Sarit Wolfus: Lyrical Jewelry From Israel!

Sarit Wolfus

I found Sarit Wolfus through the Ganoksin Gallery. I was interested to learn that Sarit’s main occupation was music for over 20 years. She started out in the Israeli Army Band, went on to studying music at Tel Aviv University Music Academy and then spent many years playing the trumpet in most of the professional orchestras and chamber ensembles in Israel, as well as at theater productions.

So it's no wonder then that I immediately saw a lyrical quality to Sarit's jewelry. Blending her passions together, here's what she had to say:

My basic belief is that we all have freedom of will and the freedom to choose to fulfill our wills. That is why after more than 20 years in a successful career as a performing musician I turned to fulfill my dream of jewelry making, and that is why about a year ago I added 'coaching for life' to the things I do. Today, I share my time harmoniously between the three arts/professions. I coach people to discover their true wills and how to choose to fulfill it, I create a diverse and wide range of jewelry designs, letting others discover their own personal self in a piece, and I play the trumpet. I do believe that the same love of creating art for the enjoyment of others that illuminated my career as a musician also sparked the discovery of my ability to design and create unique jewelry.

I enjoy most "the freedom to be on the edge", a theme derived from my very basic beliefs both as an artist and as a human being. Freedom and endless imagination are the basic ingredients of my work. Some of my pieces reflect my belief in the right to choose and in stretching the limits of will and abilities of each of us. Other pieces are much more "classic".

I love to bring out the beauty of stones by wrapping it in silver or gold. I often wrap-set a stone with a band of gold/silver that follows the contour of the stone without covering it. Other times I use bezels for standard size stones and add a touch to the bezel for breaking the symmetry.

How do you think living in Israel influences your work?

While Israel is a modern western country, in many aspects living in Israel is means "being on the edge". We, Israelis, got used to living full normal lives while we stand at the front of the worldwide conflict between the western modern culture and other cultures. Living under this constant pressure many times serves to bring out the positive side in our spirit and strengthen values as humanity, friendship, thinking out of the box, creativity, etc.. Telling from my personal experience, my elder son was injured in a terror attack and lost his leg about a year ago. Today, now that he has been fully rehabilitated, I can tell that all of us in the family are now stronger and better people. Our believe in positive thinking, humanity and good will got much stronger.

You seem to direct much of your marketing to the U.S. market--such as 4th of July jewelry..why this focus?

I've decided to use the internet as a main marketing channel. Therefore, I have a dual language site: Hebrew for the Israeli local audience, and English for English speaking countries. Naturally, the USA has the largest and most experienced audience for online shopping, hence my focus in the American market.

The most challenging part of my work is the marketing. Needless to say, this is a completely different profession. My husband is an internet expert and he does all the work of maintaining, promoting and marketing our site.

What advice do you have for fledgling jewelry designers?

Unless you have exceptional marketing skills, do not get attempted to do it yourself. This is a full time job so it is best if you leave it to professionals and focus on design.

More of Sarit's beautiful work can be seen on her website and she sells online through Ruby Lane and throughout Israel and abroad in various galleries.

I love Sarit's unusual style! It was a pleasure meeting her!

Thanks for stopping by.

Sally