AN ABERCARN woman is using her family's Middle Eastern links as an inspiration for her new business.

Craftswoman Sarah Elam is making a distinctive range of hand-made jewellery inspired by Egypt, the country where her Iraqi father now lives.

Sarah, 24, first learned the art of jewellery-making in Egypt from a family friend.

She was staying with her father Talib at the time, as he has worked for the United Nations in Cairo for the last nine years.

Normally Sarah would be visiting him at this time of year, but she has postponed her visit until January, not because of the recent bombing in Egypt but because her business has taken off and she is too busy to take a break.

Sarah, who also spent part of her childhood in Somalia as her father was previously based there, began making jewellery while studying for a Masters degree at Swansea University, to make extra money.

She sold it mostly to friends, but the Egypt Centre in Swansea got to hear of it and put in an order for £500 of jewellery.

The former pupil of Abercarn Primary and Oakdale Comprehensive has now given up her job as a publicity officer with Torfaen Community Recycling to run the business full-time.

Originally called YRZ, after her Kurdish Iraqi grandmother Yarzadeh, she is about to rename the company Sarah Elam Jewellery.

"It soon grew to the point where it was no longer a hobby for extra cash, but becoming a viable business," said Sarah, who received help from Caerphilly council's business development team along with Newport and Gwent Enterprise to get her business venture off the ground.

Currently she works from a studio at her mother Dianne's home in West End, Abercarn, and says she may soon have to take on homeworkers in a bid to cope with the growing demand as she works flat out to cope.

Sarah said: "I would describe my jewellery designs as eclectic, using Middle Eastern and African influences with a touch of what is in vogue at the moment, and a big dollop of what women actually like and want."

She uses silver, semi-precious stone and glass sourced from all around the world.

She currently supplies galleries across the UK, including the Egypt Centre in Swansea. She also has displays of her work at Caerphilly Visitor Centre and Llancaiach Fawr Manor House in Nelson which are proving very successful, and she was at the Big Cheese in Caerphilly this weekend.

Her jewellery, including a range of necklaces, ear-rings and bracelets, is priced from £2 to £300. Most of the more expensive pieces are sold in the galleries.

"In the future I would like to find more places to supply as my plan is to allow more women to have affordable, unique jewellery as opposed to the mass-produced, mass-marketed items found on the high street," said Sarah.

"Every girl knows there is nothing more embarrassing than turning up at a party and someone wearing the same jewellery as you!"