The profession of jewelry designer is highly respected in Afghan society and guarantees economic independence. Jewelry design is very demanding and requires certain talents.
Two arts merged into one tradition
Traditionally, this profession consists of two crafts: Gold/silversmithing and stone cutting. At the NAZO center, therefore, a silversmith and a stone cutter teach. The students learn everything important about the gemstones of Afghanistan and their processing into jewelry, but also into belts, bags, wall hangings, etc.
Female Pioneers in Afghanistan
Our students are the first jewelry designers in Afghanistan. They combine their silver jewelry with luminous stones: deep blue Afghan lapiz lazuli; blue-green Iranian turquoise; brown-red carnelian, bottle-green serpentine, ebony-black onyx, etc. They learned to make bead necklaces from women of northern Afghanistan. To date, 45 female jewelry designers have been trained.
