Jewellery in Israel

Israel is a meeting point between East and West, where jewellery traditions merge and creative new designs emerge.

While immigrants from Germany and other European countries introduced the spirit of Bauhaus in the 1930s, Oriental craftsmanship was strengthened in the 1950s and 1960s by immigrants from Islamic countries. State-owned jewellery companies preserved traditional forms of craftsmanship while developing a new, elegant style that was intended to express the national identity of the still young state of Israel. Of particular importance are the connections between local jewellery makers and European and American jewellery artists, who had a lasting influence on Israeli artists as guest lecturers at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in the 1970s. The transition from jewellery making to jewellery art finally took place in the 1980s, paving the way for internationally renowned artists such as Bianca Eshel Gershuni, Esther Knobel, Deganit Stern Schocken and Vered Kaminski, whose works are presented in detail. Another chapter of this comprehensive presentation of Israeli jewellery art is devoted to contemporary work, using the example of several outstanding young artists. While their work is part of the global jewellery art scene, they are also committed to their homeland, for example through explicit references to the tense political situation