Papital [پاپیتال] is the Farsi word for evergreen ivy — the plant that climbs the outside of buildings and, given time, becomes part of the architecture itself. It holds on through winters, it does not stop growing, and it turns a bare wall into something worth looking at. We took the name deliberately. Our handcrafted clay jewellery draws on the enduring beauty of decorative tilework and on the stubbornness of the ivy that grows over it.
Our journey begins
Designed by Saeed Aghaeekhereshki, Papital Gallery was born in Tehran in 2016, founded by a group of young artisans with a bold idea: to reimagine the intricate beauty of traditional tilework as unique, handcrafted clay jewellery small enough to wear every day.
For a year we showed our pieces at weekly craft markets and knocked on the doors of shops, collecting rejections and celebrating small sales. Persistence paid. Loyal customers found us, and then stores began stocking us.
Papital grows
In 2017, growth gave us the means to give something back. We began running free jewellery-making workshops in community centres, designed specifically for single mothers and women looking for a sustainable income. Our partner was the Ghalb-e Sefid (White Heart) Charity Organization, a Tehran NGO working against child labour; their Entrepreneurship Center gave the women a safe place to learn the craft.
Everyone who takes part is paid for the pieces they make during training, and their commute and meals are covered. Those who finish are offered ongoing paid work. On site there is free daycare and volunteer academic tutoring for the artisans’ children, so mothers can work without their children losing a school day. Hours are flexible; those who need to work from home do.
To date we have trained over 50 women and directly support more than 20 people across design, production, packaging and sales. We also work with the Dastadast Network, which builds skills and market access for marginalised Iranian crafters.
Est. 2016 · 20+ colleagues · 50+ women trained · Worldwide delivery
See the workshop for yourself
Discover the story behind Papital Gallery in this 2021 TV interview (with English subtitles). It follows how our commitment to ethical fashion and social responsibility intertwines with the cultural heritage that inspires the designs.
In 2025 we made a short documentary, Papital Gallery — Wear a Piece of History, following four of our artisans — Nahid, Zahra, Ensiyeh and Nessa — from the raw material stalls of the old bazaar through the workshop and out to the shops across Europe that carry their work.
Made entirely by hand
Every piece in the Tile Jewellery Collection is designed and made by hand. A single tile passes through several artisans — moulding, shaping, glazing, painting, assembly — with quality control at more than one stage and a great deal of attention paid to details most people will never consciously notice. You can read the whole process on our sustainability page, including why we never light a kiln.
Where you will find us
Papital Gallery works with fair trade retailers across Europe and beyond. Since 2018, CONTIGO stores in Germany, Austria and Switzerland have carried our handcrafted clay jewellery. In 2019 we began working with Italy’s altraQualità, which distributes our collections to Italian ethical boutiques and botteghe del mondo. We are catalogued with BAFTS, the British Association for Fair Trade Shops, for retail in the UK and Ireland, and we have sales representation in Canada.
We are also co-initiators of the Fair Trade House of Iran, which brings Iranian artisan craft groups together under a shared set of ethical standards.
We are always looking for new partners. If you run a shop, our wholesale page has everything you need.