Talking Transparency With Hania Kuzbari

Hi there! I’m Hania, designer and founder of Hania Kuzbari Jewelry , a handcrafted fine jewelry brand based in Toronto. We create all our luxury pieces by hand in our artisanal workshop in Amman, Jordan, weaving ancient crafting methods with contemporary design. This journey began out of a love of handcraft and a desire to make future-friendly items that last forever, without harming our planet and the people on it. I want to share with you ways in which you can seek out information to better educate your brand or your shopping decisions.

So-called sustainable

You’ll be hard pressed to find a fine jewelry brand with a 100% sustainable business model. It’s impossible, as the industry’s main ingredients are precious metals and gemstones, mined out of the ground. Therefore, any brand that claims to be completely sustainable, isn’t giving you the full story. Here at Hania Kuzbari, we’re not keeping our customers in the dark. It’s our promise to be crystal clear in terms of how we’re ethically approaching our consciously created jewelry. We’ve found that honesty definitely is the best policy when it comes to building trust within your community.

The new normal

2020 has by far been the most confusing year many of us have known. Everyone deserves honesty and clarity as to where their money should and can be spent. In fact, everyone is now demanding it.

A recent global survey conducted by Wakefield Research found there to be permanent shifts in consumer behaviours throughout all sectors following the pandemic, from womens clothes and mens fashion to fashion accessories and luxury jewelry. The study found that a large majority of customers are beginning to focus less on brand loyalty and have a “renewed focus on brand values”.

So what does this mean for fine jewelry makers and shoppers? Labels and loose words are no longer enough, brands cannot simply label themselves as sustainable anymore. Consumers want to go behind the scenes and are requiring more information than ever before.

Get involved

Education is key to understanding the impact of what we make and the products we purchase. 

For fashion accessory sellers, become a part of the process. Here at Hania Kuzbari, we thoroughly check to make sure that the construction of the factories, the working conditions at the sourcing companies and the materials themselves align with our brand vision. We always want to be in the know regarding how the employees are treated and how our gemstones, silver and gold are sourced, every step of the way.

This involves travelling across the world to personally visit the companies that mine our materials as well as stepping inside the factories and workplaces that cut the gems. Most importantly, make sure your gemstone jewelry suppliers respect the Kimberley Process, making sure diamonds are procured without child labour. 

As a consumer, check out the brand’s story. When shopping at jewelry stores, whether it’s online or IRL, search for information that showcases the BTS of the pieces. Look for details on where the products are made, if they’re made by hand and whether the brand works with certified sourcing companies.

Tell your tale

Whether you sell accessories, clothing or jewelry; show your customers how hard your team works! Create a dedicated page to highlight how much love and time you put into your products and go into detail about how you do what you do. Not only will you build a stronger relationship with your customers but you might make more sales. 

We launched the Our Promises page to do exactly that. We found that customers love hearing about our intimate artisan workshop in Jordan and appreciate how open we are about the efforts made to make beautiful jewelry that will last a lifetime.

So, go out there and spread the word. Sellers, send a message that consumers will fall in love with. Shoppers, search for information that will make for a guilt-free buying experience.