Amir Shouman is Egyptian, born in 1977 in Alexandria on the White Sea, the second largest city after Cairo. Most of Amir’s family are educators and teachers. His father is the head of the Department of Education in Alexandria, his older sister works as a teacher and he attended the same primary school where his mother served as headmaster. Amir graduated in1999 from the English Department at the University of International Law in Alexandria. From 1995 to 1999 he worked as a lawyer in Egypt, then in 2006 he moved to Bali with his Indonesian wife to start their own business. Presently, Amir is the owner and proprietor of a silver shop in Seminyak where he sells silver and exports to Egypt.
What are your hobbies?
I like sports, especially football. I enjoy watching games on TV, browsing the Internet and cooking.
How did you first become interested in Indonesia?
It was my good fortune I met an Indonesian woman two years ago in Egypt on the Internet. I just opened Yahoo Messenger and there she was. We talked to each other via webcam and we fell in love without even meeting. I invited her and her father to visit me in Egypt, but since her father was too old to travel she trusted me enough to fly to Egypt alone to meet me for the first time.We got married in Egypt, then in August 2005 we flew to Indonesia together and I met her family in Yogyakarta. We now live in Bali and we both still can’t believe how lucky we are. It’s like magic.
What was your first impression of Bali?
I liked Indonesia immediately because the people are so friendly and helpful. I like the way the Balinese welcome tourists who live all around them. The Balinese seem to take life easier than in Egypt. Whatever problem they have they still try to smile. Life is harder in Egypt.
Why did you choose to go into the silver business?
My wife advised me to open this kind of business because she already had nine years experience in silver making and retailing in a Canadian export company.
How are your silver articles different from those sold in other silver shops?
We try to make our pieces truly unique so we mix gold in with our silver so it looks classy. Our designs were inspired by researching jewelry books, changing them a little so they are completely new and one of a kind.
Where do you find silversmiths to work for you?
We have workers both here and in Java. We give them the designs and the silver and they are skilled enough to make the pieces on their own, though I still check their work for quality control. All our silver we get in Bali.
When buying silver, what should the buyer be aware of?
The buyer should first take note of the shine. Real 925 sterling silver will be much shinier than 800 sterling. Second, the buyer must weigh the piece to see how many grams they are paying for. Third, notice the detail of the design and chasing. Is it really unique and special? Did it take a lot of work? Or is it of the sort that you can easily find anywhere? The harder it is to make the article, the more expensive it should be. The buyer must take into consideration the complete package – the art, the designs, the shininess. Don’t buy silver on the street. The sellers will give an unbelievably cheap price and swear that the piece is excellent quality but it will soon turn black.
What do you like about your job?
I like meeting new people with different backgrounds from around the world. People increase my knowledge of business and life. I also like giving my customers what they want.
What nationalities do you particularly like to deal with?
I like Canadians and Australians because they are so friendly.
What do you think is the biggest problem the Balinese face?
I think the most serious problem is traffic. This situation needs to be improved because it ultimately will affect tourism in Bali. It’s always so crowded, especially during work hours. This is particularly true in the Kuta area which has very narrow streets and very high population density. Many streets are also in a bad state of repair and need to be fixed. There is also a serious lack of streetlights.
Do you have any future plans?
My dream is to open up branches of my silver business in other countries.
Meet Amir at Fortune Silver, Jl. Dhyanapura 9, Seminyak or by email: wiwikpt@yahoo.com
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please contact: <pakbill2003@yahoo.com>
