Made in Israel

This small country is taking big steps to tell the world about its creativity and ingenuity.

By Jennifer Heebner, Senior Editor -- JCK Online, 2/1/2009 2:00:00 AM

Israel wants you to get better acquainted with its growing design community, including some bold and innovative jewelry designers. The showcase for Israeli jewelry is the Jovella International Jewelry Exhibition, which celebrated its fifth annual edition in Tel Aviv this past summer.

Quintessential Israeli design is direct, rough, improvised—and sometimes in your face. In jewelry, this means oversize and organic pieces that incorporate nontraditional materials such as silk cord and rough diamonds.

Avital Scharf, manager of the design department for the Israeli Export & International Cooperation Institute, says Israelis are natural-born entrepreneurs who know how to improvise and create on-the-fly solutions. “We don't know what the next day will bring,” says Scharf. “In Tel Aviv, we want it here, and we want it now.”

Reli Stav, an executive with the consumer goods division of IEICI, explained that the perceived roughness of Israeli jewelry is explained by Israelis' forthrightness. “Israelis are direct,” she said. “We don't wear masks.”

Nearly 200 Israel-based jewelry designers exhibited at the Jovella fair, which was organized by Stier International Trade Fairs & Exhibitions Group. Sponsors were the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies; the Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor's Administration of Diamonds, Precious Stones & Jewelry; the Administration of Foreign Trade and the IEICI; and the Israel Jewelry Manufacturers Association.

“We are pleased to be partners in Jovella 2008,” Moti Ganz, chairman of the IDI Group of Companies, told the press. “This exhibition has proven to be an excellent showcase for the superb creativity and craftsmanship of Israel's jewelry designers and manufacturers.”

Israel's precious-jewelry exports are on the rise, and the Jovella fair serves as a platform to support international business. Government statistics reveal a 25 percent increase in karat gold jewelry exports between the first quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008. Since 2006, there has been a 30 percent increase in exports of jewelry with diamonds and precious stones. The United States is the top importer of Israeli jewelry, accounting for nearly 70 percent.

Jewelry isn't the only design arena receiving official support. The government is promoting Israeli design in general—from T-shirts to medical devices—through a year-and-a-half-old design department within IEICI, which believes that rising domestic demand for Israeli-designed products will enhance the country's international reputation for creativity. To that end, the three-year-old Israel Community of Designers kicked off an annual Designed In Israel exhibition (www.designed-in-israel.com) in 2007 to publicize the country's originality. An international traveling exhibition, unveiled this year, aims to advance the organization's goals.

As Israel's jewelry-industry players attempt to increase their exposure abroad, some are diversifying. For example, rather than dealing only with loose stones, an increasing number of diamantaires are partnering with domestic design talent to produce more finished goods. That helps diamantaires evolve—an important consideration as new stone-cutting markets in China and India continue to affect Israel's polishing industry—and also enables fledgling Israeli designers to gain recognition.

Since Israel is a relatively young country, it has few jewelry traditions, according to industry members. However, a healthy creative spirit and a lot of chutzpah—Yiddish for supreme confidence—are helping the country carve its niche in the world market.

“[Israel] used to be a center of agriculture and textile [production],” says Shmuel Mordechai, with the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor. “Now our economy is evolving. You can not stay in the same place.”

Holyland Jewelry Consortium

The Holyland Jewelry Consortium is a small group of Israel-based designers who want to expand sales to targeted markets. In its first year, the group—whose efforts are partially funded by the Israeli government—focused on selling their often religious sterling silver and karat gold designs to pro-Israel consumer groups in the United States, including some church congregations and film festivals.

U.S. retailers are also signing on. “We are getting Israeli manufacturers into more stores,” says chief executive officer Ron Barenholz, who counts Macy's and Bloomingdales among his group's successes. To increase domestic sales, members of the consortium—now in its third year—are carefully targeting specific markets, focusing on details like color schemes and metal choices.

The group carefully screens new prospects. “Even though many companies may compete with each other, [members] must communicate well and see the common business interest at stake,” says Barenholz. Another requirement is experience in exports. For information, call (972-54) 440-3369; e-mail: barenholz@hjc.org.il.

Jewels Honor Israel's 60th Anniversary

Three one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry created to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary were featured at Jovella 2008 in Tel Aviv in July. The jewels, designed by Haifa-based jeweler Abraham Elisha, use precious stones and diamonds to reflect ancient Judaism and the Kabbalah.

The State of Israel Ring celebrates Israel's independence. The platinum ring is in the form of a burst of fireworks, with 48 emeralds to represent 1948, the year Israel was established, and a black diamond center stone symbolizing the centrality of Jerusalem to all religions.

The opal and diamond Jewel of Splendor takes its name from the Kabbalah and finds special meaning in the oval shape of the rare opal that appears to be divided into three parts—a fiery side, a dull side, and a golden path in the middle. Set in white gold, the pendant is outlined in diamonds.

Jacob's Ladder features a meteorite—a magnetic stone—that has naturally created lines forming a Star of David, the shape of the Biblical Ladder of Jacob, and even the name David in ancient Hebrew script. The stone is set in a yellow gold frame that suggests a royal shield. It was designed by Abraham Elisha, Haifa, Israel; (972-04) 810-7395; e-mail: elisha88@walla.com.