Gold-plate Tourmaline Studs - Afghanistan

Artisan: Shugufa Yousofzai

Delicate yet bold, these studs feature uncut Afghan tourmalines which embody a one-of-a-kind elegance. They are set in 18-kt-gold plate.

Afghanistan has a jewelry tradition that goes back more than 2,000 years, most famously exhibited in the Bactrian Gold Collection created around the time of Alexander the Great. It is a rare blend of aesthetic influences (from Persian and Indian to Classical Greek and Roman) and an incredibly high level of craftsmanship. Its jewelry usually featuring precious and semiprecious stones, including tourmalines, lapis lazuli, rubies, aquamarine and emeralds, which are left mostly uncut to reflect an ancient and rustic Afghan tradition.

Afghanistan
Shugufa Yousofzai
Shugufa Yousofzai is 28 years old, educated and grew up in a middle-class home first in Pakistan and then, after the fall of the Taliban, in Kabul. She is exactly the kind of Afghan woman Afghanistan need: intelligent, hard-working, confident and business minded – a champion... Click to read more