Qatari businesswoman sparkles among jewellery giants at Doha show
A Qatari businesswoman has turned heads at the Doha Jewelry and Watches Exhibition, pitting herself from giants of the sector while also bucking trends in the conservative region.
Noora al-Ansari — a Qatari lady managing her have business and working with customers herself — is a rarity in the wealthy Gulf state, exactly where a developing quantity of women function but couple have created their title in business enterprise.
Since opening her 1st Papillon retailer in the money Doha, she explained shoppers have been curious about her nationality.
“When women of all ages observed me standing in Papillon, they had been wanting to know whether I was Qatari or not,” she explained to AFP, her exhibition stand flanked by residence names of the jewelry globe.
“They had been not utilised to looking at a Qatari woman standing in her store” and working with the enterprise and shoppers, she reported.
“When they observed out they claimed, ‘we are so proud of you. You have gorgeous pieces’. And that encourages me.”
The 7 days-extended exhibition ending on Saturday demonstrates the opulence of Qatar, whose large gasoline reserves have created it 1 of the world’s wealthiest nations but in which women’s rights have induced controversy.
Ansari stated she phone calls the yearly present, which has drawn a lot more than 30,000 site visitors, “the big Qatari wedding ceremony” since it is extremely anticipated between Doha modern society.
A continual movement of luxurious automobiles could be witnessed pulling up outside the house the exhibition, exactly where Louis Vuitton, Bulgari and other world names had been showcasing their styles.
A person Cartier necklace was on sale for $21 million.
– ‘All owned by men’ –
A former training and oil industry government, Ansari developed her initial solitaire ring in 2008 and launched her small business three several years afterwards.
In 2022, she moved her keep into a single of Doha’s most highly-priced malls along with the worldwide names she is competing with at the demonstrate.
“I am really proud as a woman to be a jeweller due to the fact all the names that you listen to about in Doha, all the jewellery suppliers here, are owned by men,” she explained.
She extra that her consumers appreciated her endeavours to reveal the “four Cs” of diamonds — lower, clarity, color and carat.
“When I visited jewelry suppliers, no one was telling us what is a diamond, why it is valuable, why we need to have it and delight in it. We just preserve listening to that a diamond is a girl’s finest pal,” she instructed AFP.
When she began out, there have been only one particular or two Qatari designers although now there are at minimum 10 at the Doha demonstrate, in accordance to Ansari.
“As a area model, to be between the huge names in the earth is an honour, of program. It signifies that our jewellery is presenting our community preferences and higher criteria,” she said.
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