Our Story: Meet the Makers | قصّتنا
A maker's hands at the bench in Bourj Hammoud.
Four years ago, at a gold-plating workshop, I met a jeweler. What began as work has become something I think of as family.
Today, every handmade MINIZ piece is born on the workbenches of Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon, in the hands of five families.
From sketch to shine
- Design. Every piece begins as a drawing or a CAD design: a map, a cedar, a word in Arabic.
- Shaping the metal. Flat pieces start with laminating: the metal is rolled again and again until it reaches the right thickness. Sculpted pieces are 3D-modelled, moulded and cast in metal.
- Cutting. The shape is cut out — sometimes by hand, sometimes by laser, depending on the design.
- Assembling. The parts are joined, the bail is attached, and the piece becomes one.
- Cleaning and polishing. Every edge is filed and polished, until the surface is smooth.
- Stone setting. Where the design calls for it, stones are set one at a time.
- Plating and enamel. The piece is gold-plated, and where it calls for colour, enamel is laid in by hand, shade by shade.
- Final finish. Each piece is checked, cleaned and finished.
- The box. Finally, it is placed in the box you will open.
Five families. One piece.
The hands you never see
Their hands are stained black from metal dust and polishing — the marks of work you will never see in the final shine.
Each of them is married. Each has children waiting at home. When a piece leaves their bench, it carries their skill, their hours, and a family's daily bread.
I choose them for their precision, their finishing, the durability of what they make, and the care they put into every piece we create together.
Where your support goes
Much of the support Miniz receives comes from our community in the UAE and from Arabs all over the world. It doesn't stop with me. It travels back to Bourj Hammoud — to five benches and five families.
What we are working toward
My dream is to grow Miniz so these families have steadier income — and one day, fixed salaries, medical coverage and social security.
To be honest with you: this is where we are heading, not something that exists yet. Every piece you choose brings us a step closer.
A chain of lives
When you wear MINIZ, you carry more than a necklace or a ring. You carry the work of five families, and the children they work for.
Thank you for being part of it.
Mireille Eid Founder, Miniz Jewelry Boutique
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