Pearls by Azra is an online small freshwater pearl jewelry business. Azra, the founder, chats to us about how she started her business, where she sources her pearls, future projects and much more!

If you are interested in buying something from Pearls by Azra check out her Instagram below!

How did Pearls by Azra come about? Have you always been a creative person?

Pearls by Azra came about as I was in the middle of my transformation into being an advocate for Slow Fashion. A term I came across during my degree, I resonated with it deeply and as a result, I looked at my own lifestyle choices as I adopted a more sustainable practice.

This firstly forced me to look at what I wore, as I began to purchase clothes from second hand websites such as Depop and Ebay to form a capsule wardrobe.  I soon thought about my accessories too: I craved so much to wear jewellery that was ethical yet timeless. That was the start of my new creative venture; Pearlsbyazra!

I look at the jewellery now as an extension of myself and the ethos I share regarding slow and sustainable fashion.

Tell us a bit about yourself outside of Pearls by Azra.

Aside from Pearls by Azra I am a graduate from the University of Huddersfield where I studied textiles design, specialising in printed commercial design. Fashion and textiles is a great passion of mine as I am a creatively-led person!

I currently am doing a digital marketing internship which allows me to build skills within the marketing sector, but I hope to take my skills and pursue a career within fashion business either as a fashion buyer or merchandiser.

What is it like running a business online? What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced?

Running a business online is definitely a rewarding job, however the climb it takes to reach your goals can be challenging. I was so unprepared for how time consuming it can be in regards to putting your brand out there and marketing yourself; you feel like a tiny fish in a large ocean and you want to hang with the big boys! Luckily, I have a friend who is also running an online business and has amassed a large following too so any queries that I may have, I always asked for her input which I am grateful for. My biggest challenge is keeping up with delivering fresh content that is consistent and reflects the brand ethos.

You use freshwater pearls, how do you source them?

As my jewellery line has a heavy emphasis of being ethically sourced, this led to me carrying out my own research into suppliers who meet that demand. All pearls sourced are from a supplier based in a local fishing village in China where AAA+ pearls are hand picked. We have good communication with the supplier as she helped realise our vision.  

What is your clientele profile? Do you wish to try and expand it?

As of now we’ve worked with influencers to promote our business and to our success it worked! It is definitely on the agenda to expand it but all I can say is that we have some plans in the pipeline for collaborating with more influencers in the future.

Do you have any future projects/goals for your business that you can share here?

After the success of my flower collection, I am currently working on a project incorporating seed bead flowers with fresh water pearls, that’s all I can say for now!

And lastly, do you have someone that you aspire to sell your jewelry to?

Definitely! I am influenced a lot by Anna Bey’s style, she epitomises the divine feminine form. I would love to see her wearing my jewellery.