Mona Daw Creates Cute Customisable Rosaries

Yes, Ramadan might be coming to an end and Eid is finally be upon us but our affinity for spirituality is timeless. Nothing stands out as spiritually adjacent as much as rosaries do, and artist and mum Mona Daw is satiating this newly-birthed need with her ventures, Monista.

What started with candles, arabesque Plexi platters and kahks eventually diverged to encompass rosaries - Monista’s highest-selling product to date. The rosaries are not only there to satiate your spiritual needs, they're perfectly customisable, so yeah, you can have that jade sibha to match your emerald green kaftan. 

As a student, Daw would find herself doodling her notebooks and folding her assignments into origami boats. “For as long as I could remember, I’ve always fostered an affinity and love for art,” Daw tells CairoScene. “I love things that are just as detail-oriented as me, things that are handmade always captivate me. I’m not too keen on overly refined laser-cute bits and bobs, I’m more so drawn to the artisan, crafty one-of-a-kind pieces.” 

When asked about her inspirations Daw had a lot to say, “There's not one thing that I look for or that inspired me, I even look at nature, pretty plates on dinner tables, a woman dressed in something really eye-catching, I go into someone's house and I see something set in up in a creative way,” Daw says. “I follow art pages, I'm always reading up and finding an array of sources, it needs to come organically for me. I can be in the middle of my sleep and then I get an idea and then I have to sit in my workshop and make it happen, there was one point where I woke up just to make rubbish bins.” 

Sourcing the finest local materials, sometimes Daw will source her stones during her trips abroad. “When I travel I buy a lot of things I find to be pretty and I wait on the idea to match,” Daw explains. “I find the materials that I'm drawn to organically, and then I put them together when I’m ready.” 

You can place your order through Instagram DM @monista.eg