Ayala Bar

About Ayala Bar    Ever since I can remember, I have loved drawing, sculpture, embroidery and sewing. I studied art in a professional capacity, but people are often surprised to learn that that didn’t include jewellery making or silver-smithing. I have always been drawn to jewellery as an expression and given that I have stayed involved in in several fields of creativity at once, the area of collage came naturally to me. Match-making materials is what I love to do: test contrasts, colours and textures and how they interact together. Combining beads and soft tassels with jagged surfaces; matte textures with shiny metals. For me, the possibilities are boundless and anything can trigger creative impulse.  At the very beginning, jewellery was simply a means of earning a living. Back in the 1980s when I first started, most jewellery tended to be made of precious metals such as gold and silver as well as modelling clays, which was popular at the time. Being an outsider, I actually had an advantage. My designs were different. Unexpected. They incorporated materials that were unconventional: metals with fabrics, beads, plaster, wood and different findings. I was actually selling miniature artifacts. The initial collections had mosaic-like qualities to them, virtually reminiscent of the ancient Byzantine era. Through time, my design aesthetics have increasingly reflected influences in the fashion world and seasonal colour changes. 
My main source of inspiration has always been the materials themselves rather than ideas. 

Other influences that have captivated me include my cultural background. My grandmother, who is still alive at the age 104, emigrated from Afghanistan to Israel in the 1920s. She carried her baby for most of the 2000 mile journey. This baby was my father. At one point, I visited a museum featuring jewels from Afghanistan. As I walked through the gallery, I was amazed. I noticed the parallels between the artifacts on display and my own work.

The earrings, necklaces and bracelets of the Israeli designer Ayala Bar are small works of art that are made by hand. By mixing different materials such as minerals, fabrics, metals, glass, wood and ceramics, unique jewellery is created that show daring.