Building a jewellery brand from the ground up requires more than design distinctiveness. It calls for technical mastery, mindful creativity, engineering skills, and a strong understanding of architecture and space. One look at a piece is often enough to trigger instant brand recall — ZAHN-Z® is one such distinctive name.
Bringing a sense of glamour and spiffiness to high-end, ultra-modern forms of adornment is Hiba Husayni, Founder & Creative Head of ZAHN-Z®. An architect shaped by multicultural influences, Husayni brings a distinctive perspective to her collections, where gold, diamonds and coloured gemstones come together in a striking interplay of form, colour and texture. In an exclusive interview with Solitaire International, she reveals her creative philosophy, the thinking behind ZAHN-Z®’s distinctive design language, and the key to building a jewellery brand that is instantly recognisable and enduringly relevant.
Your background in architecture gives you a unique perspective as a jewellery designer. When you begin a new piece, what is your creative process—from the first spark of an idea to the finished jewel?
I’m naturally drawn to thinking in three dimensions because of my background in architecture. My familiarity with spatial design, proportion, and digital technology allows me to translate an idea into a tangible form almost immediately.
When inspiration strikes, I explore the idea digitally – work on my CAD software to begin modelling the concept in 3D rather than sketching on paper. It helps me to study it from every angle, refine the proportions, and understand how it moves and interacts with the body.
Once I have a version, I’m happy with, I 3D print a prototype. Holding the piece in my hands is an essential part of my process—it allows me to evaluate its scale, comfort, movement, and overall presence in a way that isn’t possible on a screen. I continue revising, printing, and refining until the concept feels right.
Only then do I move into the finer details: the engineering, stone placement, surface treatments, and finishing touches that transform the design into a piece of jewellery. It’s a process that combines architectural precision with craftsmanship, ensuring that every ZAHN-Z® creation is not only beautiful but also thoughtfully engineered to be worn every day.
Many of your designs are sculptural yet remarkably wearable. How do you balance engineering aspects with artistic expression?
For me, design and engineering are inseparable. From the moment I begin designing a piece, I’m already thinking about how it will be made, how it will move, and how it will feel when worn. Manufacturing capabilities, minimum and maximum metal thicknesses, flexibility, mechanisms, durability, and comfort are all considered from the start.
My approach comes directly from my architectural background. Architects typically create the vision and then hand the technical drawings to engineers who solve the structural challenges. I spent the last 13 years intentionally developing both skill sets so I could do both. I wanted to be not only the designer but also the engineer behind every piece.
It’s important to me not only to understand how a hinge, clasp, lock, or spring works, but also to know how to build and manufacture it. That technical knowledge gives me the freedom to push creative boundaries while ensuring every design is functional, comfortable, and made to last.
As a child, I loved building with Meccano sets, assembling intricate mechanical structures and figuring out how individual components worked together. Looking back, I realise I was already thinking like both a designer and an engineer. Today, that same curiosity drives every ZAHN-Z® creation.
Your career has taken you from Syria to Egypt and then New York. How have these different cultural and creative environments influenced your design language?
Growing up in Syria gave me a deep appreciation for ornamentation, craftsmanship, and intricate detail. Our history is layered with extraordinary architecture, geometric patterns, Damascene artistry, and centuries of cultural heritage. Those influences shaped my eye from a very young age and continue to inspire the level of detail I strive to achieve in my work.
My time in Egypt further deepened that appreciation. Studying jewellery design there exposed me to a culture where craftsmanship is celebrated and passed down through generations. It taught me to respect traditional techniques while understanding the importance of storytelling through jewellery.
Moving to New York added an entirely different dimension to my design language. It introduced me to a more contemporary, minimalist, and fashion-forward aesthetic. I learned that luxury doesn’t always have to be ornate—sometimes the most powerful designs are the ones that are refined, bold, and effortlessly wearable.
I don’t consciously try to blend these influences; they’ve simply become part of who I am as a designer. Every collection naturally reflects my journey. You’ll see the precision and structural thinking of an architect, the intricate detailing inspired by the Middle East, and the clean, contemporary sensibility I embraced in New York. Together, these experiences have allowed me to create a design language that feels distinctly my own.
Do you have a preferred metal to work with, and how do you decide which gemstones best complement a design?
I naturally gravitate towards yellow gold. There’s a warmth and richness to it and I love the way it complements the sculptural quality of my designs. Yellow gold enhances the architecture of a piece while allowing coloured gemstones to truly come alive.
That said, the choice of metal is always driven by the design itself. When I’m working with pavé diamonds, I often choose white gold or platinum because they enhance the brightness of the diamonds and allow the stones to visually blend into the metal, creating a seamless field of sparkle.
The same approach applies to gemstones. Before making any final decisions, I render the design in multiple metal colours using different gemstone combinations. Sometimes a gemstone that looks beautiful on its own doesn’t create the right balance within the design, while another completely transforms the piece.
