Stone Fine Jewelry founders Ghadeer Al Taher and Joumana Jallad have built a brand that blends craftsmanship, contemporary design, and everyday luxury. Drawing from backgrounds in journalism, finance, and entrepreneurship, the duo transformed a shared passion for fine jewellery into one of the region’s most respected jewelry houses. In this edition of How I Got My Job As…, they share the experiences, inspirations, and values that have shaped their journey over the past fifteen years.
Throughout the conversation, Al Taher and Jallad reflect on the career paths that led them to establish Stone Fine Jewelry and the lessons they learned along the way. From overcoming the challenges of entrepreneurship to developing a brand known for timeless design, versatility, and excellent craftsmanship, they discuss the importance of staying true to a clear vision while balancing creativity with commercial strategy. Their insights also highlight the role of jewelry as an expression of individuality and personal storytelling.
1. What’s your educational background?
Joumana: I studied International Finance at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Ghadeer: I studied Political Science and English Literature at the University of Michigan.
2. What was your favourite subject at school?
Joumana: English literature. There is something about the way words can hold an idea that has always stayed with me.
Ghadeer: Art History. It taught me how to look at things properly, and to find meaning in detail.
3. What was your first job?
Joumana: I began my career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs in New York. It was a formative experience, structured, demanding, and one that gave me a strong foundation in discipline and decision-making.
Ghadeer: I was an editor at The Jordan Times. Working in journalism shaped the way I think about storytelling and narrative, which is something I still draw on today in how we approach design and communication at Stone.
4. What inspired you to enter the world of jewellery and design?
Ghadeer: We have both always loved jewelry and what it represents in our culture. It is deeply personal, often passed down, often tied to memory. When we looked at the landscape almost two decades ago, we saw a real gap, beautiful, finely crafted jewelry that was meant to be lived in, worn from day into night, not reserved for the occasional. That was the idea we wanted to build on.
Joumana: We believe women today want to wear jewelry that resonates with them. Pieces that feel like an extension of how they move through their lives. Stylish, sensual, luminous. A luxury that is effortless rather than ceremonial.
5. What are the key elements of your role?
Ghadeer: My main role is Creative Director. I focus on the creative vision and identity of the brand, leading the design team, shaping each collection, and making sure every piece we put out into the world stays true to who we are. A lot of my time is spent on the details that no one sees but everyone feels.
Joumana: I lead Sales and Marketing. My focus is the commercial side of the business, sales and cost analysis, growth strategy, and the marketing thinking that shapes how Stone is positioned in the market. Ghadeer and I work very closely. The creative and commercial sides of this business cannot be separated.
6. Talk us through your daily routine.
Ghadeer: My day usually starts with the design and production teams, looking at stones, reviewing samples, and refining details on pieces in development. Afternoons tend to be more collaborative, meetings with our team across markets, reviewing visuals, and shaping creative direction for upcoming campaigns. I try to keep some time at the end of the day to read, walk and quality time with the family. That space is where most of my ideas actually come from.
Joumana: I read the news in the morning while I have my coffee and breakfast. After that, I head to the gym. I love the energy and movement a good workout gives you. The rest of my day is spent following up with our production team, and in the afternoon I am mostly on calls with our showroom in Jordan, discussing marketing plans, social media direction, and growth metrics for the quarter.
7. What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
Ghadeer: Do not get too swayed by the trends. Stay true to the ethos and integrity of your brand. That is what builds something lasting.
Joumana: If you are passionate about jewelry, follow it through. There are very few things that beat the moment of creating a piece, seeing it, touching it, watching it come to life. It is quite special.
8. What are the pillars that define Stone Fine Jewelry?
Joumana: At the heart of Stone are four ideas we have stayed close to since we founded the brand fifteen years ago.
The first is uncomplicated luxury. Fine jewelry should be worn, not stored. It should move with a woman through her day, not be reserved only for occasions.
The second is craftsmanship. Every piece is handmade, every stone selected with care. Nothing about Stone is mass-produced. The detail is the point.
The third is versatility. Our pieces are designed to layer, to mix, to be styled in personal ways. We design for the woman who wants to make jewelry her own.
The fourth is timelessness. We do not chase seasons. We create pieces that we hope will be passed down, treasured, and worn long after trends move on.
