Born and raised in Brazil, Ana Khouri is a luxury jewelry designer who founded her eponymous brand in 2019. After working for major brands like Louis Vuitton and Cartier, Khouri decided to strike out on her own with a focus on sustainable materials and ethical production. Her jewelry line was created “to catalyze positive energy,” combining her passion for design with a mission to improve lives and protect the planet.
Khouri’s contemporary pieces feature ethically-sourced gold, conflict-free diamonds, and elegant minimalist silhouettes. But beyond beauty, her brand champions social change. Khouri partners with nonprofits and dedicates proceeds to support women, children, and the environment. With celebrity fans and critical acclaim, Ana Khouri’s vision for ethical luxury jewelry has made waves in the fashion industry and beyond.
Ana Khouri’s Background
Ana Khouri was born in 1981 in Florianópolis, Brazil. From a young age, she had a deep appreciation for art, nature, and design. After high school, Khouri moved to São Paulo to pursue her passion and enrolled in one of Brazil’s top design schools, Faculdade Santa Marcelina.
During her studies, Khouri found herself drawn to jewelry design specifically. She was fascinated by the ability of jewelry to be imbued with meaning and become an extension of the wearer. After graduating in 2002, Khouri interned at some of Brazil’s leading jewelry companies to gain experience and refine her craft.
In 2006, Khouri felt compelled to continue her training abroad and moved to New York City. She enrolled in jewelry classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design, where she honed her technical skills and artistic eye. During this time, Khouri also worked for renowned fine jewelry brands like Ileana Makri and Dezso by Sara Beltran. This apprenticeship exposed her to the business side of high-end jewelry while allowing her to learn from top designers.
After five years developing her expertise, Khouri was ready to launch her own brand and share her vision for ethical, meaningful jewelry with the world. Her journey from Brazil to New York helped shape her global perspective and passion for social change.
Launch of Her Brand
Ana Khouri launched her eponymous fine jewelry brand in 2010 in New York City. Her inaugural collection introduced the innovative Mirian ring, featuring Fairmined Rose Gold and ethically-sourced diamonds. The collection was met with critical acclaim for its artisanal craftsmanship and socially conscious mission.
Khouri was determined to shake up the jewelry industry by building a luxury brand with responsible sourcing and production at its core. She sought to prove that ethical practices and astonishing design are not mutually exclusive. This driving purpose led Khouri to develop direct partnerships with mines and workshops to ensure transparency and fair wages across her supply chain.
Sustainable Materials
Ana Khouri is committed to using sustainable and ethical materials in her jewelry designs. She only uses fairmined gold, which is responsibly sourced from small mines committed to safe working conditions and environmental stewardship. Khouri also utilizes recycled metals like sterling silver whenever possible to reduce her environmental impact.
When it comes to gemstones, Khouri carefully vets each supplier to ensure the gems are sourced responsibly and without harming local communities. For diamonds, she works exclusively with suppliers adhering to the Kimberley Process that certifies their diamonds are conflict-free. Khouri’s thoughtful material selection allows her to create breathtaking jewelry while upholding her dedication to sustainability and ethics. Her conscientious sourcing helps set an example for the industry to operate in a more responsible manner.
Ethical Production
Ana Khouri strongly believes in supporting local artisans and ensuring fair labor practices. All of her jewelry is produced in her small workshop located in her Miami design studio. This allows her to be intimately involved in every step of the design process and closely oversee production.
Khouri personally hires and trains all of her goldsmiths and jewelry specialists. She pays them a fair living wage and provides excellent benefits like healthcare and paid time off. Many luxury brands rely on outsourced or offshore production to reduce costs. But Khouri prioritizes supporting her local community and building personal relationships with her team. Her ethical approach promotes extraordinarily high craftsmanship since her artisans take great pride in their creations.
The intimate scale of the workshop also minimizes environmental impact. As a sustainable brand, Khouri uses recycled gold, conflict-free stones, and eco-friendly materials. Her ethical production methods reduce waste, energy consumption, and carbon emissions.
Giving Back
Ana Khouri strongly believes in using her platform and success to create positive change. She partners with charitable organizations and supports important causes related to women’s empowerment, sustainability, and human rights.
