She has been designing jewelry for 32 years, and stepping into her studio, which has been located in the Kerem Hateimanim neighborhood of Tel Aviv for the past 17 years, is like winning a glimpse into fantasy worlds and bygone days that are embodied in every corner and every piece of jewelry. Neta Wolpe is a graduate of art and graphic design studies at Wizo France and an honors graduate in jewelry design under the master G.Y. Crystal. While her aesthetic, or the handwriting associated with her if you prefer, is characterized by blends between Eastern and European styles, with unique combinations of gold in its various hues, diamonds, and precious gemstones (depending on the clients' choices). "What I love most about my work," she says right at the beginning of our conversation, "is the ability to design a unique piece of jewelry for each person according to their wishes and passions, physical fit to the body, karma, and family history." We'll get to that.
Twice a year, Wolpe designs stunning jewelry collections, sold both locally and internationally. However, there is another fascinating aspect of her work that focuses on services for remodeling, designing, and restoring old or antique jewelry. Or rather, "transformation into jewelry," as she insists on correcting me. "Because it also has a reincarnation meaning," she explains. "You take a material, infuse it with some idea, and create a transformation, which is also spiritual because the person who will wear the jewelry after the change will feel differently." Speaking of spirituality, Wolpe does not see herself as a very spiritual person (as I might have hastily judged) and notes that she is actually very down-to-earth, but she does have a broad awareness.
"One of the topics that excites me the most is the inheritance of jewelry," Wolpe continues, "It's the encounter with jewelry from the past, contrasted with the creation of completely new pieces. There are always people and interesting stories behind those pieces. What I love even more about this encounter is the restoration and repair work I do, or the challenge posed by some clients who request a new piece of jewelry with a special design that incorporates part of the old jewelry inherited from their family, or a completely new piece. As a jeweler, I have respect for craftsmen. When I see rings from 100 years ago, I can imagine the jeweler who made them. Such jewelry serves as inspiration for me, but not only. The character of the client in front of me, their loves and desires, guide me in creating a new piece specifically tailored to them."
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Although she cannot pinpoint exactly how or when it all began, that is, when she started offering transformation services for jewelry and effectively became a leading authority in her field, she does understand where it comes from. "First of all, I think it stems from my sources of inspiration—antique jewelry. I remember that one of the reasons, one of my passions, for becoming a jeweler was the jewelry I remembered my grandmother and her close friends having. As a child, I was amazed by their incredible collections, and everything I do is a kind of restoration of my childhood memories. Moreover, gold and precious stones that people inherit are valuable but often just sit somewhere at home. Sometimes they are hidden, sometimes they are only brought out after someone has passed away. There can also be many family disputes over inherited jewelry. In fact, there are many issues, and I am the person to solve them," she says with a smile. She continues, "I think what happened is that people came to me after other jewelers simply suggested 'melting down' the jewelry, while I always made an effort to preserve the stone, ensure that a piece of the old jewelry stayed, and incorporate it into the new design. So it seems that gradually it gained momentum because really beautiful things came out of it, which even surprised me."
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How emotionally and professionally involved is Wolpe in the process, you ask? The answer is—every fiber of her being, including her feelings and beliefs. "This is my life's calling; I have no doubt about it. I’m the Dr. Dolittle of these pieces of jewelry," she tells me.
Okay, I’m intrigued. So explain?"There are pieces of jewelry that give me an ulcer just thinking about melting them down, even if they are considered very ugly by the family," she describes. "On the other hand, there are pieces that should definitely be melted down. The game of what to melt and what not to is very significant in terms of preserving the value of what exists. And in general, this is a vanishing world. We’re drowning in objects, constantly buying new things, always getting bored with what we have—jewelry included. It’s this unbearable ease. I’m the opposite of that; I’m the opposite of fast fashion, in the sense that I offer ready-made (creation from existing objects). I think we could save the world if we just stopped for a moment, thought a little, and appreciated what we have. For example, when young people or even children come to me, I try to give them an old coin or gemstone and start to instill in them that passion, the desire to understand, to know."
Instead of people keeping cherished but unused jewelry in safes, you offer them the chance to transform it into something more practical and current. So, essentially, you offer: sustainability in jewelry."Absolutely. The advantage of what I work with—gold and gemstones—is that they can be recycled. With fabrics, plastics, and fashion jewelry, it’s more complex. The whole field of jewelry-making, working with your hands, is changing, and let’s not even talk about materials. There are hardly any real materials left; now we’re using lab-grown diamonds. Gold is also running out in the world. How much longer will we keep digging? And where? In my latest collection, 'Galadriel,' inspired by The Lord of the Rings, do you remember what happened to the dwarves who dug too deep?" she asks and immediately answers, "A monster came out and destroyed all their mines. We are already there, or very close to it, and maybe it’s time to stop. Enough."
Is it important for you to preserve the memory and essence of the original piece, or is it case by case?"Case by case. I truly believe in the energy of jewelry, especially when we’re talking about inheritance. There is a huge difference if it was a beloved grandmother versus one who wasn’t so nice in her lifetime (even hated), and then no one wants her jewelry as is, even if it’s beautiful!"
