You have likely seen a handful of girls wearing leather corded choker necklaces with a pearl attached to the center.  This is one of 20 designs seniors Clara Sun and Zarah Habibollah created for their new line of jewelry, Shoush Designs.

“I was inspired to start Shoush when my mom showed me pictures of poor, suffering kids in her hometown of Kaifeng. ‘Shoushi’ actually means ‘jewelry’ in Chinese,” Sun said.

Fifty percent of Shoush Designs profit benefits families in need in Kaifeng, China.

“Over the summer, I owned Shoush by myself. I made the jewelry with supplies I bought at Michaels and marketed them through the Instagram account for the company,” Sun said.

Sun decided to add Habibollah so she could meet the her customers’ product demands. Habibollah introduced Shoush Designs to Spark! and assigned herself CEO.

“Clara’s mom came back from China and told us about an orphanage that was in need of help. Clara also saw another jewelry store that gives back to cancer patients and this gave her the idea of Shoush, ” Habibollah said. “She shared the idea with me, and Shoush was born.”

Shoush Designs was awarded one of the top three business ideas during the Spark! pitch competition Thursday, Sept. 17.

“Spark! has greatly benefited our company because my mentor, Todd Weinhaus, will be selling our designs at his boutique, Pulse, in Chesterfield next week,” Habibollah said.

Habibollah is still discussing financials with Weinhaus.

“We’re donating $1,570. My mom’s friends are also raising money, so I’m not sure the total amount yet,” Sun said. “We will be giving the money to five families and buying books for the two schools that these kids attend.”

People wishing to make a purchase or buy a necklace can do so by contacting [email protected]. Necklaces range from $15-$20.