Some of her notable charitable initiatives and activism efforts include:
– Designing a bracelet to benefit the United Nations Population Fund, which promotes the reproductive health and rights of women globally. The bracelet was worn by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow to raise awareness.
– Working with the nonprofit Conservation International on a jewelry collection made from certified fairmined gold to support environmental conservation efforts in Colombia.
– Speaking out about gender inequality issues in the jewelry industry and using her brand as a platform to empower women artisans around the world.
– Partnering with the Diamond Development Initiative to source verified, ethically-mined gems that avoid illicit trade practices and improve working conditions for artisanal miners in underdeveloped nations.
– Donating proceeds from jewelry sales to provide clean water access to communities in need through the charity: water organization.
– Advocating for supply chain transparency and responsible, ethical sourcing of raw materials within the luxury jewelry sector.
Khouri’s charitable work shows how she uses her influential brand and business success to champion important social and environmental causes aligned with her values of sustainability, empowerment and human rights. Her activism makes a statement that luxury jewelry can also be an instrument for positive change in the world.
Notable Collections
Ana Khouri’s jewelry frequently makes bold yet refined feminist statements. Her Empowerment collection was created to honor women and remind them of their strength. Pieces feature motifs like the female reproductive system and phrases like “The future is female.”
One of Ana’s most famous designs is the Carol ring, named after Carol Milne, an artist who creates sculptures from glass. The ring features a raw amethyst stone encased in brushed white gold meant to resemble Carol’s art. It quickly became a celebrity and fashion editor favorite for its vibrant femininity.
Other memorable Ana Khouri collections include the Mirian collection, which plays with the concept of the evil eye, and her collaboration with model Bella Hadid on a capsule called Bella x Ana Khouri. The model was drawn to the brand for its celebration of women.
Celebrity Followin
Ana Khouri’s exquisite sustainable jewelry has caught the attention of Hollywood’s elite, with her pieces spotted on A-list celebrities at high-profile red carpet events.
Emma Watson turned heads wearing a pair of Ana’s striking black spinel and diamond drop earrings to the premiere of Little Women in 2019. That same year, Lupita Nyong’o dazzled in Ana’s 18k rose gold and rainbow moonstone necklace at the BAFTA Awards.
Ana’s jewelry has also graced many Golden Globes red carpets. In 2020, Joey King looked radiant in Ana’s yellow gold and diamond flowercluster stud earrings. The stunning Ana Khouri x Whitney Wolfe Herd collaboration produced the diamond necklace worn by Priyanka Chopra at the 2020 ceremony.
Music’s biggest stars are also falling for Ana’s sustainable sparkle. Rihanna was spotted in Ana’s white gold and diamond ear cuff, while Lady Gaga wore a showstopping Ana Khouri necklace featuring a massive 77 carat smoky quartz to the 2019 Met Gala. Beyoncé even sported Ana’s earrings in her Grammy-nominated Black Parade music video in 2020.
By having her sustainable jewelry shine at high-profile Hollywood events, Ana Khouri is proving that ethical luxury can hold its own next to conventional brands while using her growing celebrity following to promote eco-conscious practices. Her creations allow celebrities to make responsible choices on the red carpet that align with their public images and values.
The Future
Ana Khouri’s journey in the ethical luxury space is far from over. As one of the pioneering voices in sustainable fine jewelry, she aims to continue pushing the industry towards more ethical and eco-friendly practices.
Khouri plans to further develop her philanthropic partnerships and initiatives, using her platform and business to drive positive change on important social and environmental issues. She hopes to expand the reach of the brands and causes she supports to make a bigger impact.
Her jewelry collections will also continue to evolve and highlight sustainable materials and production methods. As technology advances, Khouri will have access to new lab-created gemstones, recycled metals, and innovative green production techniques to integrate into her designs. She strives to constantly improve her sustainability practices and serve as an inspiration for other luxury brands.
Most importantly, Khouri plans to uphold her brand’s core values of ethics, sustainability, and social good. As her business grows, these principles will remain central to everything she does. She believes luxury can be a force for positive change in the world, not just through donations, but by transforming harmful industry practices.
Khouri sees a future where sustainability is the norm across the jewelry industry, not the exception. Her own journey proves that ethical luxury is achievable and appeals to consumers. By continuing to pave the way, Khouri hopes her example will motivate more brands, designers, and manufacturers to rethink luxury jewelry for the better.