Today we’d like to introduce you to Benazir Arfi.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Benazir. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In my early years, I was a budding, creative designer of clothing and a sketch artist. I went to school to study business. After a long hiatus from my design creations and raising two teenage boys, I decided to get back to my creative roots. I went to trade school to be certified with the GIA at Carlsbad CA and Benazir Collection was established in 2013.
Benazir Collection Jewelry is available online and at these exclusive, upscale boutiques:
My House of Style – Birmingham, MI
The Starring Gallery – Northville, MI
Barbara Boz Boutique – Birmingham, MI & Harbor Springs, MI
Treasure Trove – Grosse point, MI
Brieslys Boutique – Flower Mound, TX
One Posh Place – Grapevine, TX
Zar Clothier – Southlake, TX
Has it been a smooth road?
I think one of the biggest challenges is educating consumers about the value of natural gemstones and metals, and to differentiate mass produced jewelry from unique designed and hand crafted pieces.
Educating customers about the value of natural stones with their unique features versus lab-created gemstones is challenging. In addition, handcrafting jewelry is a tedious, iterative and time consuming process that requires skill, but the value it provides is in the uniqueness of individual pieces.
Like any other industry it is possible to be successful regardless of the shifting sand. It will just takes more work than you might have anticipated. Facing the industry’s challenges is the measure of your ability to make it as a designer and the key to your success.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our focus is on creating exclusive and unique pieces that provide a look and feel of luxury at an affordable price. We use only natural stones with hand sketched designs taking inspiration from global cultures to create hand crafted piece making each piece unique in its own way. Since we do not mass produce our designs, and since no two natural stones are identical, finding another individual wearing an identical piece in a party is next to impossible.
Our pieces are finished in 18 carat gold plated over Sterling Silver. Most pieces are accented with rose cut diamonds. Rose diamonds are super popular these days. In characteristic, they are flat at the bottom, creating a larger surface area for the stone’s brilliance. We are creating edgy, classic jewelry with an interesting, old-world vibe by accenting our pieces with rose cut diamonds.
I create hand sketched designs regularly taking inspiration from my frequent global travels and latest lifestyle trends. Born and raised in India, I focus on incorporating the Indian influence as well as trends I identify from my extensive global travels.
Each design begins from the purchase of the stone. The stone dictates what it wants to become. The design for each piece is hand sketched to bring out the best in each stone. Using a patient and iterative process each piece is handcrafted, stones mounted and accented with diamonds by artisans in Jaipur, India to create unique pieces.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I moved to Texas three years ago from Michigan. My first few months were rough but as soon as I started meeting people and making friends, Dallas grew into me.
The city has tremendous opportunities. As a designer I have received a lot of exposure. There are lots of events and opportunities to network, and learn.
My biggest advice to anyone who is just starting out would be to connect with people in the same field- it gives an opportunity to learn and what I call feed from each other’s creative juices.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.benazircollection.com
- Phone: 248 444 2135
- Email: benazircollection@gmail.com : arfibenazir@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benazir_collection/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BCJewelryDesigns/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
