Yelena Merener and Her Unique Handmade Jewelry

It is always interesting for me to see how things are done. How beautiful silk ikat fabric is woven, comfortable walking shoes are made, cakes with meringues and whipped cream are baked and assembled, dogs are trained without stress and pain, lovely perfumes are mixed... the list is endless.

It is like magic, when a person who knows how to do something takes the components and turns them into something new and whole. It is fascinating to watch my mother calculating and drawing a pattern for a new dress; I loved to watch my father making a bowl from clay, and then colouring and baking, so that the unstable raw material turns into a strong and shiny ceramics which can last virtually for centuries.

Jewelry is no exclusion. I have a soft spot for jewelry and love to be able at least to peek at the process - even if only in the photos. Yelena Merener, an Israeli jeweller, has shared photos of he working process, taken by Alexandra Efremova. These photos very well convey the concentration, precision and care invested into the jewelry making process. And of course it also takes creativity, artistic vision, taste for beauty - you name it.

The outcome of this hard work is an eco-pendant with a very touching little elephant, fully handmade from recycled copper and sterling. A perfect gift for those who love animals.

Another piece of animal jewelry by Yelena Merener which I loved is this owl pendant which she called her guarding spirit - and she is ready to give it to the others for protection. It does have a very kind and soothing appearance, does not it? I love those labradorite eyes which seem to emit a light of their own, and the wings opened for embrace.

Yes, to me it is a kind of magic that someone can make beautiful things from cold and hard metal at her small workshop at home. For me, this seems almost impossible, but this is what Yelena really does and enjoys doing. Below is a very striking pendant with turquoise-like blue howlite and beautiful textured metal which mimics the natural pattern in the stone.

You can see more photos of Yelena's working process and more of her jewelry at her Facebook page called Unique Jewelry. She sells her work on Etsy, in her shop called LenaMer. I am thinking of asking her to make a Malinois pendant for me; I am sure it would turn out great! and maybe a matching collar tag for Jager, so that he does not feel neglected.