Mint Focus: Yumnah Najah, Jewelry Designer

Yumnah Najah

1. Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from? What's your educational background? What are your general professional and non-professional interests?

I'm an 18 year old jewelry artist and designer of Yumnah Najah Designs, a hand-painted jewelry collection. Outside of designing for YND I'm in college working towards a degree in Entrepreneurship.

2. What does fashion mean to you?

Fashion should fun and playful! To me, it’s a way to express how you feel. It should never be where your beauty ends, but rather an extension of who you are inside.

3. How would you define your city's fashion?

There are so many diverse cultures and people in NYC and that reflects in the fashion scene. I don't think NYC's fashion can be defined---and that's the beauty of it.

4. When did you realize you wanted to become a jewelry designer?

I've always loved enjoying and designing beautiful things, whether it was through fashion, interior design or painting.  I love to paint and I also love bright accessories. When I realized that I wasn't able to find a lot of bold, detailed and colorful jewelry I decided to merge my love of painting and fashion--and Yumnah Najah Designs was born.

5. What do you love most about designing and creating your own items?

When I'm creating a new piece of jewelry it's so exciting because I'm able to manifest any idea or concept I have in my mind into a physical piece of jewelry. I love the process of creating and once each piece is done, being able to just sit and look at what I've been able to create.

6. What are some of your favorite materials to work with and create with?

I love working with paint because I feel like the possibilities are endless. The colors that I can mix and the designs that I can create are limitless-- and that excites me.

7. How did you get your start in designing jewelry and what have you learned over the course of being a designer?

I started by just creating. I created jewelry for a bit before I actually created my website. I wanted to test out different mediums and become familiar with the materials I'd be using.  I think the most important thing that I'm learning about being a designer--and about life, really--is that no matter what you are doing, you have to be authentic to who you are. You have to stay true to what your essence as an individual is, and when you do that I feel like you enjoy the experience a lot more.

8. If you could sum up your look and aesthetic in three words, what would they be and why?

Colorful, Free & Feminine. I like to have fun with color and my jewelry definitely gives me the ability to do so. In terms of style I like to be free and try new things constantly.

9. What are some of your accomplishments as a jewelry designer?

Seeing my designs on so many beautiful women! Being able to see the pieces on such a wide array of women and seeing how confident and gorgeous they look wearing them really makes me smile.

10. Where can readers buy your items?

All the pieces can be purchased online at: www.yumnahnajah.com

11. How long have you worked as a jewelry designer?

I started painting pieces for Yumnah Najah Designs a little less than a year ago, and I launched www.yumnahnajah.com in November 2010.

Fashionably yours - Shellena