About Jere Moskovitz
As a young girl I learned from my mother and grandmother how to knit and crochet, and I delighted in turning balls of yarn into something that could pass for clothes. My specialty was making outfits for my Barbies and Trolls.
It was some years later that I developed a passion for yarn itself. After earning a BFA in Apparel Design from the Rhode Island School of Design, I began a 20-year career in the apparel industry, reaching executive levels in knitwear sourcing and production. My work took me to yarn mills, dye factories and yarn shows throughout Europe and Asia, where I was captivated by the aesthetic appeal of quality yarn: the expressiveness of its hues and textures, the allure of its look and feel, and the magic of mixing colors and textures to achieve an endless array of effects.
These impressions stayed with me, influencing my recent decision to create textile-inspired jewelry by applying knitting and crochet techniques to copper wire.
After initial attempts using traditional knitting needles and crochet hooks, I met with fiber artist Adrienne Sloane to learn wire knitting techniques that produce the clean, modern look I was after. Success immediately followed: I made my first knitted wire bubble cuff! That design, like all my current knitted jewelry, relies on one of Sloane’s special techniques.
I use copper wire for its malleability and embellish my pieces with a broad assortment of Czech glass and Japanese seed beads. My sourcing skills became key as I began my search for beads with just the right color and finish, and then later for the textiles I use in my mixed media jewelry.
Soon after I began showing my jewelry I was asked to create a woman’s kippah, a religious head covering. The response was tremendous and in 2011 Studio Jere was born.
My women’s wire kippot are distinctive in that they feature traditional knit and crochet stitches and are embellished with a unique assortment of carefully selected fibers or beads. In June 2012, my kippot were selected for inclusion in Cover Thy Head, a juried exhibition of kippot and other head coverings at The Morris and Sally Justein Heritage Museum in Toronto, Canada.
During the past year I have focused on enhancing and expanding my jewelry lines. I love the natural shaping ability of wire and the opportunity to combine textile accents with beads for a multimedia effect. I also take great care to select clasps and other components with clean, modern lines that match the simplicity of the wire forms.
I hope you enjoy my work. Please contact me to learn more about availability or custom orders.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Jere