Your Colleagues

Summer Hours: Crafting jewelry to showcase powerful women

Zoom image: The Heriberta necklace, a piece designed by Renad Aref with inspiration from her heritage and generations of women in her family, is displayed in her workspace for La Reina Charm. The Heriberta necklace, a piece designed by Renad Aref with inspiration from her heritage and generations of women in her family, is displayed in her workspace for La Reina Charm.

The Heriberta necklace, a piece designed by Renad Aref with inspiration from her heritage and generations of women in her family, is displayed in her workspace for La Reina Charm.

Photos and text by MEREDITH FORREST KULWICKI

Published June 17, 2022

Editor's note: Summer Hours is a photo series focusing on UB staff members who use the longer days to pursue interesting hobbies, causes and other endeavors outside of their day jobs.

A homemade rig holds a coin in place while the drill wizzes. This precision work takes a steady hand, good lighting and lots of practice. Under the attentive craftmanship of Renad Aref, assistant director for admission recruitment in the Graduate School of Education, the coin will soon be transformed into a unique piece of jewelry.

On a rainy Saturday afternoon in May, Aref puts the finishing touches on her Cleopatra necklace, her bestseller. Since launching La Reina Charm this past February, Aref has turned two of her childhood hobbies — coin-collecting and jewelry-making — into a growing business.

“I really love the creativity that comes with it,” she says. “I love that I can kind of envision something and make it come to life.”

Zoom image: Aref uses a specially designed ring called a Beadsmith jump ring opener to make the fine adjustment to the claps and chains while crafting her jewelry. Aref uses a specially designed ring called a Beadsmith jump ring opener to make the fine adjustment to the claps and chains while crafting her jewelry.

Aref uses a specially designed ring called a Beadsmith jump ring opener to make the fine adjustment to the claps and chains while crafting her jewelry.

Zoom image: Aref secures a coin with a clamp at her custom-made drilling station, created with the help of her father. Aref secures a coin with a clamp at her custom-made drilling station, created with the help of her father.
Zoom image: As Aref grew her jewelry-making business to create more pieces, a rig began a necessity. As Aref grew her jewelry-making business to create more pieces, a rig began a necessity.
Zoom image: Aref uses a 1/16th drill bit for most of her coin jewelry. She says it works well to create the hole needed for the piece but doesn’t take away from the coin design. Aref uses a 1/16th drill bit for most of her coin jewelry. She says it works well to create the hole needed for the piece but doesn’t take away from the coin design.
Zoom image: Aref estimates she has more than 400 coins in her collection, but uses only some in her jewelry-making. Along with her father’s souvenir gifts, she has acquired coins from local coin dealers, eBay and estate sales. Aref estimates she has over 400 coins in her entire collection, but only some are used in her jewelry making. Along with her father’s souvenir gifts, she has acquired coins from local coin dealers, eBay and estate sales.

Aref estimates she has more than 400 coins in her collection, but uses only some in her jewelry-making. Along with her father’s souvenir gifts, she has acquired coins from local coin dealers, eBay and estate sales.

The business name translates to “The Queen Charm” and reflects Aref’s interest in showcasing powerful women in history, such as Cleopatra and Helvetica, the female national personification of Switzerland. She also showcases her family history with ties to Palestine and Puerto Rico.

Aref’s interest is jewelry-making comes from her maternal grandmother, Betty. They started with making friendship bracelets, and progressed to other materials, like beads and metals. Betty passed on to her granddaughter a work ethic, as well as supplies and educational tools.  

“I learned a lot of really interesting techniques from her that I would have never known on my own,” Aref says.

The interest in coin-collecting was born out of her father’s international travels while Aref was a teenager and hoping for souvenirs. Her first coin arrived from Hong Kong, while her siblings’ gifts were the typical T-shirts and key chains. Over the years, her collection has grown to over 400 coins.  

“I wanted a coin souvenir because it was always fascinating to me to have something from a different country,” she says. “He brought me back some currency, and so it just developed; I would collect these coins.”

Zoom image: Aref's current workspace is in her personal bedroom at her Williamsville home. She has all her supplies at hand, organized in containers and binders. The bookshelf also holds her packaging and shipping supplies. Aref current workspace is in her personal bedroom at her Williamsville area home. She has all her supplies at hand, organized in containers and binders. The bookshelf also holds her packaging and shipping supplies.

Aref's current workspace is in her personal bedroom at her Williamsville home. She has all her supplies at hand, organized in containers and binders. The bookshelf also holds her packaging and shipping supplies.

Zoom image: Above her workstation, Aref displays ideas for future creations. Featured here is the rough draft for a bracelet she calls “Arina - Mother Tree of Life.” She says the inspiration for this piece is, “If you take care of the mother tree of life, she will take care of you.” The piece is currently in production and will be available later this summer. Above her workstation, Aref displays ideas for future creations. Featured here is the rough draft for a bracelet she calls “Arina - Mother Tree of Life.” She says the inspiration for this piece is, “If you take care of the mother tree of life, she will take care of you.” The piece is currently in production and will be available later this summer.
Zoom image: These Somalia Queen of Sheba coins are curing after being polished and coated with a jewelry-grade sealant to prevent tarnish and wear. These Somalia Queen of Sheba coins are curing after being polished and coated with a jewelry-grade sealant to prevent tarnish and wear.
Zoom image: The gray organizing board to the right is called a Jewelry beadsmith board. The gray organizing board to the right is called a Jewelry beadsmith board.
Zoom image: The Cleopatra necklace (left) is the bestseller at La Reina Charm. Aref says her initial supply of 30 Cleopatra necklaces sold out in two weeks when she launched her online sales site. The Cleopatra necklace (left) is the best seller at La Reina Charm. Aref said her initial supply of 30 Cleopatra necklaces sold out in two weeks when she first launched her online sales site.

The Cleopatra necklace (left) is the bestseller at La Reina Charm. Aref says her initial supply of 30 Cleopatra necklaces sold out in two weeks when she launched her online sales site.

Aref has taken on every aspect of building her business, from website creation, sourcing materials, social media marketing, shipping and even designing and manufacturing her own coins. Recently, she designed the Heriberta necklace to honor her grandmother, as well as her mother and aunt. The pendant features a Flor De Maga flower, representing her grandmother’s birthplace of Puerto Rico; there is a wave design for that country’s beaches, and three stars that represent the women and the beautiful starry nights, Aref says.

“My grandma has always been my inspiration and the fact that she's around to see it happen is really fulfilling,” she says.

Aref has sold more than 50 pieces of her jewelry; one of her first customers was GSE co-worker Danielle LeGare.

“I'm really proud to wear Renad’s jewelry,” says LeGare, director of content for GSE’s Marketing, Communications and Outreach office. “I get compliments all the time and it just makes me feel really happy and proud of her.”

Renad Aref is a UB alumna, earning a bachelor’s degree in economics in 2011 and a master’s degree in geographic information science in 2015. She has worked at UB for about 10 years at GSE and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. You can follow her work on Instagram.