Hi, I'm Shahar :)
If you had asked me a few years ago what I'd be doing today, I don't think "jewelry designer" would've even crossed my mind.
What I did know was that I had this creative side that had been trying to find its place for as long as I can remember. The problem was... I had no idea where it belonged.
I can't draw.
My handwriting is terrible.
And I've never really connected with art that just hangs on a wall or sits in a studio collecting dust.
I've always felt that if I create something, I want it to have a life of its own. I want people to wear it, take it with them, make memories in it, and maybe one day I'll randomly see someone on the street wearing something I made without them having the slightest idea who I am.
To me, that's art.
Everything started completely by accident during a trip to India.
I saw a gemstone necklace and fell in love with it immediately. I asked the seller how much it was, and he said 1,200 rupees.
Now, that wasn't actually expensive... but to someone backpacking on a budget with a very strong "I can probably make that myself" mindset, it somehow felt like a fortune.
So instead of buying the necklace, I made what was probably the least logical decision possible.
I bought gemstones.
Wire.
Tools.
Basically everything I thought I might need to make one myself.
I ended up spending about four times the price of the necklace I originally wanted.
Not my smartest financial decision...
But definitely one of the best decisions I've ever made.
I started playing.
One necklace.
Then another.
Then another.
Suddenly my friends started asking where I got them.
Then someone asked if they could buy one.
Then someone else.
And before I even realized what was happening, this little experiment had quietly turned into something much bigger.
When I came back home, I already knew I wanted to learn jewelry making properly.
I signed up for a silversmithing course, learned how to work with metal and lost wax casting, and the second I finished the course I bought every tool I could afford and started making.
I honestly haven't stopped since.
Of course there have been moments of doubt, frustration, and days where nothing works the way I imagined.
But they've never been stronger than the feeling I get when I create something that feels... right.
Something else changed too.
The way I see the world.
I notice things I would've walked past before.
The way a tree branch twists.
The texture of a rock.
Ripples in the water.
The imperfect lines that nature creates without even trying.
Almost everything I see has the potential to become a piece of jewelry.
And that's exactly where Kiama comes from.
So... what is Kiama?
People often ask me to describe it.
I usually say it's organic, abstract and a little unexpected.
But if I'm being honest, Kiama is probably just a reflection of me.
Some days I love clean geometric lines.
Other days everything I make bends, flows and refuses to be symmetrical.
Just like life.
Just like people.
That's also why I never really know how to answer the question, "Who's your ideal customer?"
Because I don't create for one type of person.
I create for people who are drawn to pieces with character.
People who don't mind if their jewelry starts conversations.
People who enjoy wearing something that doesn't look like everyone else's.
I'm not trying to make jewelry that everyone will like.
I'm trying to make wearable art that the right person will fall in love with.
And honestly?
Nothing will ever beat the feeling of unexpectedly seeing someone wearing one of my pieces.
A friend.
A customer.
Or a complete stranger.
Because that's the moment my work stops being mine.
It becomes part of someone else's story.
And that's all I've ever wanted.