Alumna’s Jewelry Line Empowers Women in Rural Pakistan

During a 2020 visit to areas near her family’s ancestral home in Pakistan, Ms. Jamal discovered how rich the area was in gemstones and minerals. She also learned how poor the local jewelry makers were, particularly the area’s women.

So began the idea behind ArHaz Jewels, the gem harvesting and jewelry creation line Ms. Jamal founded in 2021. The name ArHaz translates roughly from Urdu to “self-reliant” or “purposeful,” either of which would describe Ms. Jamal and the company she established.  

ArHaz now employs hundreds of local artisans, bringing their creations to patrons in the United States and helping to elevate the standard of living for women in the Pakistan and Afghanistan border regions.

“All of these women are extremely talented, but they were living far below the poverty line because they did not have a market or access to the global world,” Ms. Jamal said. “With the philanthropic and charity work I had done, I thought it would be something if we could find a way to sustain them.”

Meet Nida Jamal ’03C, Jewelry Entrepreneur and Global Citizen 

Ms. Jamal, who studied biochemistry at St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is a native New Yorker who aspired to attend dental school upon graduation. However, her mother became ill, and Ms. Jamal opted to care for her until she died. 

She decided not to attend dental school after her mother’s passing, opting instead to pursue philanthropic and diplomatic work through connections made at the Embassy of Pakistan to the United States in Washington, DC, and Comprehensive Disaster Response Services, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to health-care and educational initiatives in Pakistan. 

She and her husband, a surgeon, have five children and live in Washington, DC. In late 2020, she visited the Himalayas region of Pakistan on a soul-searching mission, met local women trained in gem cutting and jewelry making—and came away changed. 

“After my mom passed away, there was a point in my life where I asked, ‘What is the point?’” Ms. Jamal admitted. “Then, a shift occurred in my life. I decided I wanted to live my life to serve others and do meaningful things. I wanted to empower these women I had met and build bridges to a better life for them.” 

That bridge building began in the most humble of ways. Ms. Jamal ventured deep into the mines to personally harvest stones—work almost exclusively done by men, who often spend months underground searching for marketable gems.

Ms. Jamal spent enough time in the mines to understand the challenges of harvesting the sought-after stones. “Much of the harvesting is done in the tribal regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, where women almost exclusively work in the home,” Ms. Jamal explained. “So, I had to build trust with these tribal leaders, which I was able to do. Soon, it grew to a point where I had many women reaching out to me asking if I could employ them.” 

How a St. John’s Alumna Elevates the Lives of Pakistani Women   

Conditions for women in the tribal areas of Pakistan are challenging, marked by gender disparities, limited access to education, and other human rights concerns. Women there also have extremely low rates of workforce participation, making them dependent on men for their economic well-being. 

Ms. Jamal says she pays the women artisans she contracts with four times the prevailing rate, enabling them to establish personal and professional independence. All the stones are ethically harvested in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The jewelry designs are a mix of traditional Pakistani and more contemporary artwork. A recent exhibition in the Washington, DC, area produced sales in excess of $20,000 and the line is expanding annually. 

In 2023, the nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership, founded by Hillary Rodham Clinton, included Ms. Jamal among its 50 “global visionaries” for her work with the women of the region. The award earned her a collaboration with The Estée Lauder Companies, with whom she hopes to continue growing the ArHaz brand.

“I had never lived in Pakistan, and never thought I would leave my husband and my children to go into these remote villages where there is no cell service,” Ms. Jamal admitted. “But when I did, I discovered these women have unique talents.”

Ms. Jamal admits she never would have had the courage to visit the region were it not for the time she spent at St. John’s. “Among my circle of friends were people who wanted to accomplish something,” Ms. Jamal recalled. “Positioning myself in that circle and going to a university that was so diverse inspired me to branch out. If you are not exposed to diversity or a campus like St. John’s, you probably would not go to the Himalaya Mountains. That exposure I received, and living in New York City, helped shape who I am today.”

Her next step is to expand ArHaz beyond Pakistan and into other parts of the developing world. Uganda, where women face similar economic challenges, is a possibility. She is friendly with members of the country’s diplomatic corps.

“Once I am more established with what I am doing in Pakistan, I will head to Uganda,” Ms. Jamal said. “But right now, it is one country at a time.”