The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Maadi may not be the first neighbourhood in Cairo that you think of when you need some quality shopping, but local residents know the few key shops to visit whenever
a special occasion rolls around. Folli Follie is definitely one of them. With
over five shops in Cairo, and another two scheduled to open in Golf City and
Dandy Mall, this international jewellery and accessories franchise has been providing Cairo women with colourful and
unique jewellery for years.

With its instantly recognizable orange sign, Folli Follie’s Maadi branch is sandwiched between the iconic
Volume 1 bookshop and Concrete. This shop is not new, but it still manages
to retain that gleaming facade that makes jewellery shops so attractive. And once inside, it is easy to see why
it has been so successful.

Folli Follie offers a wide range of modern style jewellery
and bags at moderately expensive prices. The brand incorporates crystal,
either clear or coloured, in its designs; no precious stones or gems are
used in the collections. Folli Follie also offers many one-of-a-kind style pieces for different
ages.

One display case seems devoted to those who really love colour with their
jewellery, with brightly coloured crystal chunks carefully embedded in thick
silver frames to create earrings or a necklace (between 200LE to 700LE). Another
case holds more delicate and feminine pearl jewellery. The last display case
holds flashier jewellery that you might associate with a more mature woman.

Folli Follie also seems to have caught onto
the new kaf fatma craze. You can now buy bracelets, necklaces and earrings in
the traditional evil eye design of a blue circle over a white background. A
simple, chic bracelet costs around 180LE.

At the time of this reviewer’s visit, a pair
of crystal-green teardrop earrings was on display. The earrings were very
beautiful and could easily add a splash of colour to any formal outfit. This
reviewer was ready to buy them immediately– until the salesman claimed that the
stones were real emeralds. Obviously, this cannot be true as true emerald
earrings do not sell for 250LE; as much as this reviewer wished they did!
After some back-and-forth with genuine insistence from the salesman, this
reviewer left empty-handed. This was perhaps a lapse in communication and
therefore should not discourage anyone from visiting Folli Follie.

In
short, if you find yourself stuck without a gift on Mother’s Day or Christmas,
Folli Follie can easily become the one-stop-shop for all the women in your life.