CAIRO: The global phenomenon of semi-precious stone costume jewelry has made women happy by making them feel exclusive and men happy by lifting the burden of precious stone jewelry off of their wallets. In Egypt the market is huge, with such high demand that both established and new designers are coming up with fabulous, innovative jewelry appealing to a very large age bracket, from women in their 20s and upwards. At a jewelry exhibition Wednesday entitled "Vertigo on the Nile Pharaos' deck on the river in Giza, six of Egypt's most creative designers displayed some of their latest work, attracting many of the women throughout the city. The exhibit offered a wide variety of semi-precious stones, silver and pearls to suit different budgets. According to Iman El Derini, well known for her flair for fashion, semi-precious jewelry is "much more effective on the clothes ... if you wear it properly it is definitely more stylish [than precious jewelry], she says. Dina Maghawry, a designer who was displaying a collection of trendy earrings, was a huge hit with the younger crowd. She has been in the business for almost four years now and has gained immense popularity for her easy-to-wear designs. Maghawry used to be a fashion editor when she discovered her passion for jewelry. "Working in the industry and being exposed to fashion aroused something in me. I decided to study jewelry making and open my own business, she explains. Her favorite stones include labradorit, moonstone and semi-precious lower quality ruby, as she likes to keep her prices reasonable while still using beautiful stones and mixing them together to create exquisite combinations for earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Another young designer on exhibit was Alia Hussein, better known as Lulu. She is new to the business, this being her first real exhibition, as she has only been making jewelry for nine months now. She specializes mainly in necklaces, especially long one-strand designs. "I use Indian silver just to accentuate the pieces but I don't depend on their beauty; I depend on the beauty of the colors and textures of stones, she says. Her favorite stones include turquoise, onyx and amber. Each designer has a unique style, relying on their own taste and fashion sense; these gemstones have the greatest potential to enhance one s personal sense of style. The table at the exhibition that attracted the most attention held the exquisite designs of Maya Soric. Her gutsy, flamboyant pieces always cause a stir with sophisticated crowds. "I like Maya for the jewelry's exclusivity . touch of ethnic . very modern . very classy . and not too much, says El Derini. Among the other exhibiters were Reema, Dina Lehita and Amir Bally. Ahmed El Aguizy and Solinne El Asar organized the exhibition. They chose these six individuals because they all use similar raw materials for their designs, although each one does it their own way. The idea for "Vertigo was inspired by El Asar, who is especially interested in semi-precious stones. "I love semi-precious stones. Because of their more affordable prices you can buy many and pick out something new every day according to what you are wearing. They are very fashionable right now, she says. For information regarding upcoming exhibitions, please stay tuned to the The Daily Star Egypt's Cultural Agenda
