A common trend among women in Saudi Arabia is to have a solid gold necklace with your name written on it.  As a huge Sex in the City fan, it immediately reminded me of Carrie Bradshaw’s signature necklace. I personally never bought into the trend, but I have a Saudi mother-in-law who bought me a personalized name necklace as a wedding gift. Many of my students and other expats can be seen wearing personalized jewelry.

The neat thing about the necklaces here is not only can you buy your name written in traditional Latin letters (what we use in English), you can also get your name written in Arabic. Often the gold is a higher karat than most people wear in western countries. That standard here is 21 karats or higher, while the standard in the United States is between 10-14 karats. Gold here tends to be sold at a cheaper price than it is in the states.

In order to purchase a necklace, you should visit a gold shop. There are no shortages of gold shops here in KSA, so feel free to shop around for prices and styles. Each shop will have their own designs and prints. Some people opt for just the name, while others prefer to have hearts or other symbols added in. Usually you will be asked to make a deposit and give a phone number. Upon receiving the deposit the jeweler will make the jewelry and send a photo of it to your phone. If you are happy with it you can go pick it up or you can request they make it in a different style. Gold Souks in Riyadh can be found in Taiba market. In Qassim, they can be found in downtown Buraidah.