I’ve arrived at the fifth annual Jovella International Jewelry Exhibition in Tel Aviv, Israel. The fair runs from July 1 – 3 and I look forward to meeting some new and familiar designers on their home turf.
My flight departed from the Newark Liberty International airport. My direct flight to Tel Aviv was 10 hours long.
The Jovella fair is in its fifth year of operation.
There is a detailed itinerary for the journalists, and some highlights of it for me include:
* seeing the booths of some 200 show exhibitors, many of them based in Israel,
* learning more about Israel’s fine jewelry industry,
* meeting with Dori Csengeri (her work is gorgeous—if you’re not coming to Israel, catch her at a future Jewelers of America show in New York), among other designers,
* and of course, seeing Jerusalem!
Earrings from Dori Csengeri. By the time you read this, I will have visited her studio in Tel Aviv.
Check out the blog daily for new jewelry images and details from the show, and you may also “follow me” on Facebook, as I’ll attempt to micro-blog the trip. [Bacilio started the micro-blogging trend using Facebook and Twitter.]
I’ve already met Yaron Schrotter of the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor, and Avital Scharf of the design department within The Israeli Export & International Cooperation Institute, who summarize Israeli culture in this way: Israelis are natural-born entrepreneurs who effectively improvise creative, on-the-fly solutions because they don’t have time to operate otherwise. “We don’t know what the next day will bring,” says Scharf. “In Tel Aviv, we want it here and we want it now.”
Tel Aviv Israel, a view from my hotel room. Every single building appears to be white.
Another view of the city from my room. Tel Aviv is indeed a city by the sea.
Over the week, we’ll visit the show, retailers, and squeeze in a little sightseeing (I’ve already checked out the beach, it’s as gorgeous in person as the pics suggest), all in an effort to encourage U.S. jewelers to invest in Israel and its jewelry design industry.
This is yet another view from my hotel room. The water temp on this day was about 80 degrees, and the sand is almost powdery white. Travel to Israel for the Jovella show, and rest up afterwards on the beaches.
If you have a question, please do ask, and I’ll do my best to get an answer. And if you’re one of the many people who told me “You’re going to love Israel,” then I have to tell you that you were right: Even after one day in Israel, I can already see there’s a lot to love about the place.
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