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Nov. 24, 2006
Making perfect circles
Naomi Levitin's jewelry meshes light and dark.
VERONIKA STEWART
In the summer of her Grade 11 year in Israel, Naomi Levitin took
a summer course in jewelry design. At the time, she thought of jewelry-making
only as a hobby.
"I never thought it could be a profession," Levitin explained
in a telephone interview with the Independent. Jewelry-making
became a more viable career option for Levitin at 20, after she
moved from Israel to Canada in 1993 and began working at a bead
store while attending psychology courses at university in Ottawa.
Upon moving to Vancouver, Levitin found out about the jewelry-making
program offered at Vancouver Community College. After enrolling
in the program in 1997, Levitin said she learned a wide variety
of jewelry-making techniques, as well as taking courses in art history
and drawing. She said the projects she most enjoyed were those that
asked students to make jewelry inspired by the work of artists they
learned about in class.
Although, after her graduation in 1999, Levitin still had to work
part-time to make ends meet, jewelry-making is now her full-time
career.
Based in Vancouver, Levitin said her jewelry is mainly sterling
silver, but, as her style has evolved, so has the diversity of the
materials she uses. Recently, she has included the use of gold accents
and semi-precious stones in her work, and said she plans to bring
more of these materials into future pieces.
Inspired by her travels around the world to places like South America
and Spain, as well as her homeland of Israel, Levitin said she looks
at everything from textile patterns to the local jewelry-makers
of Israel to the architecture in Barcelona for ideas.
This inspiration translates into her work through her emphasis on
texture and the use of organic, three-dimensional shapes. Levitin
said she uses the technique of patina, which is a form of surface
oxidation that turns the surface of the metal black, combined with
tarnished metal to make her work look more unique. She said the
contrast between light and dark metal makes the jewelry more appealing.
"To me, it makes it more interesting and dynamic," Levitin
said.
Levitin also uses a technique she learned at a class in Israel to
use wax casting to mold molten metals into organic and three-dimensional
shapes. She also adds texture through techniques that give a "hammered"
look to the jewelry, including the use of hammers, as well as engraving
and stamping.
"I always like to manipulate the surface [of the jewelry] with
texture," Levitin said.
An Israeli influence in her jewelry comes through in the hamsa pendants
that she makes. She said these pendants are popular in Israel and
Turkey.
Levitin noted that her style of jewelry-making and design has evolved
mainly based on the demands and feedback she gets from customers.
In this way, she said, she gained a focus on using heart shapes
in her jewelry. It's a demand she said is surprisingly high, and
not always from the likely teenage female market.
Levitin said buyers can expect to see her work continue to evolve,
as she plans to learn more techniques and further develop the ones
she currently has.
Prices for Levitin's jewelry range from $45 for a pair of earrings
to up to $340 for the more expensive necklaces in her collection.
With a website (www.naomilevitin.com)
due up within a month and plans to expand into wholesale production
and the United States market, Levitin is optimistic about the future
of her business.
Veronika Stewart is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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