Mukhi Sisters' Jewels Carry the Best of India & Lebanon

CairoScene

a day ago

Under The Spotlight: The fiercely-sentimental jewellery of Mukhi Sisters.
The Setting: A little shop in the heart of Downtown Beirut, Lebanon.
The Frame: Enamel-painted rings, playful charms, semi-precious stones, symbolic talismans are woven with ancestral history and cultural pride, for both men and women.
Mukhi Sisters in Three Words: Meaningful. Cultural. Intuitive.
About the Founders: It all started in the 1920s when the sisters' grandfather left India for the Middle East, planting the seeds for what would become a three-generation jewellery empire. Raised between the sparkle of diamond showcases and the soft hum of goldsmith benches, Maya, Meena, and Zeenat Mukhi didn't just learn jewellery— they lived it. 'Coming from a family of jewellers on both sides, jewellery has always been an intrinsic part of who we are,' Maya shares. 'Being involved in the business from an early age, it was impossible not to absorb and retain these experiences.'
Seeds of History: Mukhi Sisters officially launched in 2009, but their story is much older. Their father, Chandru Mukhi, hails from a legendary line of Indian jewelers dating back to 1875. Their mother, Effat Kreidie, founded Effys Jewellery in 1982— so you could say diamonds run in their veins. Since they were in diapers, the sisters attended private jewellery shows, trade exhibitions, and cheekily eavesdropped on conversations about the science of jewellery-making.
By the 1970s, their grandfather Pessumal Mukhi was already shaping the jewellery scene in Beirut, Damascus, Bombay, Ashoka, and Rupkala. Fast forward to now, and Mukhi Sisters is continuing that legacy with a twist: pieces that are rooted in history but never stuck in the past.
The Shopping Experience: Walking into the Mukhi Sisters boutique (or even scrolling through their site) feels like wandering into a jewellery box filled with stories. Each piece wants to start a conversation, like hand-painted, bulbous 'Queen Vicky' rings with floral motifs you'd expect on royal porcelain, paired with edgy owl-shaped earrings from the same collection. Or their 'Harmony Guard' talismans, layered and stacked like amulets ready for battle (or brunch). Every piece is wearable, playable, but never boring; designed to be mixed, matched, and lived in. For those shopping in person, you can expect a real chat, because for the sisters, styling is personal. You leave with more than just a necklace; you leave with pieces styled around your memories and personality (plus a life lesson or two).
The Muse: 'Our creative process is intuitive, sometimes a stone's shape, cut, or history inspires a completely new direction,' Maya says. Half talisman, one-quarter time capsule and one-quarter personal diary, their collections are derived from ethnic heritage, family heirlooms, and lived experiences. 'The energy of each collection is driven by the stones— it's about the story we want to tell, and the one the wearer will add to it,' Zeenat adds. From enamel clovers to snakeskin-etched charms, everything is layered in meaning.
'We love giving stones a new life,' Meena unveils. 'There's something special about repurposing gems and reimagining them into fresh, modern designs while still carrying their original essence.' Who is Mukhi Sisters for? Whether you're stacking charms to manifest new beginnings or slipping on owl earrings as a quiet nod to wisdom, Mukhi Sisters' collections are made for the dreamers, the believers in energy, and the ones who live with intention. 'We don't impose trends or styles on anyone,' Zeenat says. 'Mukhi Sisters is both a style language and a love language — we speak to those who get it. We put the pieces out there, and it's up to the wearer to play, layer, and create their own story.'
Their customer is the kind of person who wears a silk blouse with vintage denim, throws on a power blazer on a sheer cami with layers of gold charms, and mixes heirlooms with modern staples like it's her second nature. She probably has a worn leather journal in her bag, collects stamps like souvenirs, and drinks her coffee with a side of tarot cards
The Designs' Through the Mukhi Sisters' Lens: They describe their aesthetic as boho meets vintage—but what sets them apart is this invisible layer of soul. 'When we first founded Mukhi Sisters, over 15 years ago, 'Jewellery With Attitude' was our slogan,' Maya says. 'But as we and our clients have evolved, our focus has shifted to 'meaningful fine jewellery.'' Each one of their collections comes from a personal story—a specific moment in time when they felt something and translated it into fine jewellery. 'Just as a painter shares stories and messages through their canvas, we believe we journal our stories through our collections.'
Take Better Than Yesterday', for instance, a collection meant to feel like a pat on the back from your past self, or 'Harmony Guard'— a snakeskin horseshoe (yes, really) merge two powerful symbols into one. The horseshoe represents protection and luck, while the snakeskin texture adds an edge of transformation and resilience.
'Their 'Queen Vicky' collection is all about Victorian drama but with a Mukhi twist— hand-painted enamel rings that look like they've time-traveled through history, paired with delicate heart-shaped ruby earrings framed in diamonds and love. 'For us, upcycling isn't just a design choice; it's a way of storytelling, breathing new energy into materials so they can continue their journey in a meaningful, wearable form,' Zeenat adds on the revival work behind the 'Queen Vicky' collection.
'One of our signature styles is power stacks, layered combinations of charms and talismans designed to empower the wearer,' Meena adds. Their 'power stacks' mix symbols—moons, stars, protective eyes.
The Stars of the Show: 'I'm wearing the Harmony Guard pendant nonstop,' Maya reveals. 'It's the year of transformation for me (I just became a mom!)—so having that horseshoe and snakeskin close to my heart is like carrying a reminder to protect my peace.'
For Meena, it's the Better Than Yesterday pendant. 'This collection was inspired by Zeenat, and it resonates so well with me and my beliefs,' she shares. 'I'm always growing, learning, I read a lot, and this piece feels like an anchor, reminding me I'm on my own journey, and that's enough.'
'The Ray Ring is my go-to,' Zeenat adds. 'It's a little asymmetrical, a little bold, and just has a lot of personality. The azurite malachite in it makes me feel grounded, and that's one of the aspects of the stone that I absolutely love.'
In The Words of Meena Mukhi…'Our collections are like a journal— you can look back at them and see what we were going through at the time. That's why they're so personal, and why our clients connect with them.'
The Verdict: In a market of cookie-cutter 'fine jewellery', Mukhi Sisters stand out for one simple reason: they know who they are, and that self-assuredness runs through every piece. Yes, there are countless fine jewellery brands making quote-unquote meaningful designs, but what makes Mukhi Sisters different is how personal and culturally layered their work is.
Their Lebanese-Indian roots aren't just a footnote; rather, they shape everything, from the choice of hand-painted enamel (traces of Indian craftsmanship) to the emotional talismans that feel deeply tied to both Middle Eastern and South Asian storytelling traditions.