The vault: Hafsa Zuberi

Co-founder of Esfir Jewels, Hafsa Zuberi talks to us about her love for statement pieces and exciting new projects that are on her jewellery radar

How/when did you get interested in jewellery?

I’ve always been really interested in jewellery ever since I was a kid. Everywhere I travelled, I would collect a piece from different destinations and when I went to Canada for university it was like jewellery galore! Especially because I was exposed to the kind of jewellery I like — statement pieces.

What are your favourite pieces of jewellery (precious or costume)?

I design my own pieces, so one of my favourite pieces is the dark ‘Shahenshah’. It’s a chaandbaali with a sahar at the back. It embodies what we are trying to accomplish, making something that incorporates East and West. Another one of my favourite pieces is ‘Two Birds with One Stone’, only because I feel it’s really apt. I’m a literature geek, so I thought it would be a really cool way of incorporating literature into art.



Where did you get these pieces from?

I designed them myself.  I really like incorporating birds into jewellery. My partner Tasbih gets really sick of it sometimes. But I like elegant pieces, and elements like birds and flowers add to the elegance, in my opinion.

Is there any piece you are emotionally attached to and why?

This cuff we designed; it was the second piece that I designed, and I didn’t think our artisan would be able to make it since he sounded really confused when he sketched it out. But because its something I worked really hard to do and it turned out so beautifully, it will always be special.

Share a story with us about how you acquired one of your favourite pieces?

One of my favourite pieces is ‘Starfall’. Initially the spikes weren’t part of the design, we were just going to do the top. Then I thought, it looks like a star so we should try adding spikes and that’s how that design came about.

Is there anything on your radar that you want to get in the future?

One thing that I’d like to make next are laser-cut necklaces. It’s a worldwide trend, so I really want to look into rubber, laser-cut necklaces and how they can be incorporated with gold and other materials.