Everyone knows Israel’s religious significance, but many don't realize that the New Jersey-size country is also a hotbed of creativity. Designers of all types of products, from T-shirts to jewelry to medical devices, are being promoted by the Israeli government by way of a year-and-a-half-old design department within The Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute (IEICI). Additionally, designers get professional representation and support from the three-year-old Israel Community of Designers (ICD).

The IEICI says that as local demand for design talent grows, so should the country's international creative reputation. To that end, ICD kicked off an annual Designed In Israel exhibition in 2007 to promote the country's originality. An international traveling exhibition of projects unveiled this year further enhances the organization's goals.

JCKstyle learned of the efforts this week while visiting the fifth annual Jovella International Jewelry Exhibition in Tel Aviv. Organizers immersed journalists in a well-rounded sampling of Israeli ingenuity, giving tours of unique retailers at the rehabilitated Tel Aviv Port (now a shopping destination), offering visits with jewelry designers, and introducing other locales where quintessential Israeli design—direct, rough, improvised, and, sometimes, in your face—can be found. In jewelry, this translates to oversize and organic pieces that incorporate an eclectic menu of materials such as silk cord and rough diamonds. If Israeli design were a word, muses longtime silversmith Avi Soffer, the appropriate term might be "chutzpah."

Weekly Gem
While the Israeli government and various industries, including jewelry, work fervently to promote home-grown designer talent, all parties have inadvertently made one big mistake: not strategically locating Israeli jewelry stores in some highly trafficked tourist destinations like luxury hotels and the airport. Instead, tourists can buy Brazilian H.Stern jewels or Swiss-made Rolex watches as souvenirs of their trips to Israel.

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