Introduction
This paper analyzes the works of the Egyptian-born jeweler Azza Fahmy. She is 79 years old, born in 1945, and in 1969 founded her jewelry brand, which is her current field of activity. Her place of origin is the Egyptian city of Sohag, but at the moment, her geographical location is the capital of Egypt, Cairo.
Azza Fahmy received a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design from Helwan University. Particular interest for her during and after her studies was Medieval Jewelry design. Azza Fahmy has an active social media presence, including Instagram, Facebook, and a website. Azza Fahmy’s jewelry makes an invaluable contribution to Egyptian culture, as its designs connect centuries-old history with modernity.
Views on Activity Filed
Azza Fahmy jewelry is distinguished by its meticulous craftsmanship and by the skills used thousands of years ago. Their views on their field of activity are that each of these pieces is created to tell a unique tale to the wearer (Fahmy para. 29). They claim that their signature is to merge many cultures into wearable art while maintaining precise craftsmanship. Azza Fahmy states that their creations are created by expert gold and silversmiths in our design house.
They admit to follow the historic Ottoman system of master, trainer, and trainee (Fahmy para. 23). The benefit of this approach is that it passes down the jewelry-making art from generation to generation, guaranteeing that young artisans learn from the masters while keeping the craft’s enchantment and authenticity (Fahmy para. 19). Thus, Azza Fahmy highlights such qualities of jewelry as maintaining a connection with history, using time-tested methods and uniqueness for each buyer.
Reviews of Practice
Azza Fahmy’s daughter has written a book about her mother’s story and the brand’s founding. The book, with abstracts published on the website, contains various reviews. These are not only customer reviews, but also ratings from colleagues and even former university classmates. They all agree that Azza Fahmy uses the groundbreaking technique of combining gold and silver in the same item (Fahmy para. 10).
She challenges the usual norm of calculating the worth of jewelry based on its gold or silver weight (Fahmy para. 30). Because her designs frequently incorporate both precious metals, their weight cannot be accurately calculated, transforming them into works of art treasured by discerning collectors (Fahmy para. 10). Therefore, the feedback from colleagues allows us to conclude that Azza Fahmy is indeed an innovator and a professional in the field of jewelry.
Distinguishing Features
Azza Fahmy’s distinguishing features are the cultural sense behind each work, the use of filigree technique, and hand piercing. Each piece of jewelry is based on a central, inspiring motif or poem that conveys a specific message to the user (Fahmy para. 27). The filigree technique is gradually losing popularity in favor of other machine-made techniques (Arif and Hashim 7).
However, it is still used at our workshops by Azza Fahmy, who feels that its presence is crucial in the craft of jewelry-making and has relied on it for several of their designs (Fahmy para. 13). The filigree technique resembles lace in appearance, transforming a jewelry piece into an exquisite work of art that is special and unique.
Filigree-style jewelry is made by twisting two metal wires, flattening them, and cutting them into small pieces. These are then fashioned by hand with a special tool to form circles that are set in their proper place within the design, and finally welded with powder solder made from small grains of solder (Arif and Hashim 11). Shafatisha filigrees are craftspeople who only do filigree work (Andrei 585).
Hand-piercing is a traditional jewelry technique used to translate complex designs into wearable art (Arif and Hashim 9). It involves sawing all sketches within a piece, a technique that takes exceptionally talented artisans, with jewelry creations taking days or even weeks to complete. Thus, the preservation of ancient cultural handmade techniques is what distinguishes Azza Fahmy from other jewelry designers.
Contribution to Egypt’s Cultural Heritage
Azza Fahmy’s craft belongs to Egypt’s cultural heritage due to the preservation of centuries-old handmade techniques and its connection to culture. This is largely due to the availability of thematic collections that draw on traditional cultural motifs. For example, one of the collections is El Nur (Fahmy para. 28). The Egyptians put grenades in the tombs; according to their beliefs, they were supposed to help the dead return (Jalaludin et al. 199). Images of the pomegranate were used in the ornaments of Solomon’s temple and even in the robes of the high priests.
Another cultural motif used in Azza Fahmy’s collections is a snake. In Egyptian religion, the serpent, in all its guises, was a symbol of the deity, a talisman, an oracle, and a god (Jalaludin et al. 202). As a symbol of the deity, the sacred serpent held special significance for Kneph, Thoth, and the goddess Isis (Andrei 588). The serpent was, in one sense, part of the symbolic cult of all the gods (Andrei 585). Harpocrates, a very ancient Egyptian god, was symbolized by snakes (Andrei 586). Therefore, using the snake motif, Azza Fahmy addresses a significant cultural phenomenon.
Examples of Practitioner’s Work
The first example of Azza Fahmy’s work is the 18Kt Gold and Sterling Silver Abdel Mottaleb Earrings, presented in Image 1 (Fahmy para. 21). They are adored with semi-precious stones and are inscribed with three-dimensional, handwritten calligraphy by Azza Fahmy that reads, ‘I saw my love and we rejoiced’ (Fahmy para. 27). Abdel Basset Abdel Rahman wrote the lyrics, Mohamed Abdel Mottaleb sang them, and Riad Al Sunbati provided the music (Fahmy para. 28). This is an example of the reflection of poetic Egyptian culture in decoration.
A second example of Azza Fahmy’s work is the Winged Stone Earrings featured on Image 2. The narrative of the ostrich plume of Maat, a symbol of cosmic balance, truth, and justice, began almost 7,000 years ago in the heart of Ancient Egypt (Fahmy para. 33). Azza Fahmy has preserved this symbol and incorporated it into her jewelry.
Conclusion
Therefore, Azza Fahmy is one of the most globally successful Egyptian brands in recent years. She preserves and reinvents Egyptian heritage, creating one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry and carrying on a legacy as ancient as the iconic pyramids. Azza Fahmy’s collections are inspired by Egyptian traditional symbols such as pomegranates or snakes, paying homage to Egypt’s history and present. The practitioner elevated the craft of jewelry manufacturing to the level of art.
Works Cited
Andrei, Talia. “The Elderly Nun, the Rain-Treasure Child, and the Wish-Fulfilling Jewel: Visualizing Buddhist Networks at the Grand Shrine of Ise.” Religions, vol. 13, no. 7, 2020, pp. 585–88.
Arif, Ezatul Mazwe, and Hema Zulaika Hashim. “Jewellery for Feel and Heal.” International Journal of INTI, vol. 25, no. 1, 2021, pp. 6–12.
Fahmy, Azza. “Official Website.” Azza Fahmy Jewellery, 2024.
Jalaludin, Mohd Faiz, et al. “Imarah Islamiah: The Implementation in Modern Jewellery Design.” Journal of Islamic, Social, Economics and Development, vol. 8, no. 54, 2023, pp. 195–204.