Yumnah Najah Qadar wearing one of her creations.

When most of us were seventeen, we were preoccupied with flirting with boys, going to our first little college parties and enjoying our first tastes of freedom. But that wasn’t the story for Yumnah Qadar.

While many of her peers were off enjoying the last bit of their teenaged years, Yumah was creating a business and a brand.

As a child Yumnah enjoyed painting but she hadn’t painted since her days as an elementary school student. It wasn’t until she was a junior in high school that her art teacher, Ms. Foster, motivated her to start painting again.

Impressed with her work, Ms. Foster encouraged Yumnah to create a portfolio and apply to the Pratt Institute’s design school. During this process Yumnah started looking for big and bold accessories. But she couldn’t find anything to match the vision in her head.

Inspired by nature and other famous painters, Yumnah began creating her own jewelry and eventually launched her own line, “Yumnah Najah.” That was just last year, when Yumnah was seventeen.

But “Yumnah Najah” is more than just a hobby for Yumnah. In addition to her coursework, Yumnah enrolled in jewelry making classes to ensure that she was using the best materials for her pieces.

Often times we hear about parents discouraging their children from pursuing creative occupations but Yumnah’s parents were nothing but supportive of her dream.  As a business major, Yumnah’s parents were excited for her to apply what she was learning in school to a real life business.

“My dad worked as a carpenter his whole life but he’s always been passionate about entrepreneurship that would give back to community,” Yumah says.

Her father encouraged Yumah and her other six siblings to do something that would allow them to give back to their Harlem community.

It’s this community aspect of her business that has allowed her budding business to thrive. Yumnah has found some helpful resources within her own neighborhood.

“You don’t realize how many people, who are so close to you, have so many talents. A lot of the older women in my neighborhood and a lot of my dad’s friends who were accountants helped me. When you’re young, people are very supportive.”

Through the help of mentors, supportive parents and her own initiative “Yumnah Najah” has enjoyed significant success to be such a young brand.

Folake Huntoon wearing a pair of Yumnah's earrings.

Popular style blogger, Folake Huntoon, of Stylepantry.com profiled “Yumnah Najah” on her site. The earrings she wore on the site have become Yumnah’s most popular.

Aside from this major nod, “Yumnah Najah” will be featured in several boutiques this upcoming holiday season.

Yumnah’s success hasn’t come from mere luck. This young woman is out here hustling. Not only does she paint everything by hand, herself, she’s steady on the grind attempting to bring more exposure and awareness to her wearable art.

“We all deserve success. You really have to believe that and not let anybody let you think otherwise. That’s a crazy thought to think that you’re not worthy of success. It’s a matter of pushing yourself forward to actually get there.”

Now that she’s achieved this level of success, Yumnah is attempting to teach other young adults to pursue careers in entrepreneurship. She volunteers with an Urban Roots program that seeks to foster inner city students’ desires for entrepreneurship.

“Growing up in Harlem is such a unique experience. There’s this really deep cultural side. Then you have the violence and the lack of proper education. It’s been a major driving force in my desire to have my own business and hopefully employ other people.”

With a strong belief in her own abilities and a willingness to help her community we expect nothing but great things from this young entrepreneur. We look forward to seeing what Yumnah will be able to create and who she’ll be able to inspire in her future endeavors.

You can check out Yumnah’s collection below and on her website at YumnahNajah.com.

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Melody Ehsani's Aztec Massai Earrings (Click the picture to buy.)

‘Till this very day, my mother won’t hesitate to ask me where my earrings are if she catches me dressed for the day without them.  When it comes to fashion, it’s all of the little things that make the most difference.  An unforgettable set of stylish and creative earrings can effortlessly make a statement about your style and personality.  With that said, I’ve never been good with jewelry.  I can’t keep a pair of earrings together to save my life and I’m still getting the evil eye from a special someone over the Tiffany necklace I lost.  Fortunately, the ladies (and some cool designers) that made our list can be counted on for keeping their jewelry in a safe place: at the top of accessory wish lists everywhere.

Photo courtesy of Art of Living

One of the best things about the arrival of warm weather is all the “awesome” and culturally enlightening festivals and expos that present themselves. Things you’ll never see in stores, such as handmade scarfs, African basket purses and intricate jewelry come out of sabbatical and blow your mind. But once it gets cold, there’s a drought. No worries. You can find these things and a lot more through the e-commerce website Etsy, which is an interactive retail site offering a dizzying amount of handmade and vintage items from sellers around the world. The greatest thing about the site is the opportunity you get to support up-and-coming fashion designers, artists, and all around uber-creative craftsmen and women. So here are a few items from the site for every kind of woman that will peak your interest and hopefully inspire you to support these hungry–not literally, just driven–artists from all over.