{"id":30627,"date":"2025-03-27T17:23:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T11:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/?p=30627"},"modified":"2025-03-28T08:59:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T03:29:18","slug":"charmaleena-weaving-culture-creativity-into-jewelled-urban-legends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/charmaleena-weaving-culture-creativity-into-jewelled-urban-legends\/","title":{"rendered":"Charmaleena: Weaving Culture & Creativity Into Jewelled Urban Legends"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jewellery, at its most evocative, is more than just an adornment\u2014it\u2019s a wearable archive of memories, places, and emotions. For sisters <\/em>Leena<\/strong> & <\/em>Hala El Khereji<\/strong>, the duo behind the Saudi Arabia-based brand Charmaleena, this philosophy lies at the heart of every collection. With a background in banking, the sisters found their calling in artistic pursuits, and in 2023, their brand won the Saudi National Cultural Award for Fashion. They discuss the evolution of Charmaleena with <\/em>Smitha Sadanandan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leena El Khereiji, Charmaleena\u2019s Creative Director, brings storytelling to life through jewellery, drawing on her training in Jewelry Design and Diamond Grading from Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Her sister, Hala El Khereiji, co-founder and the brand\u2019s Managing Director, blends business acumen with a passion for quality, backed by her Master\u2019s Degree in International Management from SOAS.<\/p>\n

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On model: Jewellery from the various collections by Charmaleena.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Growing up in Jeddah, their creative sensibilities were shaped by both the city\u2019s open-air art and the contrasting influences of their German grandmother\u2019s world. \u201cExperiencing a different culture at a young age shaped who we are,\u201d says Leena. But it wasn\u2019t an obvious path.<\/p>\n

Initially drawn into the structured world of finance, both sisters navigated Geneva\u2019s banking scene before surrendering to the pull of artistry. \u201cI was surrounded by jewellery houses and museums. Visiting exhibitions such as Basel Art increasingly exposed me to the world of art and creativity. It took time for me to realise that\u2019s where my heart was,\u201d Leena recalls.<\/p>\n

Jewellery, like any craft, demands devotion. Leena immersed herself in the technicalities, learning silversmithing at Central Saint Martins, and jewellery design and diamond grading at GIA in London and New York. \u201cI needed to understand every facet of what I was creating,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Back in Saudi Arabia, Leena continued designing. The breakthrough came when she entered a competition at a jewellery salon. Her designs won first place, and just like that, a personal passion transformed into a calling.<\/p>\n

With no industry lineage to fall back on, the sisters built Charmaleena from the ground up from 2011 to 2012 \u2014 sketching, sourcing, forging relationships with manufacturers. The result: a brand that speaks a universal language of empowerment and transformation. The brand that was started by the siblings in 2012 has gone from strength-to-strength.<\/p>\n

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On model: Bangles from the Swords of Love collection by Charmaleena.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cCharmaleena is the same girl on a new journey every year,\u201d says Leena. That fluidity is woven into their collections. Freedom, their debut line, was designed to be worn in multiple ways with earrings that transform into pendants and lockets that open like miniature storybooks.<\/p>\n

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The Ca-love-graphy necklace in 18-karat gold and diamonds. By Charmaleena<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Swords of Love reinterprets Saudi\u2019s cultural lexicon through bold, sculptural forms. \u201cJeddah\u2019s sword roundabout was always in our subconscious,\u201d says Leena, \u201cI was fascinated by poetry that spoke of love.\u201d Another line, Ca-love-graphy, inspired by calligraphy and love, is a fusion of sentiment and storytelling that defines their work. \u201cEvery year, we release new pieces inspired by this collection,\u201d adds Hala.<\/p>\n

Their hometown itself, an urban canvas of sculptures and geometric monuments, has left its imprint on their design language. \u201cJeddah is an open-air museum,\u201d Leena reflects. \u201cIn the 70s, international artists transformed our city with installations \u2014 the marble heart, the floating globe. Those symbols became part of our everyday visual world.\u201d That interplay between heritage and innovation fuels their approach, translating tradition into contemporary, covetable forms.<\/p>\n

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The 18-karat yellow gold ring from the Tales and Treasures collection is a homage to the history, identity, and language of Saudi Arabia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each collection is deeply personal. Tales and Treasures, a love letter to family bonds, captures moments meant to be cherished for a lifetime \u2014 think miniature picture pendants and hand-engraved keepsakes. \u201cWe work with an array of precious stones, from vibrant emeralds and sapphires to rich malachite and luminous mother-of-pearl. Colour is central to our designs \u2014 and our signature setting, inspired by our mother\u2019s vintage bracelet, serves as the foundation of the Tales and Treasures collection; a line deeply personal to me,\u201d adds Leena. Pendants in the collection are redesigned using historical coins \u2014 King Abdulaziz\u2019s first-issued currency and early Islamic pieces \u2014 sourced from certified collectors in the region.<\/p>\n

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The 18-karat yellow gold pendant from the Tales and Treasures collection celebrates the beauty, culture, and identity of Saudi Arabia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Elements, the duo reimagines the raw power of nature \u2014 earth, air, fire, and water \u2014 through an Art Deco lens. And always, there\u2019s an undercurrent of Arabic calligraphy, seamlessly integrated into designs, adding a layer of poetic resonance. \u201cIf a theme is about freedom, we find poetry that embodies it and weave it into the jewellery,\u201d says Leena.<\/p>\n

Faith finds form in the Salam collection, where Jeddah\u2019s proximity to Medina pays a homage to spirituality. The name itself, (Salam<\/em>, meaning peace) embodies the essence of the sacred. \u201cWe wanted something deeply personal yet universally resonant,\u201d Hala explains.<\/p>\n

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(In the background) The pendant represents the Holy Ka\u2019ba, made in black onyx and 18-karat gold. Seven moving diamonds in the pendant represent the Islamic ritual of Tawaf, in which devotees go around the Ka\u2019ba in a counterclockwise direction seven times. (In the foreground) The Madinah pendant necklace in 18-karat yellow gold is set with aventurine, white agate, and diamonds. By Charmaleena<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For all its global influences, Charmaleena remains firmly rooted in its Saudi identity. \u201cWe\u2019ve always been proud of our background,\u201d Hala asserts. \u201cLeena was always creative. Even as kids, she had a way of making things her own.\u201d And that ethos extends to their brand name itself; a hybrid of \u2018charm\u2019 and \u2018Leena\u2019 \u2014 timeless and borderless, much like the women who wear their beloved creations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jewellery, at its most evocative, is more than just an adornment\u2014it\u2019s a wearable archive of memories, places, and emotions. For sisters Leena & Hala El Khereji, the duo behind the Saudi Arabia-based brand Charmaleena, this philosophy lies at the heart of every collection. With a background in banking, the sisters found their calling in artistic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":30628,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,104],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-30627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCharmaleena: Weaving Culture & Creativity Into Jewelled Urban Legends - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/charmaleena-weaving-culture-creativity-into-jewelled-urban-legends\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Charmaleena: Weaving Culture & Creativity Into Jewelled Urban Legends - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jewellery, at its most evocative, is more than just an adornment\u2014it\u2019s a wearable archive of memories, places, and emotions. 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