Mined from Fujairah’s Al Siji region the first Emirati Gemstone was unveiled at the 57th Watch and Jewellery Middle East Show, the new red jasper gemstone marks a defining moment for the UAE’s jewellery industry — transforming the country from a luxury consumer into a producer of homegrown precious stones.
For decades, the UAE has been one of the world’s most influential luxury jewellery markets — a global hub for gold trading, diamond polishing and high-end retail. What it has never been, until now, is a country with its own homegrown gemstone. That changed at this year’s Watch and Jewellery Middle East Show (WJMES) in Sharjah, where the Emirati Goldsmiths Platform lifted the curtain on “Spirit of the Emirates” — the first Emirati gemstone ever sourced, processed and showcased entirely from UAE soil.
The Emirati gemstone, a natural red jasper, has been extracted from the Al Siji region of Fujairah through a partnership with the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation, with the unveiling taking place at the 57th edition of WJMES, hosted at Expo Centre Sharjah and backed by the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).
It’s a milestone that quietly reshapes the UAE’s standing in the global jewellery value chain.
A New Chapter for Emirati Luxury
The launch did more than introduce a stone. It signalled a strategic shift — one that moves the UAE from being a sophisticated jewellery consumer and trader into something closer to a producer with its own raw material story.
Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called the moment a milestone that strengthens the entire domestic jewellery value chain.
“SCCI’s support for the Emirati Goldsmiths Platform helps local designers achieve new successes and introduce innovative concepts to the jewellery industry,” Al Owais said. “The launch of the first Emirati gemstone represents a significant milestone and a strategic development that strengthens the domestic jewellery value chain and enhances the competitiveness of the UAE’s gold and jewellery sector.”
The Stone Behind the Story
Geologically, the new Emirati gemstone – jasper holds its own against established commercial gemstones. It registers between 6.5 and 7 on the Mohs hardness scale — comfortably within the range required for durable, wearable luxury jewellery — and carries a waxy-to-glassy lustre with a natural red hue distinctive enough to anchor an identifiable national stone.
Those qualities matter. For Emirati designers, the Emirati gemstone offers something they’ve never had before: a locally sourced, commercially viable stone with a story rooted in UAE geography.
Twenty Designers, One Platform, A Generational Shift
This year’s edition saw 20 Emirati designers showcase under the Goldsmiths Platform banner, including seven first-time female participants — a marker of how rapidly the country’s design talent base is broadening.
The platform also opened space for a powerful contribution from the People of Determination community, with the “Al Shoufa” design drawing significant attention from visitors. Inclusion has quietly become one of the platform’s defining features.
Mona Al Suwaidi, Director of the Executive Office of SCCI’s Chairman and head of the Emirati Goldsmiths Platform, said the platform has evolved well beyond its original remit.
“The launch of the ‘Spirit of the Emirates’ gemstone was the result of fruitful cooperation with the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation, which enabled Emirati designers to access and utilise locally sourced geological resources,” she said. “The platform’s vision has evolved beyond supporting design and direct sales activities into a broader entrepreneurship-driven ecosystem that encompasses supply-chain leadership, including gemstone sourcing and procurement for local designers.”
That shift is more than symbolic. One of the platform’s participants has become the first Emirati gemstone supplier, sourcing authentic stones from international mines and museums to supply local designers — a small but consequential step toward closing the UAE’s gemstone supply gap.
The Designs That Carry the Story
The face of the launch is Fatima Al Muhairi, recognised as the first internationally accredited young Emirati specialist in gemology. Al Muhairi unveiled two signature pieces crafted from the new Emirati jasper.
The first, also titled “Spirit of the Emirates”, is a narrative jewellery piece tracing the gemstone’s journey from rock to retail. It incorporates the mountain from which the jasper was extracted, a palm tree symbolising national heritage, and architectural elements inspired by Al Muwaiji Fort. A natural pearl woven into the design bridges the UAE’s pearl-diving past with its newly emerging era of locally sourced gemstones.
The second piece, “Erth” — meaning heritage — is a brooch shaped as a camel’s head, combining a pearl from Al Suwaidi Pearls Farm in Ras Al Khaimah with Fujairah-sourced jasper. The result is a single object that brings together the UAE’s traditional and emerging natural resources, with the camel and pearl honouring legacy, and the jasper announcing what comes next.
Beyond the Gemstone
The exhibition floor told a wider story about where Emirati jewellery design is heading. Collections ranged from gold pieces set with diamonds and precious gemstones, to designs drawing on cultural and environmental motifs, to modern collections aimed squarely at evolving luxury consumer preferences.
Durri Jewellery, a registered Emirati brand showcasing under the platform, presented contemporary collections built around natural pearls and UAE-cultured marine pearls, threading local cultural identity through clean, modern design.
Al Suwaidi described the broader shift in unmistakable terms: the Emirati Goldsmiths Platform has moved from being a talent incubator to becoming an integrated innovation ecosystem — one designed to anchor an authentic Emirati identity in the global jewellery market.
Why It Matters
For the UAE, the implications stretch well beyond one Emirati gemstone. The country has built its reputation in luxury through retail, hospitality, and trading infrastructure. Adding sovereign raw material capability to that mix introduces a new dimension — one that lets Emirati brands tell stories no other jewellery house in the world can replicate.
“Spirit of the Emirates” may have launched as a single Emirati gemstone in a single exhibition. But what it really represents is the UAE’s quiet entry into a new tier of the global luxury industry — one where the value chain begins at home.
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