Alumna’s Women’s Empowerment Jewelry Line Has its Roots at St. John’s

“If you are not exposed to the diversity of a campus like St. John’s, you probably would not find yourself traveling to the Himalayan mountains starting a jewelry line,” Ms. Jamal continued. “That exposure, along with living in New York City, helped shape who I am today.”

Born in Pakistan and raised in the United States, Ms. Jamal was living in Yonkers, NY, and attending high school when she first learned about St. John’s. Encouraged by her parents to stay in state for college, she enrolled, graduating with a degree in biochemistry from St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Ms. Jamal originally planned to attend dental school and pursue a career as an oral surgeon, but her path changed following the death of her mother. She instead shifted her focus toward philanthropy and diplomatic engagement through connections at the Embassy of Pakistan to the United States in Washington, DC, as well as through Comprehensive Disaster Response Services, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to advancing health care and educational initiatives in Pakistan.

In 2020, she traveled to the Himalayan region of Pakistan, where she met local women trained in gem cutting and jewelry making. Inspired by their talent and resilience, she established ArHaz Jewels, a gemstone and jewelry brand that employs hundreds of local artisans and brings their handcrafted creations to patrons in the United States.

Her efforts have helped elevate the standard of living for women in Pakistan. 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.  

ArHaz, named after her daughter Zahra spelled backwards, has roots in Persian and roughly translates to “purposeful,” a quality that has long defined Ms. Jamal, but which took on deeper meaning during her years at St. John’s. As a Muslim studying at a Catholic institution, she embraced the University’s Vincentian mission of service and compassion. In doing so, she discovered her own purpose as both a philanthropist and a businesswoman.

“At St. John’s, I was exposed to many amazing people,” Ms. Jamal said. “The community was rich in diversity, but also in acceptance. As a Muslim, I never felt like an outsider.”

“Learning about Judaism, Christianity, and other world religions at St. John’s helped me realize how similar we all are,” Ms. Jamal continued. “That experience led me down another path, one that inspired me to learn more about my own roots and who I am.”

That path eventually led to a trip to the Himalayan mountains, where she traveled into the mines and worked alongside local gemstone miners. Traditionally, such work is done by men; in Pakistan’s tribal regions, women have historically had very low participation in the workforce.

While men still conduct most of the mining, local women cut the gemstones and create the jewelry designs. All stones are ethically sourced in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Ms. Jamal said she pays her workers four times the prevailing wage in the region.

Ms. Jamal’s husband, a surgeon, says she has contributed more to the world with her “accidental” jewelry line than she would have as an oral surgeon. The couple, who live in the Washington, DC, area, have five children who have been raised in the Vincentian culture of service.

“My husband says that what I am doing now is impacting hundreds of women,” Ms. Jamal said. “Maybe I am not helping a child with a cleft palate, but I am helping a child go to school because I have employed their mother. Now, these women have access to health care, stability, and opportunity—and that is what matters most to me.”