Essential Passion: The Artistic Pursuits of Mehragin Rahmati of Mergin Jewelry 

Jewellery can be thoughtful and insular, or it can be effusive and bold and full of character that makes it stand out from the crowd. I would put the colourful and charismatic creations of Mehragin Rahmati into the latter camp because of their attention-grabbing silhouettes, unusual structures, and confident mineral palettes. The Dubai-based artist started designing jewellery in 2011 and established her brand, Mergin Jewelry, in 2020. Since then, she has created some one-of-a-kind masterpieces that I had the pleasure of photographing and trying for myself earlier this year. In this article, I am pleased to introduce you to the designer, her background in clinical psychology, and some of her signature, award-winning creations… 

If you are a regular reader of KaterinaPerez.com, you will know that I have a particular fascination for discovering the route by which creatives find jewellery as their artistic outlet. I’ve spoken to sculptors who fell in love with metals, humanitarians who turned to jewellery as a method of expression, and healers who pursued the energetic properties of minerals. However, Mehragin Rahmati is the first designer I have met who has channelled a background in professional painting, clinical psychology and graphic design into a flourishing jewellery career. “I have always been brimming with enthusiasm about painting since my childhood,” she tells me. “To me, painting has always been something beyond art. After graduating from high school, I studied clinical psychology and graphic courses, but professional painting has never been separated from my daily routine, and oil painting was my true passion.”

After graduating from her studies, Mehragin discovered an interest in jewellery design, largely because it combines the compositional techniques of painting, like awareness of colour, proportions and shape, with the more technical aspects of graphic design. She shifted to study jewellery and gemmology, which led to the formation of her own brand, Mergin, in Dubai in 2020. Today, Mehragin is determined to be at the forefront of a new wave of originality in the jewellery industry, not only to convey aesthetic beauty but also to share social, environmental and psychological messages that are important to her, especially female self-confidence. She explains: “Considering the fact I have studied clinical psychology, I always design jewellery according to some psychological ideas to narrate a message. I also like my jewellery to stay stylish despite the passage of time. These pieces are valuable, and when timelessness is present in their soul, they can remain a worthy memento from one generation to another.” 

One of the things that struck me about Mehragin is the attention to detail she pays to her pieces and to the needs of the woman who will eventually wear them. For example, she has an obvious affinity for colour balancing, complementary and contrasting shapes, textures and forms, but also a talent for creating multifunctional pieces that can be transformed into casual daytime accessories or elevated into black tie adornments. “I also pay excessive attention to the internal parts of my jewellery,” she continues.

Another recognisable facet of Mergin Jewelry creations is their size, which means they almost demand to be worn alone, as a statement, singular creation, rather than as a suite. A great example of this is a deep blue tourmaline and precious opal necklace from the Epiphany collection, which would only fight against a pair of earrings or brooch in a poorly styled ensemble. Mehragin continues: “Although my jewellery pieces are big, they don’t follow the same concept as the ‘old time’ big jewellery creations of the past. They are all classic, but traces of modernity are also present in the details. My work is designed to be worn by women who want to feel the highest levels of self-confidence in their appearance and increase their elegance.”

So, what is the design process for creating such ambitious jewels? Mehragin uses two main methods, including one where she draws inspiration from a story, precious objects, or the natural world. The Khione necklace is a beautiful example, inspired by snowflakes and the tranquillity and serenity of aquamarines. In her other approach, she looks to deliver a message, whether that’s about lasting love or a lesser-known fact about an artist she admires. A quintessential example of this is the Queen of the Lake transformable ring/brooch that is based on the life story of Claude Monet and his deteriorating eyesight, which prevented him from perceiving colours and the impact of sunlight upon the landscape. “Being a painter, I was amazed to see the colours Monet used in his work. I designed Queen of the Lake based on this amazement,” Mehragin says. “The beauty of a rare gemstone can also inspire me to create a piece. I begin with a sketch, and then colour combinations start to happen. Sometimes, I have to study the forms and colours several times to get to the final piece.”

Some of the pieces that Mehragin is most proud of are the Mayura ring, which has won numerous design awards in France, the United Kingdom and international competitions. It is inspired by the symbolism of peacocks with a rare bluish-green pearl that mirrors the iridescence of the bird’s feathers alongside a triangular framework of gold encrusted with pearls and diamonds. Elsewhere, she points to the Circle of Love collection of romantic heart-shaped diamond rings and the Spring Dance necklace that can be worn in six different ways. Despite being a manufacturing challenge, the latter piece went on to win an award in the International Jewelry Design Competition 2024. It was accompanied by an award-winning short video, for which Mehragin wrote the script and took on a project manager role, ensuring it perfectly complemented her jewel. Recently, Mehragin also secured two awards – one Platinum and the other Silver – at the 2025 A’Design Awards, hosted in Italy. As a result of these successes, she was granted the “lifetime honorific designer title of Expert” by World Design Ratings, founded by the World Design Consortium. In total, Mehragin has won 16 international awards, which is an incredible achievement!

The Mergin Jewelry brand has a leaning towards peaceful blue gemstones, but in my opinion, it is at its strongest when utilising rich blue-green mineral shades. The Wish earrings, for example, are crafted with green tourmalines and are inspired by the delicacy of dandelion flowers floating on the breeze. Mehragin says: “I like Paraiba tourmaline, opals, pearls and heart-shaped diamonds. I avoid using a variety of colours in my designs because, while it might look beautiful at the beginning, this could become wearisome for the person wearing it as time goes by. It is very important to me to design pieces that look even more original with the passage of time.” 

Speaking of time, what can we expect from Mergin Jewelry in the future? I am told that new collections with simpler, lighter and smaller pieces that can be worn every day are on the horizon, albeit with a Mergin twist. Mehragin is also hoping to carve out time to translate some of her narrative stories onto canvas, thus creating a painting to match her jewellery pieces. “I like to develop a bridge between the ideas and stories behind the jewellery design and the manufactured piece using my passionate skills in the painting field,” she says. Personally, I love the idea of not only owning a one-of-a-kind jewel, but also an artwork that mirrors its ideas, inspirations and desires for the wearer. We often hear the term ‘artist jeweller’, but, in this case, Mehragin can genuinely lay claim to the term.