Spring Flower Jewelry by Michal Golan
In honor of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day today, we’re sharing the work and story of one of our favorite jewelry designers – Michal Golan. New arrivals at Brooke Pottery this month include enamel and beaded necklaces and earrings from Golan’s pretty Spring Flowers 2011 collection.
Michal Golan has built a successful career as a jewelry designer, printer and ceramist working in New York for nearly 30 years. Golan’s distinctive designs are immediately recognizable for their ornate, intensely colored arrangements of gemstones and crystals. The work, notable for its meticulous attention to detail, highlights Michal’s mosaic-inspired aesthetic and reflects her Israeli heritage and familiarity with the intricacies of Middle Eastern Art.
Born in Haifa, Israeli, Michal Golan moved to the U.S. in 1976. She earned a BA in graphic art from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in studio art from New York University. Beginning as a 2 person team working out of an apartment and selling at craft fairs, Michal has grown her art business into a company with 40 full-time staff members. Today, Michal talented artisans produce jewelry, Judaica, belts and gifts in by hand in Golan’s New York studio. Michal Golan’s work is sold in over 1,500 stores worldwide. Brooke Pottery is proud to carry Michal’s jewelry and Judaica, and we celebrate the artistic contributions and success of this Israeli-American woman. Spring Flower Jewelry, $45-85.
Bead and Gemstone Hamsa Necklaces
Part of our new spring order from New York artist and jewelry designer Michal Golan includes her beautiful, handmade Hamsa necklaces. Encrusted with crystals and gems, each Hamsa pendant is suspended from a beaded necklace in coordinating colors. In addition to Hamsa necklaces, Brooke Pottery offers Michal Golan’s Hamsa wall plaques and key chains by special order.
The Hamsa (also known as the Hand of Fatima, the Hand of Miriam or the Hamesh hand) is a Muslim and Jewish symbol of good luck intended to ward off evil and protect against the evil eye and the envious. The Hamsa is shaped like an open hand stopping or warning an enemy. It represents the belief in the magical, protective properties of the number five in both Islamic and Jewish mysticism. Traditionally, Hamsas have been used as either wall and door plaques or as protective amulets. Hamsas have also generally contained either an eye design (representing the evil eye) or a protective prayer in the center of the palm. It has attained both religious and cultural symbolism. Israeli artist Michal Golan has tried to integrate both the cultural importance and the mystical significations of the symbol in her Judaica line. Although she has invigorated the Hamsa through the use of gems, colors and textures, she has also worked to maintain the original integrity of the Hamsa through the inclusion of traditional eye designs, prayers, and Stars of David in the center of many of her Hamsa designs.
