Most founding stories start after graduation. Sakine Gulec‘s started before it: she founded the jewelry brand Amorium in 2012, while still completing her B.B.A. in Entrepreneurship at the University of Miami School of Business. Today Amorium is carried in over 500 boutiques and department stores worldwide, including Free People and South Moon Under.

From Turkey to Miami at 18

Sakine Gulec left her native Turkey at 18 to tour the University of Miami campus, after her college advisor recommended the school’s respected entrepreneurship program. Her upbringing prepared her for a global career in its own way — as she told the university’s alumni spotlight series ‘Cane Biz (“UM Advances Alumna’s Entrepreneurial Career”): “My parents pushed the importance of languages. So as a child, I traveled a lot throughout Europe to learn as many languages and cultures as I could.” She speaks Spanish, French, Turkish, and English fluently.

A Clear Idea, Executed Early

Gulec graduated from the Entrepreneurship Program in 2012 with a specific plan: turn her passion into a jewelry business and take it global. Amorium was built on handcrafted .925 sterling silver adorned with cubic zirconia crystals, and on one principle — that high-quality design and accessible luxury are not mutually exclusive. What began as a single collection grew, under her creative direction, into a globally recognized label.

What Came After

Building Amorium was the first step in a career spanning design, technology, and commerce: leading B2B sales at Papilla Aluminium Cookware, then co-founding the e-commerce technology company 73 Mobile. Read more on the About Sakine Gulec page, or see her travel and nature photography — a hobby she loves — on the sakinegulec.com homepage.