The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Remember in Middle School when everyone was obsessed with attaching beads on a string or twisting two neon-coloured cords? Well, I’ve got good news! That was the prologue in a biographical movie made about your life and how you revolutionised jewellery design!… Or not.

On a more serious note, we’ve witnessed a rise in craftwork these past few years. It could be heavily related to the endless hell of quarantine we all had to endure or the primitive desire to once more do something, anything, with your hands. And with craftwork, jewellery making, in particular, is on the rise again. Some establishments and non-profit organisations even added jewellery making to their women-empowerment programs.

In 2019, The Ministry of Education and Egypt Gold Group (Egypt’s most respected designer, manufacturer and distributor of jewellery with everything it entails: gold, timepieces, diamonds, and watches) signed a protocol to open Egypt’s first traditional school dedicated to jewellery making: Egypt Gold School. The effect of the school on the legitimisation of jewellery design and making in Egypt is immeasurable, with the main goal of the school being to make Egypt the most prominent jewellery making country in the Middle East.

The Design Studio by Azza Fahmy

The Design Studio founded by Azza Fahmy is one of the most established and committed centres dedicated to jewellery making in the entirety of Egypt. It started as an educational initiative named Nubre, a series of workshops Azza Fahmy held in Aswan in collaboration with the European Union. Seeing how successful the programme was, Azza Fahmy took a step further and established the Design Studio in Old Cairo to provide an academic space where interested students can grow their jewellery-making skills and become their own independent brands. And with great ambition, The Design Studio merged with renowned Italian contemporary jewellery school “Alchimia”, guaranteeing that students receive diverse knowledge from European jewellery experts and artists. The studio offers both a full-fledged educational programme that lasts for three years and other part-time options

Learn more about the studio on its Facebook page here, or call 01090127641

Noqoush Academy of Designs & Crafts

Noqoush Academy is another well-established academic space. Located in Nasr City, it is a professional training academy for art, crafts, fashion and design, and culinary arts. However, the academy’s jewellery and accessories courses are well-developed and divided into specific classes. Like filigree, wax carving, metalsmithing, beads & stones accessories, sawing copper and jewellery design, for example.

You can learn more about the academy on its Facebook page here.

El Matrah Art & Culture

El Matrah Art & Culture spills it all in its name. More than anything, it’s a comfortable, homey space dedicated to art and culture. Essentially, it’s a place not just to learn and practice art, but to also participate in open dialogues and discussions as well as improve creative thinking and tolerance. It’s has a broad spectrum that offers specialised classes in everything that has to do with art, from visual to musical, and of course, jewellery designing and making.

Learn more about it through its Facebook page here.