Middle Eastern fashion brand Fyne Jewellery is *setting* itself apart from others in the industry, especially with its consciously created (and beautifully crafted) pieces. Let’s be real, this brand is having a ¬ moment ¬, and female founder Aya Ahmad has been paving the way since a young age.
As a third-generation diamantaire born into a family of diamantaires, it was no surprise that Aya basically *inherited* this love of jewellery. Fun fact: Although the rough diamond trade is very much male-dominated, Fyne Jewellery founder Aya was one of the first females to visit diamond tenders at the time.
Via @fynejewellery on Instagram
Cosmo ME had the chance to chat with the brains behind Fyne’s timeless pieces, Aya Ahmad, about her inspirations, pivotal moments in her career, and how she keeps her heritage connected to her brand. Scroll down to learn more about the Middle Eastern jewellery brand founder…
Get to know Fyne Jewellery’s founder, Aya Ahmad below:
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Cosmo ME: What is the idea behind the brand Fyne Jewellery?
Aya Ahmad: The idea of starting Fyne came to me when I was working in the wholesale diamond industry in Antwerp, Belgium. After attending several international diamond tenders, I realised I was always the only woman in the room. I started to feel that there was an opportunity to introduce a brand where the modern, contemporary woman would feel heard and seen.
When creating Fyne, I wanted every part of the process to be empowering – from the designs to the materials to our overall brand identity and vision. After working in the industry first-hand, I felt the natural decision was to shift toward lab-grown diamonds. I wanted our choice to be an essential part of our vow to the earth – and for our jewellery to inspire women to make improved conscious choices in their everyday lives.
C: Being born into a family of diamantaires, have you always known that this was your path?
A: Most definitely, not. In high school, I excelled in Mathematics and Economics, so I chose to study Finance and Risk Management at university to pursue Investment Banking. After my master’s degree at the London School of Economics, I co-founded a sports app to connect nonprofessional athletes to nearby players and sports facilities. After that experience, I realised the entrepreneurial route came more naturally to me; that’s when I decided to start working with my family.
C: What is your earliest memory of experimenting with jewellery?
A: A few years prior to launching Fyne, I started creating engagement rings and bridal jewellery for my friends, and their referrals on request
C: Fyne Jewellery takes pride in being a sustainable brand that positively impacts communities. Can you tell us more about this and why it’s an important pillar for the brand?
A: Part of being sustainable is also respecting the communities and people that are involved in the making of our products. We cannot be a sustainable brand without including this pillar in our ethos. Using lab-grown diamonds in our jewellery was a choice to respect the wildlife and communities that are usually displaced due to the diamond mining process.
Via @fynejewellery on Instagram
In the past, we have also taken part in campaigns to support refugees as well as raise funds for the creative community in Beirut that lost their workshops and livelihoods after the August 4th explosion. We strongly believe in giving back to underprivileged communities and are working on making this part of our long-term strategy.
C: With the rise in social media, trends in fashion are ever-changing. How do you keep up with the trends, whilst also ensuring that your pieces are timeless?
A: Social media is a great source of inspiration where people can explore the latest styles and trends. However, it can also create a feeling of unworthiness and unnecessary consumption. As a brand, we remain mindful of how we communicate our products as well as how we design them: our minimalist and timeless style is part of our core brand identity. Rather than follow the latest trends, we aim to create staple pieces in each of our collections that can form the foundation of any curated jewellery box.
C: How do you incorporate your heritage into your brand?
I am part of the Lebanese diaspora, but I still feel very deeply connected to my roots.
I come from a beautiful village in the South of Lebanon where we have ancient olive trees, a mountainous landscape that connects to the Mediterranean sea, and limestone houses built four decades ago – passed down through generations. The poetic landscape of this nature, and the generational architecture, fuel so much of my creativity, inspiration, and design aesthetic.
It reminds me that the earth needs to be preserved, not only for nature but for people to continue to live and thrive. It’s this core value that pushes me to consciously create, always designing jewellery with sustainability in mind.
C: Which piece from your collection resonates the most with you, and why?
A: The Dahlia necklace is the first piece I ever designed and created. It fuses together contemporary floral patterns with traditional Islamic motifs to deliver a bold statement that radiates modernity and individuality. It will always be my favourite because it holds a special meaning to me – After 3 years of launching the brand, it is still one of our best sellers and signature piece.
Dahlia Diamond Necklace in Gold Colour, Dhs1,965 at fynejewellery.com
C: What has been a pivotal moment for you in your career?
A: I launched Fyne in November 2019 and 5 months later the COVID pandemic started. At the time I was in Angola and got stuck there for 7 months due to the airport shutdown. Rather than feel a sense of discouragement, I worked on building a community online by collaborating with other businesses and brands to tell our story. I learnt a great deal in that time period – especially how important it is to be patient, find proactive ways to get around challenging situations, and to never give up.
C: Where do you see Fyne Jewellery in the next 5 years?
A: Fyne is ever-evolving, yet we will always have sustainability at our core. We are working on building our presence in the Gulf region, especially in Saudi Arabia as it’s our second-largest market. We are also creating a ready-to-wear lab-grown diamond bridal collection that can be entirely customised through our website. We love what technology has to offer and want to use this to improve the way we connect and interact with our clients.
Via @fynejewellery on Instagram
Surprisingly, almost 100% of our bespoke clients are dealt with on a virtual basis already so we’d like to provide them with more autonomy in the design process. In five years’ time, I’d love to see Fyne as the brand which pioneered the use of lab-grown diamonds in the Middle East.
To shop and learn more about the Middle Eastern jewellery brand, click here.