fixation with color and form starts when Rashid buys the stones. “I sit with the stones for maybe two days and sketch designs based on each individual stone and what the stone relays to me as a design.
These sophisticated designs didn’t always take form easily, and it took time for Rashid to develop both her style and craft.
During an Easter break Rashid spent with her family in Paris, she was interrupted during dinner by a female patron who had been staring at her throughout the evening. She asked Rashid about her earrings, and asked the designer if she could see other jewelry she might have in her room.
At 7:30 am the next day, Rashid was woken up by the reception desk informing her that a woman was asking to see her. Mysterious and insistent, the dinner patron walked into the room while Rashid, still groggy from sleep, was wearing her bathrobe. The woman looked at Rashid’s collection for two hours without speaking and then purchased two earrings. She left her business card on the way out.
It was only when Rashid went back to bed and woke up later that she read the woman’s name: Natasha Fraser, Chief Editor of Harper’s Bazaar.
“I called her up to apologize when I realized who she was only to hear her tell me she booked me an appointment with jewelry designer duo Erickson Beamon in London. The rest is history.
Rashid went back to Egypt for a week and worked on a collection to show the duo when she met with them later in London. Having always been their client, it was astonishing to her that the duo who had revolutionized the field wanted to carry and sell her personal creations.
In another surprising turn of events, Rashid called British Vogue asking to speak to the editor of the jewelry accessories section, who answered the call herself, laughing at Rashid’s presumption that she could see her upon request, but grudgingly granting her an appointment. She too loved Rashid’s unique and original jewelry that was deemed years ahead of the trend.
Soon after, Brazilian supermodel Giselle appeared on the cover of Vogue wearing earrings designed by Rashid.
“Despite my [initial] disbelief and lack of confidence in what I was doing, I can’t tell you what I felt when I saw Giselle on the cover wearing my earrings, says Rashid.
Today, Harvey Nicks, Barneys and Neiman Marcus are some of the retailers that carry her lines in various outlets.
What distinguishes Rashid’s jewelry is its ability to compliment women of different ages, with different styles for all occasions. A item could be an understated piece of artistry by day, and an exclamation of color by night.
Rashid never likes to follow trends, urging the pieces to create a look for themselves. “Trends are three month situations, but jewelry is for loving and wearing, passing it on. Your mother, yourself, your daughter can all wear a single piece.
And due to her emphasis on the durability of her jewelry, she insists on using the best quality stones from Jaipur, India.
“I source my stones from a family that have dedicated their lives for generations to working with stones. They have a reverence and respect for these stones, believing that nature reveals the natural inherent beauty of a stone to man and therefore, one shouldn’t tamper with the stone beyond the initial shaping of it or its cutting.
Here, Rashid is referring to the practice of heating stones to intensify their colors which results in tampered stones of poor quality.
“This family enjoys highlighting to designers and customers the natural properties of the stones, and unlike the gold which I use – which no one can guarantee is ethically sourced – I can guarantee both the quality and the sourcing of the stone. It is the duty of designers to ensure, particularly in this day when we are all concerned with the Green climate effort, that jewelry is as environmentally friendly as possible.
Although Rashid could expand her business into an emporium if she relied on cheaper stones, she isn’t willing to sacrifice quality or ethics for profit. “A beautiful stone is like loving a child whom you watch grow, revealing different aspects of their personalities to you over time, says Rashid.
Each piece is monumental in both its artistry and execution, guaranteeing any woman fortunate enough to own an item by Rashid a piece of art to treasure and share, like delicious candy.
Check Dima Rashid’s collection at her Zamalek boutique, 4 Salah Eldin Street, fourth floor, Zamalek, Cairo.
