Basera Elsner was born in Afghanistan and immigrated to Germany with her family at the age of 11. After attending a one-year language class in Freiburg i. Br., she qualified to attend a gymnasium (secondary school) and graduated in 1995 with a grade average of 1 (equivalent to an A+). Her love for jewelry and jewelry design began during her teenage years when she worked in a jewelry boutique alongside school. This connection never left her, and after successfully completing her studies in Business Administration in Munich, she founded her own jewelry label called “Leaf Jewelry.” In 2005, she opened her first store in the trendy Munich neighborhood of Schwabing. In 2006, she followed with the opening of a second store in downtown Munich and an online retail shop, www.leaf-schmuck.de. In 2010, the wholesale business division was added. Since then, Leaf Jewelry has been available not only in Munich and through their online shop but also in international specialty stores. Through her charity collections, Basera Elsner supports many nonprofit organizations such as DKMS-Life, Kolibri e.V. – Aid for children with cancer, and Hawar.help, which specifically advocate for disadvantaged girls and women in crisis regions like Iraq, Iran, and her home country, Afghanistan. Basera Elsner is a perfect example of how one can establish and successfully lead a company through determination and self-drive. She lives in Munich with her husband and their two foster daughters.