Few symbols have traveled as far — or endured as long — as the star and crescent moon. It has appeared on everything from jewelry to pottery, across cultures and times. Though its origins can be traced back as early as the Babylonian period in Mesopotamia, it became most widely recognized as an emblem of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled Egypt for nearly 400 years. It’s no surprise, then, that stars and crescents became so deeply woven into the country’s visual language. “We kind of grew up with stars and crescents in our grandma’s jewelry,” Amina says. “It was on the brooch, the ring, the pendant.”

The star and crescent moon has been a recurring motif throughout Azza Fahmy’s — the storied Egyptian jewelry house famed for incorporating Middle Eastern heritage into contemporary designs — collections for decades since its inception in 1969. But for its newly released Soraya collection, the brand turned this ancient symbol into a central theme. (In Arabic, Soraya translates directly to “the Pleiades” — a prominent, bright open star cluster located in the constellation Taurus.) “This year, I wanted to go back to a celestial mood,” Amina says. “I feel like stars and crescents are a universal symbol now, and different people connect with them in different ways.”

As Azza Fahmy’s daughter, Amina grew up conversant in everything from precious stones to the deep history of her country’s heritage — a result of a life shaped by curiosity, culture, and travel. She now oversees every aspect of design alongside her sister, Fatma Ghaly. Together, they’ve been growing their mother’s namesake brand to international recognition and dreaming up incredible work that’s nothing short of museum-worthy. (It’s only fitting that the brand recently moved into a new flagship boutique inside the sprawling Grand Egyptian Museum, home to some of the country’s most precious antiquities.)

The Soraya collection took Amina and her team months of research — of studying how different civilizations, from Egyptian to Indian, interpreted the star-and-crescent motif across the ages, while also delving into the house’s own archives. In the new collection, delicate stars are interwoven into mesh-like chainwork, featured in several statement-making pieces: a silver bracelet holding a central gold stars-and-crescent design, cascading silver earrings, and an all-gold version encrusted with diamonds. 

Another standout piece in the collection is a silver necklace comprising individual stars in a flowing tapestry, painstakingly created with careful craftsmanship. “If you look at the stars at the bottom, each star is very different,” Amina says. “Some that are just outlined, some that are layered, some that are flat, and it kind of gives it that multi-dimensional look.” Elsewhere in the Soraya collection, the star and crescent reappear in a beaded pearl choker, a chevalier ring, and a necklace inspired by the “kirdan” — a traditional Egyptian “fallahi,” or peasant, jewelry adorned with crescent motifs. 

Every piece in the collection reflects Azza Fahmy’s aesthetic hallmarks: mixed metals and stackable designs, rich in detail and decoration. There’s also an aspect of versatility and ease that allows wearers to interact with the brand’s pieces in ways that feel instinctive and true to them. 

“Practicality and wearability are a huge part of the brand — even though it’s a luxury business,” Amina says. “I think luxury should be practical.” Take the aforementioned scarf, one of the collection’s most impressive designs. Fluid and flexible, the necklace drapes around the neck like fabric. Wear it snug as a choker, let it fall languidly down the chest, or style it as a belt. There are no clasps; the piece is extremely easy to take on and off. 

During the private preview, I also get an up-close look at some of the house’s other treasures from past collections. Perusing the impressive showcase, with sketches of the pieces in progress, brings moments of ancient Egypt back to life. Sacred scarabs, symbols of eternity and protection, wrap their outstretched wings around the neck in gold and sterling silver. A row of lotus flowers, long associated with rebirth and regeneration, bloom from the zigzagging surface of the Nile in a cuff bracelet. Patterns and geometric shapes found in temples and tombs in the Theban monuments of Luxor appear as decorative elements in chokers, rings, and bracelets. 

“This one is very special for me,” Amina says as she pinches a serpentine necklace made of gold and amethyst and accented with diamonds and turquoise. She bends its sinuous body this way then that, the necklace coiling like a snake slithering through sand. 

“Snakes are very much part of our heritage,” she explains. The uraeus, or golden cobra, appears on headdresses and crowns worn by pharaohs — signifying divine authority and ability to ward off danger. Because snakes shed skins off their entire bodies, they’re also often viewed as a symbol of transformation and new beginnings. Adding even more meaning is the necklace’s fastening mechanism: the clenched jaws of the snake’s jewel-encrusted head, which evokes the ancient Egyptian symbol of ouroboros, or a serpent biting its own tail. 

It is truly riveting listening to Amina talk about the historical context behind each individual piece, especially the incredible effort involved in seeking these stories out. Egypt has, and always will be, an endless source of inspiration, and Amina and her team remain as open to being guided by those moments as they can. The mother and daughters frequently roam the country (and the world) in search of ideas, spending time with archeologists, and visiting temples and newly unearthed tombs. 

“Every year, even though we’ve been doing it for so long, we think, ‘Oh no, I’ve done it. I’m not going to see anything new,’” Amina says. But more often than not, they leave with stars in their eyes — and sketchbooks.