Merjuri Marks 10th Anniversary With Middle East Outposts And Nordstrom

Salmon gold ring from Merjuri

Photo courtesy of Merjuri

Before she founded Merjuri, Noura Sakkijha moved to Toronto to pursue her MBA in Business after studying engineering and working as a consultant. However far away from home the founder—a third-generation member of a family in the jewelry industry—was drawn back into jewelry with a simple desire: to make jewelry for women to purchase for themselves. Merjuri launched in 2015 as a DTC brand and now has 56 retail locations and counting. As her first two stores in Kuwait and her second global shop-in-shop open this fall, marking the brand’s decade milestone, Sakkijha explains the brand’s trajectory and why it’s a full-circle moment.

The Middle East accounts for 6 percent of the global jewelry industry, has customers with an appetite for luxury and fashion, and claims the highest purchasing power among global market regions. It’s also ingrained into the mentality, according to Sakkijha. “Jewelry is very much a part of the culture.”

With a regional partner, Merjuri is set to open two stores in Kuwait this November: one in the Avenues Mall and the other in the Assima Mall, with plans to further expand in the region to open 15 stores over the next few years. “We saw a year-over-year growth in the Middle East, even though we do zero marketing,” Sakkijha noted.

“It’s a full circle moment because I’m from the Middle East, and proud to be able to go back to the region after 10 years of building something substantial abroad to celebrate it there,” said the designer, who is originally from Jordan.

The expansion is in addition to a recent spurt in store growth so far this year. Merjuri surpassed its breakdown of fifty/fifty percent breakdown between online and in-store to now be seventy percent in-store and thirty percent online, thanks to locations in places such as Rust Street, Chicago; Lenox Square, Atlanta; Topanga, CA; Short Hills, NJ, and Brickell, Miami, among brand stores and a shop-in-shop at Selfridge’s. Beyond the Middle East, the next goal is owner-operated stores in Europe, in Berlin and Paris.

Closer to home, Merjuri has joined a slew of buzzy fine jewelry brands, including Jennifer Fisher, Monica Vinader, Lagos, Marco Bicego, and the new Muse X Nordstrom ultra-chic multi-brand in-store concession at the Seattle-based retailer’s New York flagship.

“At Merjuri, we care so much about the customer experience, and Nordstrom offers a fantastic customer experience. They also have a very loyal customer base that fits into our ethos. The partnership is the perfect place for our customers and for potential customers, both locals and tourists. The latter helps further build our international audience, too.”

Merjuri’s market ascension arrived at a time when fine jewelry moved from being solely milestone-gifting-based — typically from a man to a woman — to women self-purchasing gifts for themselves and each other for a host of non-traditional reasons. To wit, the brand’s unofficial motto is “Buy yourself the damn diamond,” the idea being that a new job, a breakup, or reaching a personal goal is just as much of a special occasion as holidays or birthdays.

The genesis of the brand occurred when, as a young professional making her own money, Sakkijha didn’t find the type or brand of jewelry that appealed to her. “I looked at the market, it was high-end or costume jewelry and a lot of smaller designers in the middle, and a slew of next-generation brands popping up in every vertical, but little in fine jewelry. The opportunity to create a brand for women to buy jewelry for themselves.”

Her concept was for a ‘next generation’ jewelry brand with an accessible price point. Thus, while the customers and offerings work for ages 15 to 65, the core customer is the 25–35-year-old working woman, primarily in big cities, who loves to travel, fashion, style, and cares about quality, according to Sakkijha. Merjuri’s average purchase is 1.5 items, totaling $250. The brand’s prices range from $50 to $10,000.

Sourcing the best manufacturers to produce her designs in 14K, silver, and 18K gold vermeil, Merjuri positioned its offerings like a fashion brand, releasing fresh styles consistently, positioning it to build a loyal community of brand fans, especially via social media.

This also shaped a conversational tone, making Merjuri feel welcoming. “I was adamant about the idea of reducing the distance between the brand and the customer because fine jewelry is very aspirational and very out there. We want it to be an approachable brand like a friend who knows about jewelry,” Sakkijha said. Recent campaigns include Merjuri Play in conjunction with “Raquet” magazine, which focused on pro female tennis players, including Emma Novarro, and timed to the US Open.

The strategy helped build a loyal customer—celebrities such as Ayo Edebiri, Olivia Wilde, Selena Gomez, Sydney Sweeney, Taylor Swift, Meghan Markle, Olivia Rodrigo, Quinta Brunson, Gigi Hadid, Lana Del Re, Scarlett Johansson and Oprah Winfrey have worn Merjuri—base where 50 percent of the revenue comes from existing, repeat customers that account for fifty percent of the brand’s revenue. “That is something very special in the jewelry industry that isn’t typical,” she added.

In only two years, the brand expanded into its first retail stores in Toronto and New York, a result of customers asking for a place to touch and feel the jewelry. “We were hosting customers in our Toronto offices, and they asked for it,” she continued.

Accessibility also means the jewelry is not kept under lock and key in glass cases. Customers are welcome to pick it up themselves. “You can interact more intimately with our brand,” the founder added.

The wager worked as it also grew their customer base. Despite robust online businesses, around 84 percent of fine jewelry in the US is still sold in person.

Throughout its recent retail journey, Merjuri, like other brands, has been navigating the up-and-down roller coaster of the tariffs imposed by President Trump. “We are equally American and Canadian, but we have navigated where we source our production, adjusting the supply chain to different parts of the world,” she explained.

One project that Sakkijha can claim serious bragging rights to is her Salmon Gold styles. The offering doesn’t refer to color but rather to upcycled, regenerated gold via an innovative remining project that heals environments by helping repopulate salmon populations.

The latest 2025 collection represents a 31% increase in regenerative gold sourcing over last year, totaling 337 troy ounces. The proceeds directly fund restoration efforts across North America, with the 2023–2024 program alone leading to the restoration of 1,650 linear meters of salmon streams and 3.5 acres of upland habitat. It’s then sent to a certified B-Corp woman-owned Italian refinery to be turned into their jewelry offerings.

Ten years on, a lot has changed at Merjuri and for Sakkijha. As the company expands, she aims to retain Merjuri’s core values, as outlined in a manifesto sent to her staff. “I needed to capture the essence and the DNA of Merjuri, so that our 1000 employees are on the same page about our story. I want to preserve the DNA of the brand.”