Light spills over rows of jewellery carefully laid out for the film. The chandelier earrings, bracelets, and necklaces; each piece holding the promise of a story. Amina Ghaly recalls how they approached every piece with appreciation. “Some of these pieces are very clear, and some… completely vague,” she says, remembering the thin line between historical accuracy and cinematic presence. The jewellery, she explains, had to feel authentic to Umm Kulthum herself, reflecting the era, her personality, and her legacy.
INTUITION MEETS HISTORY
For the pieces whose form was lost to time, Amina and her mother relied on intuition grounded in history. “You have to put yourself in her shoes,” she says. “To feel what a woman like that, in that era, would actually wear.” The goal was never to replicate exactly, but to translate. To take fragments of memory, photographs, and archival traces, and turn them into jewellery that could be revived on screen.
THE PROCESS OF DESIGN
Even the most challenging pieces like Queen Nazli’s 1939 Collerette necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, inspired by the one she wore to Princess Fawzia’s wedding, was crafted to appear regal under cinematic light. Though they were made from silver and zircon rather than platinum and diamonds, in Amina’s words “it had to feel worthy of a Queen Mother.” A reminder of the meticulous care that guided every decision. For a moment, the jewellery became more than beautification, it became a portal to Cairo in the 1930s, the concert halls that was once filled with anticipation, and to Umm Kulthum herself.
Designing for film demanded a different kind of attention than a regular jewellery collection. Every piece needed to move naturally with the body, to catch the camera at just the right angle, and to feel true to the period. “Designing for cinema is completely different from designing a collection,” Amina explains. “Every piece needed to be era-relevant and serve the narrative, not just aesthetics.”
TIME, PRECISION, AND REALIZATIONS
Time was another pressure. What normally takes over a year to develop in Azza Fahmy’s atelier had to be completed in mere months. Yet, even under such limitations, there was no compromise. “Our goal was always to do justice to her,” Amina says. Every stone sourced, every curve drawn, every clasp tested was measured against history, intuition, and the weight of representing a legend.
Watching the film, Amina makes a realization that she saw more than the jewellery brought to life, “I saw such a resemblance with my own mother,” she admits, “the same love of Egypt, the same insistence on getting every detail right.” The echoes of her mother, the same passion for craft and attention to detail that has defined Azza Fahmy for decades. In that reflection, the project became intimate as much as professional.
EVOLUTION OF STYLE
The jewellery itself tells a story of evolution. Early pieces reflect Umm Kulthum’s roots; from simple peasant designs worn in her youth, mirroring the culture and modesty of her beginnings. As her life and fame expanded, so did her jewellery collection, embracing European Art Nouveau and Art Deco influences, showing her transformation from village singer to international icon. Amina describes this evolution as a narrative in metal and stone, each piece carrying a fragment of the era, a hint of personal identity, and a reflection of a woman becoming larger than life.
Two pieces inspired by the film have since entered Azza Fahmy boutiques, carrying the spirit of the movie while remaining wearable today. “They are not replicas,” Amina says. “They are portals, time folded into gold and silver, allowing anyone who wears them to feel connected to the film, to the era, and to Umm Kulthum herself.”
THE PAST AND THE PRESENT
Imagining what Umm Kulthum might wear today, Amina smiles. “I think she would be drawn to our high jewellery crescent brooch, and definitely the big chandelier earrings, she always wore those.” The pieces bridge decades, connecting the legacy of a voice that shaped Egypt’s culture with the contemporary desire to wear history, to carry memory, and to feel a fragment of that extraordinary life in one’s own hands.
“Inspirational,” Amina reflects when asked to sum up the experience. “Umm Kulthum and this film opened creative doors I didn’t even realise existed.” And indeed, through the carefully curated pieces, through the delicate reimagining of history, the jewellery becomes more than an accessory. It becomes a portal, a doorway into a time, a life, and a voice that continues to echo, decades later, in the quiet shine of gold and zircon, whispering the story of a woman who remains unforgettable.
