Lebanon's capital has quietly built one of the region's richest jewellery traditions, with family houses dating back to the 1800s still working alongside a wave of younger designers turning out pieces in Beirut ateliers. A recent round-up of the country's jewellery scene shows just how deep the craft runs.

The old guard is impressive. Maison Tabbah, founded in 1862 in Zahlé before moving to Beirut, even created jewellery by Nagib Tabbah for Princess Charlene of Monaco's 2011 wedding. The Mouzannar family traces its trade to the 18th century, and George Hakim has been going since 1875, running its own Beirut workshop today. Mouawad began when David Mouawad left Lebanon in 1890 to train as a watchmaker and goldsmith, returning to open his Beirut workshop in 1908; five generations on, it's an international name in diamonds and high jewellery. L'Atelier Nawbar (family roots from 1891) is now led by sisters Dima and Tania, who fill their collections with hearts, eyes and pomegranates designed to carry personal meaning. W. Salamoon & Sons, founded in 1907, now spans Beirut and London, while Hanna Jewelry has been a family business since Abdo Hanna opened his first workshop in 1960.

A designer-led generation adds its own take. Selim Mouzannar, who opened his Ashrafieh workshop in 1993, is known for pairing gold and diamonds with coloured stones — and he's a separate house from Aziz & Walid Mouzannar. Randa Tabbah, daughter of jeweller Najib Tabbah, runs her own atelier (again, unconnected to Maison Tabbah), with her daughters now on board. Nada Ghazal works in sculptural 18K gold pieces built around emotion and memory, Falamank by Tarfa Itani (founded 2006) handcrafts storytelling-led jewellery in Beirut, and the three Mukhi Sisters blend family heritage with colour and symbolism. Nada Le Cavelier brings an artist's eye to bold material combinations.

Newer ateliers round out the picture: Azar Gems for anyone who loves stones as much as settings, bespoke-focused Jahel Joaillier and Cynthia Raffoul, Joanna Dahdah's colourful enamel pieces, layerable everyday designs from Sigha Bijoux, and Joelle Kharrat's 2022-launched line mixing 18K gold with opals, mother of pearl and even natural wood.

For travellers, this is a genuinely local shopping experience: much of it is handcrafted in Beirut, much of it is family-run, and the houses overlap in name often enough that it's worth knowing which Mouzannar or Salamoon you're actually visiting. If you're heading to Lebanon, setting aside time to browse Ashrafieh and downtown Beirut's boutiques turns a souvenir hunt into a meeting with a craft that's survived generations — and several wars.

Thanks to Lebanon Traveler for the original round-up.