This New Jewellery Brand is Egypt’s Freshest and Most Daring

Summer is here in all its scorching glory, which means we’ve been busy working on our tans and beach bods in our never-ending quest to look as fab as possible. But what good is any of that without a little (or not so little) bling? And as we’re always looking for an excuse to go shopping (who isn’t?), we got a little too excited when we found out there’s a new brand in town here to bling us out. 

Deena Wagdy, named after its founder - you guessed it - Deena Wagdy, creates modern, edgy pieces that bring out the wilder side in every woman. 

Speaking to Cairo Scene, Wagdy told us about her love for fashion and jewellery, creating her own brand, and where she gets her inspiration. “I have always been drawn to jewelry since I was a child, I used to live with my grandmother as a child and I found myself always digging in her jewelry box every night, infatuated by everything I am seeing, the gemstones, the colours. Everything in that box. I would wear so much of her jewelry at a time and play dress up.”

This love for jewellery lasted even through Wagdy’s initial career in advertising, and after realising she no longer wanted to be involved in the corporate world, Wagdy decided it was time to take her love for jewellery to the next level and embrace her creativity. “I started by taking wiring and beading classes in a small studio in Maadi and just basically putting pieces together and began to sell to my friends and family, when people started buying my designs, my desire to take this on a serious level grew larger.”

Wanting to take her passion for jewellery seriously and professionally, Wagdy enrolled in the Azza Fahmy Design Studio, where she studied the basic techniques of jewellery making & design and was certified by the AF Design Studio and Alchimia Contemporary Jewelry Design School in Florence to professionally practice. Wagdy set up her own jewellery workshop in her basement; where she not only designed but also made the prototypes for her own pieces, and where the Deena Wagdy brand was born. “For me, jewellery is a feeling so becoming a maker was just as important as becoming a designer. Being a maker allowed me to feel the piece from sketching the design until it became a tangible piece of art.”

Wagdy describes her brand as “timeless, modern, versatile, with an edge.” Every piece is designed by Wagdy herself in her home studio, and the jewellery blends and merges sterling silver with 18K gold. “My jewellery is about rediscovering yourself in every piece. I don’t like to follow trends, my pieces are for the woman who has a strong sense of personal style and doesn’t conform to rules. For the woman who is willing to experiment and is courageous in all she does.”

Wagdy’s current Beyond the Lines collection adds a uniquely feminine feel to bold, geometric designs. “The collection embodies feminine yet edgy earrings, pendants, chokers, rings and bracelets in Sterling silver and 18K gold or Sterling silver plated in 18K Gold, freshwater pearls, rubies and sapphire.”

Wagdy draws inspiration from a broad range of things around her, from the human body, to architecture, to Egyptian heritage and culture. The pieces strike a perfect balance between modern and timeless.

The Deena Wagdy brand website will be launching soon, and in the meantime her jewellery is currently displayed at the Pop Up shop in Dowtown Mall, Mounaya Gallery in Zamalek and Dolly's Boutique in Diplo, Sahel. For future collections, Wagdy aims to incorporate different techniques and experiment with different materials. Judging by the current collection, we can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

For more on Deena Wagdy, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Photos: Deena Wagdy

The content of this article is sponsored.