Our Pillars

Mazahri is a purpose driven company. Our purpose is to make positive change in the world by promoting human rights through our work. Human rights are the basic equal and inalienable rights of all humans as recognized by moral and ethical standards, norms and formal laws as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We promote human rights by focusing on five pillars that underpin all of our work:

Ethics and Sustainability

From the sourcing of materials to the final sale of our pieces, Mazahri implements ethical and sustainable practices throughout our work.  For Mazahri, ethical practices add to the well-being of people and the planet while doing the least amount of harm. We judge every action we take by considering who or what that action is helping and/or harming. Working with natural resources mined from the earth like metals and gemstones is inherently depleting and non-sustainable. Mazahri believes there is a way to mine in a conscious manner to encourage conservation and support the many small scale and artisanal miners that make their livelihoods off of the land. Learn more in our Policy on Responsible Sourcing.

Women’s Empowerment

Mazahri considers our impact on women, and particularly on women’s empowerment, in each step of our process. Our designs are based on ancient Afghan motifs and symbols that celebrate womanhood and recognize women’s vital position in the world. We prioritize working with women-led supply partners, women miners, women artisans, and women vendors across a wide range of industries. As a company, we prioritize the hiring of women, nonbinary and gender-marginalized community members. We also support women’s economic empowerment by directly contributing 10% of our yearly profits to organizations working to advance women’s rights and economic opportunities in Afghanistan, where women are disproportionately impacted by poverty and conflict. You can learn more about our work to promote women’s rights and empowerment here.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

As a woman-of-color-led company, Mazahri is committed to furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion within our company as well as within the jewelry industry at large. We are committed to these foundational principles in building a diverse, equitable and inclusive company that provides greater opportunities to underrepresented, oppressed and/or marginalized community members. We seek to further diversity of perspectives through the stories we tell and to build equity by highlighting the monumental contributions of diverse cultures and traditions around the world, lifting up the voices of people from those cultures and traditions in a tangible way. Learn more about our efforts here.

Cultural Preservation and Promotion of Cultural Heritage

Mazahri is committed to using our voice and designs to showcase the true meaning and beauty of Afghan culture, a culture that has too often been misrepresented, misunderstood and misappropriated. Ancestral symbols, motifs, and designs are deeply meaningful and sacred to all original and indigenous populations. We recognize that cultural preservation and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage is a human right, and crucial to the flourishing of a culture. Read more about our efforts to promote Afghan heritage here and here.

Accountability and Transparency

Mazahri chose to incorporate as a benefit corporation in California to hold ourselves accountable to making a positive social impact and to being transparent about the impact of our work. We have also obtained B Corp (Pending) certification and are working towards our full B Corp certification which we will be eligible to obtain after our first 12 months in operation. We vow to go beyond the traditional corporate practices in disclosing our wins and our shortcomings as a company. We will report on our impact annually in our Mazahri Annual Impact Report, which will be available along with other impact data here.