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What do you do in such cases?"If a piece of jewelry, a piece with incredible craftsmanship from 200 years ago, comes to me, I will find a way to preserve it without the clients even noticing," she smiles. "For example, I might say 'Don’t melt it down; keep it for a grandchild who might want it,' or I might suggest altering it or setting it differently—like if it’s a tiny earring, I’ll set it into a bracelet, hardly visible, but I’ve done my part, it’s there, and I’ve given respect to the original piece. Generally, to ensure that a special or historically valuable piece isn’t melted down or put away in a box for another 40 years just because there are disputes or uncertainty about what to do with it, I always make a point to offer a solution that is fair to all parties involved. And also, to make sure that before we even start, family members understand how valuable the piece really is. Sometimes people think it’s worth millions, and it turns out that’s far from reality. For instance, pearls, which were once worth a lot of money, are not so valuable today. What does have financial value is gold and diamonds, but even here, it’s case by case. With a large diamond, it’s easy; you can take it out and set it anew. But when it’s a collection of many small diamonds from the 18th century, each cut differently, that’s a serious issue for preserving value, and from the start, they won’t be worth much money." Then she adds, "But they are worth sentimental value."
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So, you often find yourself facing very intimate and complex situations with clients who come with jewelry that carries historical and emotional weight for them."Exactly, but before we even start talking about design or family psychology, there are many professional dilemmas because sometimes the jewelry that comes to me is of great value, and sometimes it has almost no value (monetary) other than family sentiment. Over the years, I’ve developed a skill in communicating with the different family channels that come to me, turning spirit into material."
So you often play the role of mediator, or at least are exposed to a range of private family sagas?"Totally. I always tell them, 'Let’s do a process of forgiveness and acceptance here. Forgive her, release her and your soul. See how much she left you; let’s make something else out of it and bless her to move on, and her soul will go forward without the burden.' In other situations, working on jewelry becomes a kind of 'Tashlich,' or when there are tragic circumstances, like stillbirths, where women decide to design a piece of jewelry to serve as a memory they can wear on their bodies. In any case, I’ve gained a lot of family through my work. There are many people whose souls have connected with mine. My intention is truly meaningful; I believe in my abilities."
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Given this, I assume that setting expectations (through sketches, renderings) with a client who arrives with an old, valuable piece is critical, right?
"Actually, no. If I sense that someone doesn’t trust me, I let them go to think it over. There’s a creative process that needs to be gone through, and I can’t always know in advance how the final piece will look. So, yes, it’s clear that we set expectations, I provide sketches, and we work in several stages, etc., but there are also surprises along the way. There’s a level of dedication required, both from me towards the process and from the person towards me. I can’t fully commit if I feel it’s not working. It’s necessary to allow magic to happen, and I’m experienced enough to always try to ensure that the 'surprise' is a positive one. If I feel it’s not going to work, I say so in advance, or I won’t charge any money until I assess myself and the material I’m working with."
Have there been cases where a client was not satisfied with the final product?"Yes, it happened with a design, so we made another one, changed it. There were also cases where the jewelry ended up going to someone else in the family, and I designed something else for the original client."
And has there been a case where clients didn’t understand what they actually had in their hands?"The most extreme case was a guy around 25 who came to me with a ring his grandmother gave him in his childhood (after his mother passed away). It looked almost like a child’s piece of jewelry and had simply been thrown in his drawer since he was about 8. The grandmother told him, 'When you propose, use this diamond,' and that’s why he came to me. So I examined the diamond and realized it was over 2 carats from South Africa. I immediately suggested getting a gemological certificate, and it turned out to be a $17,000 diamond."
So, did you end up using the diamond?"No. I told him, 'You have a start for an apartment here; go buy a small diamond instead.'"
I know they were all your children, but can you say what you prefer between the two—designing new jewelry from scratch or transforming old/antique jewelry?"I don’t see a difference between the two. In the end, everything is interconnected; sometimes after I restore a piece of jewelry for a client and I have difficulty parting with it, I incorporate elements of it (inspired by it) into other pieces or collections I design, and it takes on a life of its own. For example, take the Sullivan ring from the 'Galadriel' collection, set with yellow citrine and surrounding diamonds and reddish rubies—it’s a reincarnation of a ring I originally designed for a long-time client of mine, Orly, who had a central diamond. In another collection, the ring appears with a central morganite stone, to fit the budget and as a substitute for the diamond."
Before we finish, let’s talk a bit about your second collection for 2024, which is expected to be launched soon—what can you tell us about it?"If the last collection inspired by The Lord of the Rings was more global, then the new collection relates to the First Temple period and everything that happened here in our land (this has been forming for me for a long time, but the war did accelerate it)—the amazing women of that period, with the House of David somewhat taking the spotlight—Deborah the Prophetess, Yael, Michal, Judith, Merav. But also Saul, Ahab, son of Omri, King of Israel, Barak, the tribes that may or may not have disappeared, and where they went. All these heroines and heroes serve as inspiration for a collection I hope to launch around the Sukkot holiday."