Rafael Alfandary
was an emigrant to Toronto Ontario, Canada from Israel in 1970. He set
up shop in his basement and started production on the kinectic designs
made of hammered brass or copper and bezel set with natural stone or
glass cabachons His work is very recognizable and offered for sale are
some of his most popular and striking styles. The chains on the large
necklaces are as elaborate as the pendants themselves and balance it
with an aesthetic symmetry.
Margaret Trudeau wore one of his necklaces to the opening of
Parliament. He created jewelry for Lorne Green, Liberace, Muhammad Ali,
Redd Foxx and Paul Anka. He worked closely with Marilyn Brooks,
designing pieces to complement her clothing line and participating in
her major fashion shows. He branched out into sculpture and home
accessories, and he introduced silver and semi-precious stones into his
repertoire. By the late 1970s, Rafael had sold close to a million pieces
of his trendy, fashion-forward jewelry. Today, many of those pieces are
professionally collected and the market for vintage Rafael continues to
grow. |
