Summary
· Noora al-Ansari -- a Qatari woman running her own company and dealing with customers herself -- is a rarity in the wealthy Gulf state, where a growing number of women work but few have made their name in business
Doha. A Qatari businesswoman has turned heads at the Doha
Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, pitting herself against giants of the
industry while also bucking trends in the conservative country.
Noora al-Ansari -- a Qatari woman
running her own company and dealing with customers herself -- is a rarity in
the wealthy Gulf state, where a growing number of women work but few have made
their name in business.
Since opening her first Papillon
store in the capital Doha, she said customers have been curious about her nationality.
"When women saw me standing in
Papillon, they were wondering whether I was Qatari or not," she told AFP,
her exhibition stand flanked by household names of the jewellery world.
"They were not used to seeing a
Qatari woman standing in her shop" and dealing with the business and
customers, she said.
"When they found out they said,
'we are so proud of you. You have beautiful pieces'. And that encourages
me."
The week-long exhibition ending on
Saturday reflects the opulence of Qatar, whose massive gas reserves have made
it one of the world's wealthiest countries but where women's rights have caused
controversy.
Ansari said she calls the annual
show, which has drawn more than 30,000 visitors, "the big Qatari
wedding" because it is highly anticipated among Doha society.
A steady flow of luxury cars could
be seen pulling up outside the exhibition, where Louis Vuitton, Bulgari and
other global names were showcasing their designs.
One Cartier necklace was on sale for
$21 million.
'All owned by men'
A former education and oil industry
executive, Ansari designed her first solitaire ring in 2008 and launched her
business three years later.
In 2022, she moved her store into
one of Doha's most expensive malls alongside the international names she is
competing with at the show.
"I am very proud as a woman to
be a jeweller because all the names that you hear about in Doha, all the
jewellery stores here, are owned by men," she said.
She added that her customers
appreciated her efforts to explain the "four Cs" of diamonds -- cut,
clarity, colour and carat.
"When I visited jewellery
stores, no one was telling us what is a diamond, why it is valuable, why we
should have it and enjoy it. We just keep hearing that a diamond is a girl's
best friend," she told AFP.
When she started out, there were
only one or two Qatari designers while now there are at least 10 at the Doha
show, according to Ansari.
"As a local brand, to be among
the big names in the world is an honour, of course. It means that our jewellery
is presenting our local tastes and high standards," she said.
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