November’s – ‘The Fine Jewellery Issue’ – Download Now

Her Highness Sheikha Sana Al Maktoum is encouraging women to find their inner strength through one treasured piece of jewellery at a time.

“I never feel fully dressed until I put on my jewellery each morning,” Her Highness Sheikha Sana Al Maktoum says. “I love unique, can’t-be-missed pieces that reflect my inner strength and help set the tone for my day.” This is exactly why Her Highness launched her eponymous jewellery brand this year. Sana Al Maktoum Fine Jewellery aims to help women find their inner-strength through her bespoke designs.

Following in the footsteps of her grandmother, whom she was named after, it was seeing her grandmother’s tenacity and hard work that ignited a light in Her Highness to do the same. “I decided to launch a jewellery line because growing up I saw my grandmother, who I was named after, take meetings at all times of the day in order to manage her businesses and I remember seeing the spark in her eye as she tackled one challenging business decision after another,” she tells Emirates Woman. “I was in awe of her strength and independence and I wanted to challenge myself to find my strength and to channel it towards my passion – jewellery.”

Throughout her younger years, Her Highness was in awe of her grandmother, Sheikha Sana Al Maktoum, not only for her grit in carving her own path, working hard, but also for being an avid jewellery collector. The Sana Al Maktoum Fine Jewellery founder went on to develop a clear passion for jewellery – collecting vintage jewellery books through the years, which she would look through for hours. This led her to go onto study at the Gemological Institute. “My love of jewellery is something that I just can’t help, so I wanted to lean into it and learn everything I could about the business which is why I pursued diplomas in Jewellery Design and Diamond Grading from both the Gemological Institute of America and the International Gemological Institute,” she says. “Throughout the process of getting these diplomas, I knew that I had found my calling and that I could launch an ethical and honest business built around something I am so passionate about.”

Harnessing her passion for jewellery and her study experience, Her Highness came to launch her brand just this year in August, all the while keeping her grandmother’s legacy at the forefront of her mind. Her first collection for Sana Al Maktoum Fine Jewellery entitled ‘My Treasure’ is an ode to her late grandmother, using butterflies as the symbol. “Butterflies are symbols of transformation and beauty and she grew up at a time when options were limited for women, but she didn’t let that stop her,” Sheikha Sana explains. “She found a way to shine and to help others shine which is why I consider her a treasure.”

Her Highness’ first collection features 13 pieces, incorporating pavé-set diamonds alongside pink, yellow or blue sapphires in yellow, white or rose gold encasings, all featuring butterflies. Sheikha Sana explains that each piece is “designed to be worn alone or layered together, each creation honours the memory of a remarkable woman and encourages the wearer to embark on a journey to find her own inner treasure”.

Not only has Her Highness put women at the forefront of her mind when designing her first collection, but the essence of her namesake brand is also honesty. “As a modern brand I wanted to ensure that certain values rang true in my jewellery so I focused not only on the design but also on the source of my jewels, ensuring all the jewels I use are conflict-free by utilising only Kimberly Process-Certified jewellery in my pieces,” she says. “Being ethical in business is extremely important to me.” The KPCS process was established by the United Nations in 2000 as an effort to stop the trade of conflict diamonds. Sana Al Maktoum Fine Jewellery also ensures that every diamond that goes into our pieces is of top quality (VVS-VS), meaning the diamond clarity is extremely high.

While Sana Al Maktoum Fine Jewellery is still very young, Her Highness is working towards building a long-lasting brand that “will grow and mature with me as I continue to learn from experience”. With the inspiring message she aims to portray with her brand, there’s no doubt Her Highness will be able to flourish with Sana Al Maktoum Fine Jewellery. “I want Sana Al Maktoum Fine Jewellery to help inspire women to look within themselves to find strength,” she says. “Women can do anything they set their minds to and I want my jewellery to remind them of that.”

November’s – ‘The Fine Jewellery Issue’ – Download Now

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