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Bling-Bling - who's there? By Liora Lopian Tags: Israel news, jewelry Mark Oren (Stylist, 29) When did you begin? "I got my first piece of jewelry for my fifth or sixth birthday, gold with a pendant with 'Mark' written on it. I've always been attracted to glittery things. When I was 10 we moved to Cleveland, and I used to stand for hours in front of the Macy's and Sears windows and stare at the huge displays. When we returned to Israel the period of leather bracelets began. When I was 18 I went to study fashion design in England, where I started to wear silver jewelry. That was the only time I dressed the way I wanted - showy and creative." Advertisement How do you choose? "The ring has to be of a certain weight, to convey a type of masculinity. Not something mass-produced. When I go to Istanbul I keep my eyes open; last time I found a signet ring that's a real work of art. A ring can express softness or rigidity, femininity or masculinity. I prefer the middle road. I don't see any point in a ring that lacks presence. A wedding ring should be the most low-key and basic, but when you wear a ring as an adornment it should preferably have an additional emotional or aesthetic value - otherwise it's just metal in a certain shape. Every man should have a ring. If a man chooses one ring that reflects his character he doesn't need more than that. Over the years the ring will acquire sentimental value, and when he gives it to his son it will be part of him, of his personality." When do you remove your jewelry? "Only during yoga lessons, and even then they go right back on at the end of the lesson. For me to be without jewelry is a feeling of nakedness. Even during sex I rarely remove my jewelry. Someone once told me that I'm a man with a jingling sound. When I have no jewelry, I don't feel free, because I don't have a sound." Roman Shimonov (Jewelry maker, 48) Have you always worn jewelry? "Yes, my parents, my uncles, they all wore jewelry. In my opinion it's fun; if I walk around without the bracelet I feel that something's missing. In general, without jewelry I feel naked. Once in a while I make a piece of jewelry for myself. For example, a bracelet from 10 years ago with the Versace symbol, in white and yellow gold and diamonds. I also have a small turquoise ring, for sentimental reasons." Since when have you been in the field? "Since 1973. I was 13 years and 10 months old when we arrived in Israel from Samarkand, a day before the Yom Kippur War. They sent me to a yeshiva and I didn't want to go, and I told my father that I wanted to work. I started to work in jewelry making on Haavoda Street in Tel Aviv; afterward I went to study diamonds and I worked closely with Lev Leviev. I was a salaried worker for many years, until I decided to be independent and opened a factory in Sheinkin Street and later a store on Allenby Street [both in Tel Aviv]. Since then I've been serving the nation faithfully." Do men wear more jewelry today? "In my opinion, it's just the opposite. In the 1980s the men used to wear more heavy jewelry: necklaces, bracelets, rings. Now they buy less, maybe because the material has become more expensive." Derek Boateng (Basketball player for Beitar Jerusalem, 25) Do you always wear jewelry? "When I go out without jewelry I feel that I've forgotten something. Even when I go out to practice I wear it, remove it and put it back after practice. I want to feel something on my neck, on my hands. The watch, the rings and the earrings are always with me, but during important meetings I'll take off the earrings, because it's not respectable." Where do you buy it? "When I was 16 I went to play in Greece with the team, and since then I've started to buy jewelry abroad. Rich people in Ghana wear real gold and the others wear 'kupa,' which is a substitute for gold. I also had 'kupa,' it looks good, but after a while it gets ruined. In every country I visit I look for jewelry. I'm wearing jewelry from Greece, Sweden, Israel. On the way to the photo session I ordered earrings in the Azrieli Mall and I'm really looking forward to them." How does it make you feel? "More masculine. I think that I like jewelry more than women; when I was young I used to try on my mother's jewelry and look at myself in the mirror. Sometimes friends of mine make fun of me and say that I'm a woman, but I explained to them that it's part of my life and they've learned to respect that." Haim Karnadgi (Furniture designer, 34) What do you like? "When I go to parties, I like accessories, hats. I have a necklace from the Czech Republic called powerange , with which I can dance for hours at a party. I have pool necklaces in light blue that I like to wear when I go on vacation to a hotel. I have 20 necklaces in all." Where does your style come from? "I grew up in Bat Yam and at the age of 17 I moved to Sheinkin [in Tel Aviv]. In Bat Yam they used to wear heavy gold chains and in Tel Aviv I discovered colored necklaces. I dress very casually, I don't like things with gold. According to the type of jewelry you can see how much a man is connected to his feminine or masculine side: a bracelet made from a braiding of natural material like flax is more feminine, bracelets of beads or stones, a necklace of mineral stones, people who are connected to spirituality, people who like aristocratic metals like gold or white gold, a combination of precious stones like diamonds, sapphires - nouveau riches." How important is the jewelry to you? "I don't have a sentimental attitude toward jewelry. If I see a nice piece of jewelry I buy it and afterward it can stay in the box for a year. Everything on the body can be a piece of jewelry, including watches. You can identify character according to the jewelry. As a furniture designer, I work mainly with couples rather than individuals, so that over the years my masculinity has been combined with my feminine side. I have to understand both the man and the woman." Kobi Chino Naim (Rapper, 37) Do you always wear jewelry? "I have two necklaces, a ring and piercing in my nipple. One chain is a real medal that I got in fifth grade in an athletics championship. The second is from four years ago, when