Lady LUX

In Hindu philosophy, Shakti is the personification of divine feminine creative power. She is a God that destroys demonic forces and restores balance. Lubna Salah has managed to create a brand, and essentially a lifestyle, based on this philosophy by creating jewelry that have healing purposes built in. Her brand, House of Shakti, is more than just about looking good, its about feeling good. “The idea was to take that Shakti energy and put it into the jewelry, so that when women wore it, they felt like I felt, and it was just to feel empowered,” said Salah.

A collections of bracelets, necklaces, earrings, malas, lariats and layers, House of Shakti uses on the highest quality of gems ranging from rose quartz to pearls to obsidian and everything in between. Based on the teachings of the chakras and gem therapy, each gem and it’s coloring has a different meaning and purpose. Drawing from a fusion on study and intuition, Lubna Salah takes those meanings, pairs it with beautiful natural stones and creates pieces that many consider to be wearable therapy, for the healing properties that exist within them. For example, if a person is looking to speak their minds more, Lubna draws from her studies and natural intuition to find stones that represent communication and creates a piece. “So, every piece and its intentions, I’ll look into and I’ll say, something like ‘I want to make something for energy.’ Then I’m drawn to reds and oranges. I kind of start in that direction. Then look at the stones themselves, and get more into the nitty gritty details of what each stone does to put it all together,” explained Salah.

A unique brand that embraces a new way of looking at jewelry, the brand appeals to those who are open minded and forward thinking, but who appreciate beauty. “When I first started, I didn’t really know who would buy it… I’m more like a conscious lifestyle brand so, I find the people that are drawn to it are people what do yoga, people that meditate, people that are what you can say is new-age philosophy, people that have really experienced life and all the beauty and bitterness and kind of say, I know who I am and I know what I want” said the designer. “House of Shakti is for people who are ready bring their own self to their clothing and their fashion without having to follow a trend per se.”

Not the typical start to a jewelry brand, Lubna Salah was a trained engineer and a V.P. of marketing before she found her passion for creating wearable artistic therapy. Around the time House of Shakti was created, Salah was also experiencing a depression and fell into a mysterious sickness in which she was losing weight rapidly and no one could tell what was wrong with her. “I had lost 50 pounds in a very short period of time and they couldn’t tell me what was wrong with me. At the time, I really thought I wasn’t going to live, so I just wanted meaning,” she explained. While she was successful prior to creating House of Shakti, she turned her back on the successful career because of lack of fulfillment and meaning. “I was turning 30 and 30 for a woman is a very transformational time. I was successful in my work and I was making a lot of money, but I felt like something was missing,” said Salah.

In an attempt to find inner peace and fulfillment, Salah turned to yoga. And while at a meditation retreat, she came across someone selling jewelry that had a purpose — a foreign concept to her at the time, but one that peeked her interest and would change the course of her life. “They explained to me that each gem stone had a meaning… then I kind of got into it, “ she explained. After the retreat, Salah began pouring through books and studying crystals, gems, the chakras and things related, and after gaining the knowledge she needed, the soon to be designer, began creating beautiful jewelry with purpose. “I’m here today because of those two years of basically just sitting there and pouring over books to the point where now I feel like I would say I’m legitimately doing both. Where I would say I’m designing and I’m doing crystal therapy,” explained the designer.

Strong in her conviction to help her clientele really feel empowered and connect with the jewelry they purchase, each piece comes with an explanation of the gems that are in the piece as well as the meaning behind it. It also has cleaning and cleansing instructions. “Anyone can make a beaded bracelet, but for me, its like saying, there’s a story that goes along with it. And how it translates to that person. They can see the picture and they can love it, they can read a story and they can connect with it.” Explained Salah. “More than the fact that it’s beautiful, for me, its about the fact that people really connect with it.”

The Beverly Hills, Calif.- based designer has extended her brand to also include angels, goddesses and accessory-jewelry crossbreeds with the recent addition of her jewelry scarves. And as the brand continues to grow, Salah will continue to find ways to share gems in more than just jewelry. “I’m liking scarves and doing hybrid type things,” she mentioned. “The next evolution for me is to find how do I incorporate gems into other things… You have to keep evolving in this life. This is that next phase for me.”

House of Shakti Giveaway:

One winner will receive the Passion & Vitality necklace.

Here's how to enter:

1) LIKE House of Shakti on Facebook

2) House of Shakti focuses on “Gemstone healing jewelry handmade with love, intention, and a focus on the healing properties of crystals. ” On the LadyLUX page, comment on the picture of the necklace with your favorite inspirational quote or quote from House of Shaktri.

The giveaway is open for 7 days (until Nov 28). Our favorite quote will be selected and the winner will be notified via Facebook.

You can see more of House of Shakti's jewelry and philosophy by visiting www.houseofshakti.com

Tagged in: lux exclusives, jewelry, accessories, giveaway, contest, house of shakti,