In a truly extraordinary design project, Department of Jewelry Design lecturers Gillian Golan and Orina Parente joined with the company OrYahalom to design natural-diamond-encrusted covers for the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh).

Together, they enlisted three Shenkar alumni — Noy Ben Porat, Yaron Shmerkin and Anouk Yosevshvili — to design stunning bible covers inspired by the major themes and stories in the Torah, including the creation story, the chariot (Merkava), the parting of the Red Sea (Yam Suf), the transition from darkness to light, and the twelve tribes of Israel.

Gillian Golan, who teaches commercial design at the Department of Jewelry Design, explains: “The challenge was unusual and complex. I fell in love with the idea because of its message and challenge. The intense light of the diamond—the supreme natural substance—its spiritual connection, and the notion of creating a product that conveys this message.

The designers used the Bible as a springboard, along with the concept of light. Throughout the process, we had to ensure they had total creative freedom to realize their artistic vision in the spirit of the Hebrew Bible story, while adhering to the manufacturing requirements and maintaining the level of handcrafting required for a product of this complexity.”

 “We set the diamonds into the work of a silversmith,” explains Orina Parente, director of development and lecturer at Shenkar. “The challenge in this project was significant, primarily because this discipline mainly deals with gold. The material is softer, and the polishing and finishing require greater attention to detail. Throughout the long process, we overcame a great many obstacles and created wonderful jewelry designs that emphasize craftsmanship and combine different materials,” Parente adds.

OrYahalom’s Genesis (Beresheet) collection includes six different bibles. They can be purchased in stores throughout Israel, including Hilton Tel Aviv, the Mamilla Hotel, Inbal Jerusalem Hotel, the Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan, and the Philosophy store in Tel Aviv’s Kikar HaMedina.

Image credit: Alex Kucherenko