Our Story
Our story begins with one woman at the dawn of the 20th Century, when Salma, an amateur admirer of jewels arrived in Ecuador from her home in Beirut, Lebanon with her husband Salomon Barakat.
In Ecuador, Salma's admiration became an obsession, as she travelled to Paris with her husband to look for beautiful fabrics for they're textile boutique she always encountered precious jewels which she couldn’t leave behind and before she knew she became a connoisseur. Influential personalities of the time came to her to buy from her growing collection of jewelry. Even the local jewelers - sought her advice and knowledge. With her impeccable taste, sincerity and dedication, she charmed them all.
Salma's family grew, and she shared her passion with her five children. Her son, Joseph, married America, daughter and Sister of Lebanese art collectors, who believed that art was a way of seeing beyond reason and into the beauty of our hearts and souls. It was through this lens that the couple viewed their destiny.
America's appetite for the world of jewelry never ceased - at once innate, natural, fascinated and captivated. This dedication was inherited by her daughter, Denise.
Denise grew up alongside America and Salma, learning as a young girl how to weigh diamonds and authenticate emeralds using tools still in the family today.
At twenty-three, Denise married and left for Panama, leaving her family for a country were everything was new to her. In her new home, she was compelled to serve her new community and share everything she knew and loved. With America's blessing, she opened Barakat in 1978.
She studied by mail from the Gemological Institute of America, and was the first Woman jeweler in Panama with a Graduate Diamonds Diploma. At the time, as a young woman and the sole purveyor of such timeless, well-crafted jewelry and trustworthy service in Panama, she was revolutionary. But it was her trained eye, her flawless taste, and her avant-garde style that made her extraordinary.
As much as Denise loved jewelry, the people loved Denise. Customers could relate to Barakat. Her clients ranged from connoisseurs and international businessmen, to young men learning about diamonds for engagement rings and young ladies buying their first jewels. Amidst the the terrible Noriega dictatorship, She opened an outpost for the 10,000 American servicemen at Howard Air Force Base. She was the first to market conflict-free diamonds in Panama. She was even invited to host a weekly television show about jewelry, which ran for 10 years and cemented her role as the voice of the industry in her country.
Renowned for bringing international brands to Panama, the most important jewel Denise brought to Barakat was a daughter, Ariana, raised like the women before her, surrounded by the art of jewelry. While other girls played with dolls and coloring books, Ariana played with stones and gems, drawing her own mini treasures. After studying marketing in Boston and photography in Paris, Ariana received her Graduate Gemologist Diploma in New York, returning to Panama in 2004 and from them on Joining and Leading the team.
Ariana brought to the younger generation a fresh perspective rooted in the legacy her family had created. She shares, "Jewelry is so deeply rotted within me, it is a passion I have always shared with those I love the most. Its a privilege to be able to have the freedom to play around with jewelry, to be bold.. to mix the old with the new…Always on the look out for new designers and talents, for pieces with a soul that are so out of the ordinary they catch your eye, but at the same make you feel like you have worn or held them before..”
In Arabic, “Barakat” means blessing. This is what Barakat we strive to be for our customers. We are thankful for the opportunity to continue this tradition, and to serve our customers through something so meaningful, eternal, and personal as their jewelry.
In Ecuador, Salma's admiration became an obsession, as she travelled to Paris with her husband to look for beautiful fabrics for they're textile boutique she always encountered precious jewels which she couldn’t leave behind and before she knew she became a connoisseur. Influential personalities of the time came to her to buy from her growing collection of jewelry. Even the local jewelers - sought her advice and knowledge. With her impeccable taste, sincerity and dedication, she charmed them all.
Salma's family grew, and she shared her passion with her five children. Her son, Joseph, married America, daughter and Sister of Lebanese art collectors, who believed that art was a way of seeing beyond reason and into the beauty of our hearts and souls. It was through this lens that the couple viewed their destiny.
America's appetite for the world of jewelry never ceased - at once innate, natural, fascinated and captivated. This dedication was inherited by her daughter, Denise.
Denise grew up alongside America and Salma, learning as a young girl how to weigh diamonds and authenticate emeralds using tools still in the family today.
At twenty-three, Denise married and left for Panama, leaving her family for a country were everything was new to her. In her new home, she was compelled to serve her new community and share everything she knew and loved. With America's blessing, she opened Barakat in 1978.
She studied by mail from the Gemological Institute of America, and was the first Woman jeweler in Panama with a Graduate Diamonds Diploma. At the time, as a young woman and the sole purveyor of such timeless, well-crafted jewelry and trustworthy service in Panama, she was revolutionary. But it was her trained eye, her flawless taste, and her avant-garde style that made her extraordinary.
As much as Denise loved jewelry, the people loved Denise. Customers could relate to Barakat. Her clients ranged from connoisseurs and international businessmen, to young men learning about diamonds for engagement rings and young ladies buying their first jewels. Amidst the the terrible Noriega dictatorship, She opened an outpost for the 10,000 American servicemen at Howard Air Force Base. She was the first to market conflict-free diamonds in Panama. She was even invited to host a weekly television show about jewelry, which ran for 10 years and cemented her role as the voice of the industry in her country.
Renowned for bringing international brands to Panama, the most important jewel Denise brought to Barakat was a daughter, Ariana, raised like the women before her, surrounded by the art of jewelry. While other girls played with dolls and coloring books, Ariana played with stones and gems, drawing her own mini treasures. After studying marketing in Boston and photography in Paris, Ariana received her Graduate Gemologist Diploma in New York, returning to Panama in 2004 and from them on Joining and Leading the team.
Ariana brought to the younger generation a fresh perspective rooted in the legacy her family had created. She shares, "Jewelry is so deeply rotted within me, it is a passion I have always shared with those I love the most. Its a privilege to be able to have the freedom to play around with jewelry, to be bold.. to mix the old with the new…Always on the look out for new designers and talents, for pieces with a soul that are so out of the ordinary they catch your eye, but at the same make you feel like you have worn or held them before..”
In Arabic, “Barakat” means blessing. This is what Barakat we strive to be for our customers. We are thankful for the opportunity to continue this tradition, and to serve our customers through something so meaningful, eternal, and personal as their jewelry.
Ariana Arias and her mother, Denise Arias Barakat, continue the family legacy at Barakat. Ariana now leads the business with her mother’s guidance, blending tradition with innovation to carry on their storied heritage in the jewelry world.