Meet the Amazing Jewelry Designer, Rahya!

Rahya Jewelry Design created an exclusive and breathtaking necklace called the GEN Pendant Necklace (available in gold and silver), which is inspired by the Girls Empowerment Network. The GEN community is humbled and grateful for Rahya and her artistic gift. We want the GEN community to get know this kind, confident, and inspiring designer and entrepreneur!

“When I first met Rahya I knew there was something special about her. She had her own style and confidence that radiated off of her. She is a role model wanting to learn and practice self-compassion. She then used her passion to create timeless pieces dedicated to ignite the power in our girls. GEN is so lucky to know Rahya and have her as a part of our family!” – Caroline Crawford, GEN’s Program Director

1. How did you hear about GEN? 

I heard about Girls Empowerment Network through Caroline Crawford. Caroline was having a luncheon and was chatting about her work with Girls Empowerment Network. When I heard about it, I immediately fell in love and told Caroline that I wanted to be involved.

2.What is one word to describe yourself in middle school and why? 

I would say mysterious. I really just marched to my own drum beat and was really into art. People didn’t really understand me and I didn’t understand them.

3. Can you tell me a little bit more about your professional path and how you came to run your own jewelry business? 

After receiving my BFA in metals and jewelry at SCAD in Savannah, I moved back to my home town New Orleans where I immediately started working for a jewelry designer in her studio shop. This opportunity led to incredible inner growth. As an artist, as a collaborator and teammate, and also as a business owner. I then shifted gears and started in industrial sales, which was a crucial piece of the puzzle to starting my own jewelry company. Having the experience in business and seeing the nuts and bolts of accounting was so important for me to manage a sustainable artistic business. Slowly, with some built capitol and courage I took flight and made it work, one day at a time.

4.What is it about GEN’s mission that has made you inspired to support our work?

GEN is such an incredible organization. Humans are capable of so much—unlocking that and using the gifts and tools that you were born with makes it all happen. The gift to the world is your passion, your creativity, your humor and intelligence. The mission of GEN touches my heart deeply. As a young girl, my parents and teachers reinforced confidence in me that helped develop my own inner strength. I am incredibly fortunate to have been given this support at a very young age and it is this strength that became paramount to my ability to start and succeed in my jewelry career. I am particularly honored to be able to help offer the young girls of our future the support I had so that they may have the skills and strength to thrive as well.

5.What advice would you offer a young girl who may want to become a jewelry designer one day?

I love this! My advice to being a jewelry designer would be always keep creating! Always keep your eyes open for inspiration. Stay true to your own style. If you want to wear what you create, it says so much about your heart soul being in the work itself. If you believe in your work, others will too. There are so many great resources, especially in Austin for jewelry making classes and workshops and bead stores. Everyone starts somewhere—so start small and go get it!

6.What are some of the ways that your business and GEN share values? 

I think that my brand has a purposeful design and it’s to just doing things because people need you to or want you to. There is purpose that goes in Girls Empowerment Network and there is purpose and meaning that goes into my work.

7. If you could go on a road trip with anyone and anywhere, who would you go with and where? 

I would love to go on a road trip to Cali with my mom and drive down the coast of California!

Contributed by: Rhianna Quiroga, Community Relations Intern