My romance with jewelry design started when I was a little girl. Since then, my jewelry has gone a long way, from the Runways of NY fashion week to magazines, celebrities and recently to Jewish museums worldwide with the Judaica jewelry collection.

I have been creating jewelry since I was a child. One of my first memories is creating a knitted crown of daisies I picked from a field near my house using some yarn I found at home. Knitting and crocheting seems to run in my family. I grew up seeing my mother and grandmother crocheting little table wears, tapestries and Macramed plant hangers...

At around the age of 7 or 8 my mother began to teach me to work with wire using pliers and cutters. It wasn't until my 20s I realized I could combine the two to create very interesting jewelry using textile techniques in metals. I love to travel. I gain so much inspiration for designs and techniques from traveling to different cultures.

I learned about colors and tapestry making in Guatemala, and received the inspiration for one of my collections after visiting the Taj Mahal in India. When I am not traveling to and from a distant land or working on my jewelry I love reading books, cook, and spending precious time with my close family and friends.

My work space is beautiful, it makes me so happy walking in every morning. I start work really early, around 7:30, I get to have my coffee and watch the ships come in and out of the port. I recognize some of the ships that keep coming back to the Haifa port already, Lirica, Norwegian Jade, Golden Iris which actually sells my jewelry at her shop already.

My studio is inside an office building actually, in downtown Haifa, at the city port, on the 6th floor. That's why I have such peace, quiet and a great view. I need that space to create, think and be by myself. It's a small studio, but it's got everything. I have some serious metal smithing equipment that I can use to saw, drill, hammer or solder.

I do a lot of crochet work too, as you can see, much of the jewelry is crocheted. I listen to audiobooks a lot, and lectures on different subjects. In general, I love to read and listening to audiobooks I can "read" while working too. Not accidentally, there's a post office right underneath my building. It makes it so easy to ship packages.

In the studio I start out by drawing out my designs in a notebook, that I keep handy. Not all designs get made, there are a lot more drawings than time to make them!

Peace.

KEREN PELED

Shop Owner/Maker/Designer