9. Tell us a little about Stone Fine Jewelry. How did you come up with the idea and what do you hope people take away from it?
Ghadeer: Stone was born from a shared instinct. Joumana and I had both been looking, as customers, for jewelry we genuinely wanted to wear every day. Pieces that felt sophisticated, but also felt like us. Beautiful but also alive. We could not quite find what we were looking for, and that was the beginning. We wanted to build something we believed in, jewelry that reflected the women we knew, confident, layered, modern, rooted in their culture but very much of today.
Joumana: What we hope people take from our pieces is a sense of confidence and quiet joy. Jewelry, at its best, holds memory. We want every Stone piece to feel like that, something a woman reaches for again and again, that becomes part of her own story.
10. What do you think makes Stone Fine Jewelry unique?
Joumana: What sets us apart is the philosophy behind every piece. Stone exists in the space between traditional fine jewelry and contemporary lifestyle. We are not afraid to design fluidly, to mix stones in unexpected ways, to make pieces that move from day to night without ceremony. That sensibility is rare in this category.
Ghadeer: There is also the fact that we design from this region, for women who understand this region. Now fifteen years in, we have just opened our flagship boutique in Amman, which is a meaningful moment for us. It is the physical expression of everything Stone is.
11. What are your favourite products from the brand?
Ghadeer: Our Revolve Diamond Bangle. It was one of the first pieces we designed almost fifteen years ago, and it is still a constant in my own jewelry rotation.
Joumana: Our Victory Chain with the diamond lock and bar. There is something about that piece, when you wear it, you feel more beautiful and more sensual. That is what good jewelry should do.
12. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Ghadeer: In life as in work, take responsibility for your decisions while focusing on what you can actually control. Recognize when something needs to change, even when the path is unclear. In a crowded industry, I was advised early on not to compare, to stay close to my ethos, and to put my energy into building my own vision rather than reacting to others. That has guided me more than anything else.
Joumana: Always ask yourself if this is your personal best. Believe you can achieve what you set your mind to, and then move toward it with discipline. My son shared with me the advice Steve Jobs gave to the graduating class at Stanford, stay hungry, stay foolish. At this stage in my life, I needed to hear that. To stay hungry, to remain open to learning, to be less rigid in my thinking, and to keep moving forward through change.
13. And what is the worst?
Ghadeer: The worst advice I ever received came from people who tried to dissuade me from making such a major pivot in my career and starting my own jewelry brand. At the time, it made me question myself. Looking back, though, it became some of the best motivation I could have asked for. It pushed me to prove I was capable. It pushed me to work harder, to stay resilient, and to build something I believed in despite the doubts around me.
Joumana: Early in my career, I was told that the safe path was always the right one. That building something of your own carried too much risk to be worth it. I understand where that advice came from, but I am glad I did not take it. Some of the most meaningful things in my life have come from choosing the less certain path.
14. What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
Ghadeer: The biggest challenge for me was learning every aspect of the jewelry industry, from the technical side and craftsmanship to sourcing and production. Joumana and I came from completely different professional backgrounds, so this was an entirely new world for both of us. We had to learn quickly, and we had to learn properly.
Joumana: For me, the challenge was moving from the corporate world, where every aspect of the day was institutionalized, into the fluidity of entrepreneurship. You wear many caps, especially in the beginning, and it can be overwhelming. Over time, though, it becomes deeply rewarding. As women, I think we are naturally adept at holding many things at once. You learn to trust that.
15. What are your goals for the future?
Ghadeer and Joumana: This year marks fifteen years since we founded Stone, and we recently opened our flagship boutique in Amman, which is a real milestone for us. Looking ahead, our goal is to keep building Stone thoughtfully, to grow in the region, and to see more of the inspiring women of the Middle East wear our pieces. We want Stone to remain what it has always been, a brand grounded in craftsmanship, confidence, and a quiet kind of beauty that lasts.
As Stone Fine Jewelry celebrates its fifteenth anniversary and the opening of its flagship boutique in Amman, the founders remain focused on thoughtful growth and lasting impact. Guided by authenticity, resilience, and a commitment to quality, Al Taher and Jallad continue to redefine modern fine jewelry for women across the region, creating pieces designed to be cherished for generations.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: emirateswoman.com
