how do you find your artists?

"How do you find your artists?" I hear that one 4 or 5 times a day. My answer is that I go to shows, I search the internet, I hear about them from customers and now that I have been in the business for a while, I am contacted by artists who have heard of me and of JOOLZ. And sometimes I hear about them in the most unexpected ways...

Several months before I opened the shop, I was chatting with a guy at my Buffalo-area car dealership while waiting to get my car serviced. He told me about a wonderful show that is held in Toronto each November. The One of a Kind Show, a retail show that begins on our Thanksgiving and runs for 11 days, features 800+ artists from all over Canada. Handcrafted jewelry is a big part of the show, but there are many other fine crafts too. It was at that show in November 2006 that I met several of the Canadian artists that are now part of the JOOLZ family.

One of those artists is Anat Basanta, an Israeli artist who lives in Vancouver. Anat has a flair for design and has had a successful career as a sculptor who specializes in Judaica. One of her most successful jewelry designs is her Never-Ending Necklace, so named because the original design was made to go over the head and has no clasp. She makes this design in several lengths, incorporating sterling silver mesh, freshwater pearls and gold-filled tubes. The pearls are usually worn on one side or the other, giving an asymmetrical look to the necklace.

And now there is even a "short" Never-Ending Necklace which is perfect for an open-necked blouse and does have an adjustable-length clasp on it. We currently have several of the Never-Endings in stock, including a short version.


New to Anat's line is her Trillium Necklace with pearls. (She also does this necklace with aquamarines and we hope to have that one in the future). The Trillium necklace, seen below, also features freshwater pearls, tiny gold-filled tubes strung over wire and sterling silver flowers. The beautifully spare design makes a powerful statement and can be worn from day into evening.

When you're in the shop and you ask me how I found this artist, I'll tell you about the guy at the car dealership and how I never know how or when I'm going to find an artist who just clicks with my customers. Anat has definitely clicked.