Confession: jewellery is my weakness. 

A while back though I had a problem with buying fine jewellery for myself. The only gold jewellery I did own were gifts - left to collect dust in my jewellery box. You know the type - over-sized braided chains, numerous bangle bracelets, and the heavy pendants that scream "you need to be over 40 to wear me." I appreciated the gifts, but wearing any of it made me feel like a fortune teller, rather than a diva - and when did my small hands earn the right to carry such weighty, self-important jewellery?

Ultimately, I resorted to overpriced costume jewellery. You know, the sort of jewellery that breaks and chips easily, with little hope of repair... like ever. Very quickly its colour changes, it starts to rub off and stain your skin green – and then the statement necklaces start to state all the wrong things. 

As such, I decided to gather an assortment of youthful fine jewellery brands available in Egypt that offer cool, trendy designs without blowing the budget...

M Collection

M Collection is a line by Samy Abdou Youssef's House of Select - known to one of the oldest jewelers in the country. “Melina Argyriou (my partner) and I created M collection specifically to cater for young women," says Mina Abdou Youssef, founder of M Collection. "All our designs are fresh and minimal."  The range features stacked rings, charms, anklets you can turn into bracelets, baby pins with pearls and mini crowns, as well as customized beaded and threaded jewelry.

Prices start from EGP 1,500
Available at House of Select (Heliopolis), Pop-Up store (Downtown Mall Kattameya) and Michael Kirolos (Alexandria).
Or just follow them on Instagram here.

Dima 

A fantastic addition to fine jewellery is colour. Not your generic sparkly stuff, Dima’s colourful creations have charms, stones, and trinkets to suit all tastes. “my inspiration is related to everything from traveling, books, nature and even buildings – lately I’ve been inspired by vintage styles and gypsies – they’re all unrelated things and this helps me stay away from what’s trending.”

Ps. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen was featured on the cover of Vogue wearing Dima’s jewellery, do I really need to say anything else about this brand?

1 Kamel Mohamed, 6th floor- suit 23, Zamalek, Cairo
Check out Dima online here.

Ammanii 

Crescents and celestial motifs are totally having a moment – and we've been going starry-eyed over LA-based Ammanii’s debut collection ‘Sa’maa,’ inspired by Egyptian designer Amany Shaker’s love for skylines. The collection features 18 gold plated silver pieces; all dominated by a star and crescent. 

You can shop Ammanii online and at RAX store.
And follow them on Instagram here. 

 Michael Oro Jewellery

Keep your jewellery game on-point with Michael Oro’s dainty gold and diamond chokers and stacked rings. We’re also in love with their full ear cuff statement earrings – there’s something undeniably edgy and unique about these sleek diamond climbers; absolute showstoppers. “I’m not an old-school jeweller – the jewellery market is undoubtedly shifting to target the youth. Our collection shows that gold and diamonds can be fashion-forward, affordable, trendy, simple but also far from basic,” says Micheal Malak, owner of Michael Oro Jewellery.

34 Baghdad Street, Korba
And you can follow them on Instagram here. 

LX2 Studio

This one is a little rough around the edges. LX2 Studio recently launched their first collection of rose gold jewellery, with black and white diamonds, and rubies. Their pieces are bold and sharp; the interplay between industrial metallic lines and fine rows of gems, makes for delicate designs that can still be worn as a statement. The shadows and lights still found in Berlin’s abandoned factories, the machines left behind that were once the heart of it all inspired the shapes used in LX2' Studio's jewellery. “Our mission is to create minimalistic, edgy jewellery that will make every woman look and feel uniquely beautiful,” says Lina Kobeissi, co-owner of LX2 - Mission accomplished, Lina!

You can shop LX2 online. Check out their Instagram here.  

Katchouni Jewellery

Diamonds aren't a girl’s best friend. They're the BESTEST friend ever. If you’re looking for dainty, sleek jewellery with a little sparkle, Katchouni isthe answer. Specialising in diamonds, Katchouni offers glamorous jewellery that is suitable — and subtle enough — for everyday wear. “We love the beauty and elegance in simplicity and love being inspired by the ever-changing trends,” the owners told us. 

A bit pricier than most – prices start at EGP 4,000 but you get what you’re paying for.

3 El-Malek El-Fadl, Abu Al Feda, Zamalek
And you can follow them on Instagram here.

Cherif El Sirgany Joailliers

This youthful collection flaunts the house’s signature feature, semi-precious circular and cubic stones as center pieces. “This collection is all about colour. I travel to countries like Brazil, India, and Australia and hand-pick every stone – they’re hard to find and I only buy one of each,” says Mahmoud Sergani, owner of Cherif El Sirgany Joailliers. Another collection by Cherif El Sirgany Joailliers’ focuses on symbolic jewellery with small diamonds starting from only EGP 2,000.

The best part? You can shop at Cherif El Sirgany Joailliers from the comfort of your living room – yes online!

6 El-Malek El-Fadl, Abu Al Feda, Zamalek.
And follow them on Instagram here. 

AMAZING

It's 2017. Women no longer wait for men to shower them with jewels. This Danish franchise, owned by Pandora’s founder, positions itself as a brand that encourages ‘sisters to do it for themselves.’ “We’re calling all independent women to stop by non-occasionally and treat themselves to a stunning piece of silver and gold plated works of art,” tells us Rasha Hassan, marketing manager of AMAZING.

We're loving how affordable price range is. EGP 250 to 1,200 and with ongoing promotions: BUY TWO AND GET ONE FREE.

You can find AMAZING at their booth in city stars, 3^rd floor.
And follow them on Instagram here.

Beit Ghaly

Beit Ghaly offers unconventional and out of the box designs, proving fine jewellery can be fun too. Each piece is inspired by nature, history, and symbology like flamenco Spanish dancers, the fusion of arabesque stars, and native Americans ‘dream catchers’. “I try to transform different forms of beauty that we see around us into pieces of jewellery using advanced techniques in production like 3D printing and laser cutting,” says Nazih Shafik Ghaly, co-owner of Beit Ghaly.

Thin pieces keep the cost down, starting from only EGP 1000

21, Gueziret Al Arab, Mohandessin Cairo, Egypt
Check them out on Instagram here. 

El Mawardy

A traditional jeweler with settings and styles to make any girl swoon. I'm particularly obsessed with these spiral earrings that can effortlessly transition from day pieces to nightwear. 

El Marwardy has built a trustworthy reputation as the ultimate gold and diamond expert in Egypt. 'Sun, Sea and Sand' is their most recent line, which combines elegance with just the right amount of playfulness. From delicate and dainty to statement gems galore, Mawardy's takes every look up a notch. “It’s all very colourful - we use trendy stones like rubies, turquoise, pearls, opals and sapphire,” says Aly Abdel Aziz and Aly Ahmed El Mawardy, Managing Directors of El Mawardy. The collection’s delicate necklaces and chokers just beg to be layered, and would look particularly good combined with pieces from ‘Enchanted’ - another youthful line by El Mawardy, where the pieces are meticulously engineered to give a perfect illusion of natural whole-carat diamonds. 

They have nine branches scattered around Cairo.
You can follow them on Instagram here.

Main Image from left to right: AMAZING, M Collection and El Mawardy