Everything in the universe is connected to everything else, is an ancient belief strongly established in many cultures, even today.  So too, was the case with Perihan Mohammed, a Qatari resident of Egyptian origin.  From Geology student with an interest in science to jewellery designer with a passion for natural stones, the seeds of Perihan’s love for jewellery-making perhaps were sown long before she even realised where she was headed.
Perihan shares her entrepreneurial experience of giving up the security of a well paid job in favour of becoming a self-taught self-starter jewellery designer with Community.
“It all started back in 2001, in high school. During my Geology course, I got fascinated by nature, rocks, minerals and more. It made me see the world we live in from a different perspective. There is so much beauty surrounding us, yet we can’t be more oblivious to such a simple fact. I started surfing the net to learn more about our earth, climate change, the earth’s crust, seeing beauty in things that most people find catastrophic — like volcanoes and rough climate changes. In my defence, learning more about these forces of nature made me realise that every shattering disaster also gives rise to the most beautiful and precious gems.” 
As her fascination for the subject grew stronger, Perhan started reading more and more about Gemology. “Well, this is how it all started for me. I want to show everyone how beautiful our lovely earth is and make them feel precious by owning a piece of it,” she says.
By 2006, Perihan started teaching herself different techniques of jewellery designing. “Whenever I passed by a jewellery shop, especially those using precious and semi-precious stones, I felt those stones deserved a more unique design. Each stone is like a fingerprint that can’t be matched, copied or found anywhere. And this is how they should be honoured,” she says passionately, a statement that defines her ideology as a designer. 
Like many home grown ideas, Perihan started small, partnering up with two close friends. “We started it as a trial to brush our skills and test the market readiness for new and unique pieces. By the end of our first year, we had a huge client base. Unfortunately, we had to wrap it up as one of my partners passed away in a heart breaking accident,” she reminisces sadly. 
Nevertheless, the seeds of a bigger project were sown. “I couldn’t just let my dream go cold. I felt I had a mission and I hadn’t fulfilled it yet.” 
And what is that mission? 
“Making every woman wearing my designs feel precious, special and beautiful,” she replies. Talking about the baby steps towards bringing her business to life, Perihan reflects, “I developed the logo with one of the best graphic designers I met, the idea was simple and the execution was brilliant. A lovely Sky Blue Butterfly made of Crystals. We came up with the name pretty easily however the slogan took us some time, until we realised that “Just for You” carries the reason behind creating the brand itself. I started working on new designs, and within three months I was ready to launch the brand.” 
However, destiny had other plans for her. The launch date for “PRECIOUS – Just for You” coincided with the date of the Egyptian Revolution! Thereafter, came marriage and four months down the line Perihan moved to Doha with her family. “Such a wonderful country with a great market!” she says, sharing her enthusiasm for the opportunities available in Qatar. “However, I didn’t think I could start PRECIOUS just yet and I resumed my Human Resources Career.”
Well, 2016, five years and two kids later, she decided to leave the security of well paid employment to enable her dream to come to life. 
“Without knowing much about the market, where to start or how I was going to make it through, I started again with new designs and only my faith that PRECIOUS would one day reach its goal.”
‘Just for you’ is not just a tag line for her. It is also her mission statement. “I never repeat a piece. If, a lot of orders come in for the same design, I advise my clients to make some changes; use a different colour, stones or shape, so that each lady has her own unique piece.”
Part of the charm of Perihan’s designs perhaps also lies in her belief that “no- one should be denied having something they want due to its high price. I customise designs to suit my customer’s budget.” 
Every new venture comes with its own set of challenges and often, chief amongst them is finance. So is the case with this initiative as well. “Currently, I am working on trying to fund PRECIOUS, looking for organisations here in Doha who can help me with the start up and business planning. I had the privilege to exhibit my designs in the first “Handmade in Qatar” exhibition last month and am looking forward to a membership with QatART. These are some much needed support networks but it would be good to have some more.”
“Marketing for a small one-person startup is another challenge. Advertising costs are huge! So, that only leaves social media and I have very limited experience in it,” she says, highlighting a hurdle frequently faced by many entrepreneurs in their effort to reach their target clientele through an affordable yet effective marketing medium. While my designs are available on both Facebook https://m.facebook.com/Preciousjust4you/ and instagram @precious_just4u I can’t say that I understand how to use social media effectively for business.
“Furthermore, supplies here are way too overpriced, so either I can order them online or travel to buy them myself, which makes it very hard to grow a brand just from my living room,” she observes thoughtfully.
Talking about the challenge of juggling many roles, Perihan reflects with refreshing directness, “I have hopped between jobs, trying to manage being a full time mum, a full time wife and a full time HR professional. When I started my project, I had imagined that the kids will be at school in the morning and I will wake up, kiss them goodbye, have my breakfast and cup of tea, sit for a while next to my bedroom window sketching for new designs and once the kids got back home we will enjoy lunch together, play for a little and then ask my daughter to help me with colouring the sketches and making the designs come to life.”
“Well, I must say, what a dream!”
“My actual day is something like this: wake up at 6am, rush to get my daughter dressed, wash up, have her breakfast in less than ten minutes, race out, struggle with traffic until I drop her off at school. By the time I finish preparing lunch it’s time to head out again to collect her. We reach home by 2pm and thereafter, I rest for a while, trying to understand how the morning just zipped past. Usually, this is the first opportunity I get to reach for my sketchbook and colours and my daughter seizes this as her opportunity to colour all over my designs,” she says with a fond smile that belies the challenges that come along with the joys of motherhood. “After the kids sleep, my husband and I get some time for each other and for friends, returning home around 1am. This is when I really feel comfortable to start doing some art.”
“All things aside, starting a signature brand from my living room with a four and a one-year-old has been quite stressful, yet amazingly rewarding. With all the ups and downs, the loud noises and messy rooms, they inspire me. Most of the colours I use for my designs are inspired by nature yet sometimes the design itself can just pop in my mind while I’m watching them play together, throwing toys everywhere.”
“I pour a little bit of my heart into each piece I make, and maybe one day, I will write down the story behind each design,” she sums up the experience enthusiastically looking forward to times to come.