The name ‘Jahada’ is the feminine form of ‘Jihad’, a translation of the Arabic word ‘struggle’. Included in it’s meanings are also ‘effort’ and ‘striving’. When I designed these earrings I contemplated on their form and shape until that word ‘strive’ came to mind. Their silhouette is one that plunges downward in front and then curves back upward. Leaving the loop unclosed and incomplete reminded me of the journey of our lives. As long as life is with us, our stories are incomplete. By reframing our understanding of and relationship with ‘struggle’ in our lives, we will see that struggle is the essence of life itself. Struggle a sign that we’re still here and have this gift to cherish.
My intention is for the Jahada Earrings to serve as a reminder to continue the vertical motion of life and purposely struggle upwards towards growth, advancement, and evolution.
-Shayba