Sustaining my Jewelry Practice
On 8 October 2023, Israeli missiles struck the building in central Gaza City where my design studio was located. In a single moment, I lost the small world I had spent years building, a place where I designed, created jewelry, and nurtured my ideas. Along with the studio, I lost years of dedicated work, tools, equipment, and materials. It was not only the loss of a physical workspace, but also of countless memories and an important part of my creative journey.
In early 2024, I survived the war and relocated with my family to Cairo, hoping to rebuild our lives and find a way to continue my creative practice. Since then, rebuilding both life and work has been a gradual process, moving forward one step at a time. This journey would not have been possible without the generosity, encouragement, trust, and solidarity of many wonderful friends, supporters, and collaborators over the past two years.
In late 2024, a new chapter began in Belgium. The essential tools and equipment that could be transported were brought from Cairo, allowing me to slowly restart my workshop. Since then, I have been working to improve and strengthen my jewelry practice, with the goal of building a production process that is stable, sustainable, and independent. While I have been able to resume creating handmade jewelry, I am still in the process of rebuilding the workshop and developing the capacity needed to maintain and sustain production over the long term.
One of the most important steps at this stage is obtaining the essential tools and equipment needed for silver recycling and material reuse within the workshop. These tools will help make production more efficient and sustainable, reduce material waste, and provide greater flexibility to continue designing and producing new collections.
This campaign is part of that ongoing journey. Its purpose is to help improve, stabilize, and sustain my jewelry production so that I can continue creating meaningful handmade pieces inspired by Palestinian identity, culture, and resilience. By supporting this campaign, you are helping me build a workshop that is not only functional today but also capable of continuing and growing in the years ahead.
Support Campaign for Tools & Equipment
Planned Equipment & Estimated Costs
Item Purpose Estimated Cost
Powered Rolling Mill. Shaping and flattening silver sheets €2550
Portable Melting Furnace Recycling and reusing silver material. €950
Torch Set Soldering and metalwork €100
Jeweller Workbench Daily production needs €500
Basics 18 Pc Dapping Set Shaping silver €100
Ingot Mold Flat × 2 Casting Equipment €200
Other Tools & Accessories Daily production needs €250
Total: €4,650
Any support would be deeply appreciated and would directly contribute to maintaining and strengthening this practice.
Thank you sincerely for taking the time to read and support.
With gratitude,
Ibrahim Muhtadi
Designer & Jewelry Maker