I issued my first album. At the launching event I prepared necklaces for everyone who had participated in the album, with the inscription Chino Production and their name. On mine I wrote Chino the Boss. I had six piercings, but left only the one on my nipple. I didn't imagine it would hurt so much; I had a blue mark around my chest for a week. The ring is made of the five strongest metals on earth. I received it as a gift from my mother, who was sure I was living in a dream world and wanted to rescue me. In the end, mother is always right. The fact is that the ring is still on my finger." Where do you buy? "The most important thing is that it's impossible to label someone like me. I don't have a policy. I buy both in the flea market and brand names. I have a lot of jewelry that I don't wear, but I don't have things you can buy anywhere. It's not a matter of ego, but of the value added because I'm the only one who has it." lan Zikri (Hairdresser, 37) How did it begin? "I've liked jewelry since the age of six. But I'm not sentimental; I keep the jewelry for two or three years and after that I sell it to friends and buy new things. I started with gold. My father had heavy gold necklaces, chains with large pendants. In Morocco there's no man without a pinky ring, it's a sign of masculinity. The Mizrahi gays, the designers, the stylists, took gold out of the closet. Today a millionaire like Ted Turner will wear a watch that costs tens of thousand of dollars and will downplay it, but it's only the same thing in a different guise." What do you like? "I'll never wear jewelry that other people have. A friend of mine made me the earrings from 40 small diamonds, and now he's making me a pendant of a tiny cassette in gold, from an etching I've had since childhood. I saw it in a clip by a French singer. I also ordered a pendant of the Moroccan flag. The lock of my bracelet is from 30 years ago, they don't make them any more. I also like the original jewelry from Morocco." Do you always wear jewelry? "If I leave the house without any jewelry, I feel naked. It's part of me, of my personality. To go without jewelry is a kind of boredom in my opinion. A man who says that he doesn't wear jewelry is lying, even if it's a watch, glasses or threads that freaks wear." Davide Frattini (Israel correspondent for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, 40) Israel correspondent for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera (40?) What's the story of the rings? "On the right side is a ring that my father gave me before he died. He bought it many years ago and already then it was an antique. A second ring I bought in the Agas & Tamar jewelry store, maybe because I didn't like the idea of wearing only one ring. Before it I had a pinky ring made of gold and diamonds. I put it into a glass in a restaurant and the waiter took it. When I lost it, I waited a while before buying the present one. I think that that ring looked too much like an engagement ring, which is not something you're supposed to buy for yourself. Apparently that's why it got lost." How often do you buy jewelry? "I don't have much, and it's a long process. It's not something I plan, because I don't need a piece of jewelry like a pair of pants or new shoes. Women have a lot of jewelry that they match to their outfit; for me it's a more permanent thing, I'm more connected to the jewelry I have." Where does that come from? "Rings and chains for men are quite common in Italy. There are people who wear rings they received as a gift in their youth, and there's a tradition of handing down a ring from father to son. I'm not sure that jewelry is related to metrosexuality, because there's something much more personal about it. For me it's something I choose because I really like it. Sometimes I buy a piece of jewelry or get a tattoo because I'm going through a new period. When I interview I don't want to convey a personal message, so I wear a tie and a suit so that you can't see the necklace, nor my seven tattoos. In one of them you see Robert Louis Stevenson. I love 'Treasure Island' and I really like pirates; they always wore a lot of jewelry, and nobody thought they were feminine. They're symbols of masculinity, fighting, getting killed." Sharon Viksman (Jewelry designer, 29) and Udi Gendel (Jewelry designer, 32) Do more men wear jewelry today? Gendel:"Yes, but you can't compare it to the area of accessories and fashion for women. You see the awareness mainly in the markets: More men, even without their girlfriends, approach the stall." Viksman: "Once men didn't have an awareness of jewelry. When I was a child I was a kind of small Ashkenazi Mr. T, with loads of rings and earrings. It was unusual. When I finished studying jewelry-making I had a problem designing a collection for women; I didn't think I understood what is really beautiful. So I started designing for men, it doesn't matter whether or not it's for the market. How did the change take place? Gendel: It's hard for me to admit, but [actor] Yehuda Levy made a substantial contribution to that. It works like that today all over the world - people see a celebrity wearing a piece of jewelry, a shirt, a watch, shoes, and the next day they buy it." Viksman: "More people are exposed to the field of design. For many people a piece of jewelry can be a reflection of their personality. Someone can wear an elegant suit or a pocket watch, top it off with a huge skull ring with teeth and diamonds - it's a kind of cool statement." What kind of jewelry do you make? Gendel: "Very graphic, catchy things. Most of it is masculine, but there are certain pieces of jewelry that women wear too." Viksman: "You can break it down into several styles: from freestyle, unique graphic symbols, to the classic look, which always goes. The funniest thing is that in the markets, the same ring can attract anyone from the lowest class to the most parties-nature-India-shanti types." Bookmark to del.icio.us   A man of peace Vatican defends wartime pope Pius XII against charge he turned blind eye to Holocaust. Feminine features An Iranian motor company unveils plans to design cars specifically tailored to women.

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