An established trendsetter who has headlined fashion magazines worldwide, Jordanian jewelry designer Lama Hourani is elevating Arabic heritage into high-society niches of eclectic, chic and well-traveled clients.

In the 36-year-old designer’s work, notes of desert architecture and prehistoric art flirt with Peruvian Inca symbols — like the snake, which represents truth, insight, fertility, and the condor, a bird of peace — and Masai colors borrowed from garments of African tribesman. Her style is not easy to pin down, but this is part of what is making her an international phenomenon.

Hourani grew up in the art world. The young jeweler’s mother founded the first private art gallery in Jordan in 1991. Using it as an inspiration was the natural next step. The designer recounted the family’s legacy over a Skype interview from Shanghai, where exotic sculptures and pop-art paintings dotted the wall behind her.

“My parents are very special. My father [Hani Hourani] is an artist as well as a prominent political scientist. Being part of this cultural sphere is rare in the Arab world. Growing [up] in this atmosphere has been important and fundamental for my artistic process,” she said.