Mer''s: The Turkish Jewellery Brand That's Taking Egypt by Storm

Men seem to be confused about the need for ‘accessories’ in a woman’s outfit. Yeah, all right, the dress is important, the heels are too, and they might even understand that makeup is related to the whole look, but accessories? Women, of course know that an evening dress or a casual after-work outfit is never complete without the correct accessories. Whether it’s a strass necklace on a black backless velvet dress, a golden headband on a hippie-chic blouse, or even a charm bracelet on some denims and white shirt, accessories are important.
But if you’re a woman, you’d also know how difficult it is to find something that’s not mainstream when it comes to the jewellery department. At some point, the golden necklace with your name written in Arabic might start to look a little dull. The good news: Mer’’s, a Turkish silver jewellery brand by Istanbul's Meral Peltekci is launching here in Cairo. The high end jewellery brand incorporates unique and tasteful designs that are the furthest away from mainstream. Aboriginal designs, Buddhist symbols, wings, snakes, and sparrows are only some of the themes creatively incorporated in this new jewellery franchise.

To get a better idea of the brand and why it's opening up here in Cairo, we chat with Nermine Ayesh, owner of Egypt’s Mer’’s franchise. Ayesh tells us that Mer’’s is a Turkish silver jewellery brand that uses semi-precious stones to create unique designs. It's the bold stones used in their designs, fresh-looking and rich in colour, such as stones that had both striking green and bright blue colours, that was one of the aspects that drew Ayesh most to the brand. "Here in Egypt, we don’t have such a taste in rocks and jewellery,” she comments.

“You see, I used to work before with traditional jewellery designs – with calligraphy and all – but then I realised that I needed to make space for fashion and its fast-paced changes, especially with media coverage and exposure, Ayesh shares. "So, now we’re looking forward to designs that have an Arabic touch to them but are quite fashionable as well, especially when it comes to colours.”

Ayesh tells us that every season there are different colours and designs, and that people won’t stick to a certain colour or design at all times. “They won’t wear Arabic calligraphic dresses forever ,for instance; a woman would like to wear a different blouse or fashionable pants, and so she needs accessories to go with that,” Ayesh says, explaining that this is why he was interested in Mer"s. “They follow fashion, such as pastel colours, for every season.”

When asked about the unusual elements in her design and people’s potential impression about it, Ayesh says that “I see that it is a tribal design. I think that it’s going draw in a certain type of people who are going to like it, such as young, artistic, and fashionable people who are into new designs and ideas.” Ayesh explains that fashion has no age, and that older people who love fashion are also going to like the designs and not mind wearing them. 
Ayesh has been working in the jewellery design field for over five years. Throughout, she got to meet people who are as young as herself and who would travel abroad and bring with them strange and unique designs for people here in Egypt. She tells us this is because people here get bored of mainstream traditional designs. “Even when it comes to gold and diamonds, people are beginning to pick up on strange designs instead of the classic look,” Ayesh says. “This is why this brand really grabbed my attention. When I saw it in Turkey, I thought to myself that we don’t have something similar back in Egypt. I wanted to be the first to bring such a new design to the country.” That was during the travel tour Ayesh took in search of jewellery design ideas and brands.We wondered whether it was easier for Ayesh to adopt this brand and work with its designs given the closeness of the Turkish and Arab cultures. “Of course," she answers. "We share a very similar culture, and Turkish people lean towards Arabic designs as well. This is why Turkish silver is very welcomed here, especially that it uses Qur’anic verses and others.”

Mer’’s is very up to date with fashion trends worldwide, Ayesh tells us. “Feathers, skulls, Buddhist designs, and more will be incorporated into our designs," she shares. "This is because Mer’’s is constantly catching up with fashion everywhere, which is why I really loved the brand and felt it.”

As reflected in the unique brand she opted for, Ayesh is really adamant about the importance of change and renewal. “What does not change or move forward will always fail,” she tells us. This statement is clearly reflected in the punchy and meaningful designs that Mer’’s offers to customers who wish to break the traditional and express themselves uniquely and genuinely.

For more about Mer’’s, you can visit their Facebook page and Instagram account. 

Shoot by @MO4Network's #Mo4Productions.
Photography: Lobna Derbala
Styling: Gehad Abdalla
Art director: Ikon Chiba
Fashion coordinator: Yasmin Abdelbary
Hair: Khairy & Tarek Salon
Makeup: Dina Dimitry
Model: Salma Abu Deif
Location: Villa Belle Epoque
Wardrobe: Boho Gallery