Ultimately, I let the design lead the decision. My goal is never to choose a gemstone simply because it’s rare or valuable, but because it enhances the story, architecture, and personality of the piece. Every material should feel like it belongs exactly where it is.
How important is it for today’s designers to have a hands-on understanding of manufacturing rather than focusing solely on design?
It’s absolutely crucial. While creativity is the foundation of great design, understanding how a piece is actually made is what transforms an idea into exceptional jewellery.
If your goal is to create pieces with longevity—both aesthetically and structurally—you need to invest in developing your technical skills before launching your own collection. The more you understand manufacturing, engineering, materials, and craftsmanship, the more freedom you have as a designer. You’re no longer creating concepts that simply look beautiful on paper; you’re designing pieces that can truly come to life.
Jewellery is a field where you’re constantly evolving, and that’s one of the things I love most about it. Every new mechanism, gemstone, technique, or design challenge adds another layer to your experience.
One of the most valuable experiences in my career was working for a jewellery manufacturer in the custom design department. It gave me a behind-the-scenes understanding of what it truly takes to create a masterpiece—from the collaboration between designers, model makers, setters, polishers, and bench jewellers to the countless hours of refinement that happen before a piece is ever finished.
That experience reinforced my belief that the strongest designers are those who never stop learning.
Being selected by David Yurman as one of the finalists of the David Yurman x CFDA Design Award is a significant milestone for any emerging designer. What did that recognition mean to you personally?
It was an incredible honour. Knowing that I was chosen from more than 90 applicants and advanced to the final five was both humbling and validating. Presenting my work before a panel of experts, including David Yurman, was something I had never imagined would happen. It was both exhilarating and surreal. Beyond the recognition, the experience itself was unforgettable.
Visiting the David Yurman headquarters and seeing firsthand how David and Sybil Yurman transformed their creative vision into one of the world’s most recognisable luxury jewellery brands was incredibly inspiring. It reinforced the idea that building a lasting brand requires not only creativity, but also perseverance, craftsmanship, and a clear sense of identity.
The highlight for me was visiting the David Yurman archive. Seeing the earliest sketches, prototypes, and the evolution of the brand over the years was incredibly moving. I found myself relating deeply to those early pieces because they represented a designer at the very beginning of his journey—experimenting, refining, and discovering his own voice. As someone who is building ZAHN-Z® from the ground up, that experience felt especially personal.
The experience reinforced my belief that meaningful design, combined with authenticity and persistence, is what ultimately builds a brand that stands the test of time.
Luxury clients today are increasingly looking for jewellery with meaning … How do you ensure that every ZAHN-Z® creation evokes an emotional connection for its wearer?
For me, the emotional connection begins long before a piece is worn. It begins with the story behind its creation. I love sharing every part of the journey: the inspiration behind a design, the creative process, the CAD development, the craftsmanship of the jewellers and stone setters, and even the story of a particular diamond or coloured gemstone—where it came from and why it was chosen. When clients understand the journey behind a piece, they begin to see it as something far more personal than an object.
I also believe that people connect with people. That’s why I present ZAHN-Z® with myself at the heart of the brand. In today’s world, not everything needs to be perfectly polished or overly commercialised. I want people to see the human being behind the jewellery—my story, my background, my challenges, and my journey. Authenticity creates a connection that no marketing campaign can replicate.
I don’t see ZAHN-Z® as simply a luxury jewellery brand. To me, it’s a story of passion, resilience, and possibility. Having left Syria, studied in Egypt, and built my career and business in New York, I hope my journey reminds others that extraordinary design can emerge from courage, perseverance, and a steadfast belief in your vision.
My hope is that each creation not only reflects my journey but also becomes a treasured part of someone else’s, carrying its own emotional significance.
What has been the biggest challenge in establishing ZAHN-Z® , and what lessons have you learnt about building a distinctive luxury brand?
For me, the foundation of ZAHN-Z® has always been authenticity. Staying true to myself, embracing my originality, and honouring both my cultural heritage and my architectural background are what helped me discover my own voice as a designer.
Building a distinctive brand means having the courage to stay connected to what makes you different. I constantly ask myself: how can I create something that feels unmistakably ZAHN-Z®? The answer comes from combining my personal experiences, my design philosophy, and my technical approach into every piece.
I don’t want ZAHN-Z® to follow trends. I want it to have a clear identity—where someone can see a piece and immediately recognise the architecture, the emotion, the craftsmanship, and the story behind it. For me, creating a lasting brand is about consistency, authenticity, and continuing to evolve while remaining true to the essence of who I am.
Where do you see ZAHN-Z® evolving over the next five to ten years?
I see endless opportunities for ZAHN-Z®. My goal over the next five to ten years is to establish the brand in a truly distinct position within the luxury jewellery market—one that owns the space of modern American luxury through an architectural lens.
I’m excited to continue exploring innovative techniques, unexpected materials, and new ways of engineering jewellery that push the boundaries of both design and wearability. I want every collection to challenge convention while remaining unmistakably ZAHN-Z®.