Women of Vision: How Amreen Iqbal turns women’s stories into gold

Amreen Iqbal, the Dubai-based founder and creative director of the fine-jewellery brand Piece of You, sees jewellery as an intimate form of autobiography. She designs pieces for women who want their jewellery to hold meaning beyond its material value. Iqbal launched Piece of You in 2017, capitalizing on Dubai's setting, commercial confidence, and international audience to develop her idea into a growing business.

She notes that Dubai offers entrepreneurs the confidence to dream big, praising the city's celebration of ambition, innovation, and homegrown businesses, as well as its diverse and sophisticated customer base.

The multicultural population of Dubai helped Iqbal build relationships with customers from various cultures and backgrounds, expanding the brand's perspective and presence beyond the UAE. Dubai's long association with gold and jewellery also gave Piece of You a natural resonance. Iqbal creates designs around names, initials, children, family ties, heritage, relationships, personal achievements, and defining milestones, turning each piece into a tangible record of an experience or identity.

She views herself as a "storyteller through gold and diamonds," emphasizing that the soul of Piece of You lies in the women who commission and wear its designs.

Iqbal describes her approach to design as placing beauty at the essential level, but meaning determining the final piece. The business thrives during a period of significant advancement for women in the UAE, marking Emirati Women's Day. Iqbal sees this occasion as recognition of the opportunities women now have to shape companies, industries, and the wider economy.

She attributes the progress to government initiatives, such as women's access to education, entrepreneurship programs, funding, mentorship, and increasingly visible leadership positions. Iqbal also values the culture forming around female ambition in the UAE, where women-owned businesses have become established in the country's economic landscape.

The mentorship, professional networks, collaboration, and funding available to women entrepreneurs have been vital during the uncertain early stages of a venture, Iqbal believes. Her own experience reflects that belief, offering a lesson that small ideas can become powerful businesses when given the environment to grow.