A Home Found Away from Home

2025年10月10日

Original Japanese article here

I first met her at The Homesick Moon, an art x architecture exhibition held at Hayashisaki Matsue Beach in Hyogo, Japan.
Nusha, who had rushed to the venue on the recommendation of a friend the day before, immediately stood out as someone whose love for fashion was obvious at first glance.

She runs her own jewelry brand, and originally came to Japan to study Japanese traditional techniques such as “Shippoyaki (cloisonné enamel)”, “Nunome Zogan” and “Mokume Gane” at a jewelry school Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry in Osaka. During our conversation, she showed me a book she was reading.

The title appeared in characters I had never come across before, but what caught my attention was her deep engagement with Japanese and Eastern culture — it made me curious to know more about her.

The book contrasts Eastern spirituality with Western rationalism — "The Art of Hearing Heartbeats"

Feeling her respect toward our culture made me want to learn more from her, which led to this interview. When she was visiting Tokyo after finishing her studies in Osaka, I asked her where she had come from, and where she was headed next.

Nusha

Jewelry Designer / Came to Japan to explore traditional techniques

Born in 1998, from Israel

Loves: Her own label @nusha_jewelry✨/ Wagyu beef / Shopping

Dislikes: Packing 👜

Jewelry is something that brings out her individuality and confidence.

Thank you for today! So happy to see you again in Tokyo. How was life in Osaka?

Amazing! I was able to learn about Japanese jewelry techniques, which I've always been interested in, and there were several other classmates from overseas, so I was inspired in many ways.

‘NuSha (縫斜 — a Japanese kanji version of her name)’ in cloisonné enamel. The effort behind it makes the piece incredibly special to her.

Proud students wearing their creations

The silver pieces you’re wearing now are all your own creations. How long have you been making jewelry?

I started calling my label NuSha Jewelry when I was a teenager. It began when a friend saw me wearing my own piece and said, 'I want one too!' At first, I just modeled my pieces after what I saw, but soon friends kept asking for more, and before I knew it, I’d been making jewelry for years.

In the beginning, my style was entirely different — very beach casual. But at some point, I fell in love with metal engraving. That passion took me to California to study more seriously.

I then returned to Israel, opened a showroom, and even began receiving orders for engagement rings, which are a form of jewelry celebrating life milestones.

I could just keep going like this, but at one point I wanted to challenge myself more. So, I applied to the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, a renowned university in Jerusalem in the field of jewelry, and was accepted smoothly. I decided to dive deep into jewelry academically.

So what made you come to Japan?

At Bezalel, the teaching is more focused on “design” and “concept creation”— focusing only on the intellectual side. Of course, that’s crucial for running and growing a brand as a business.

On the other hand, Japan is good at craftsmanship, which involves working with your hands. I felt there were things I couldn’t learn just by staying at home, so I came to Osaka through Bezalel’s exchange program.

That’s true. In Japan, it’s normal to be taught hands-on techniques for various fields from early childhood, so I never thought about it that way before. Hearing your perspective, it’s eye-opening to realize this isn’t the case everywhere.

Israel is a small country, only about a 1-hour drive from east to west and about 5 to 6 hours from north to south. Historically, our people have always been scattered all over the world, so maybe that makes us want to take in things from different places.

There are also several platforms that help Israelis connect with each other, no matter where they are in the world. For example, there are apps that let you get in touch with fellow Israelis currently staying in the same city—even in Japan. Israelis are generally affectionate and super friendly, so it's really fun to be able to casually meet up with them even if I’m far away from home, like in Tokyo or Osaka.

Shoes lover!

Actually, you are my first time meeting an Israeli. There's not much information in Japanese, so I'm discovering a lot of new things from you.

There’s no such thing as a typical “Israeli look”, as our people are scattered all over the world.

In my case, my mother is of European descent, and even in the same city, everyone looks different. In fact, I've been mistaken for a Spanish person before. But it seems we have something in common, and just by seeing someone walk by, I can tell, “Oh, they’re Israeli!”

After we first met in Hyogo, Nusha continued to travel around Japan. On the day of our interview, she mentioned her father had just visited, and her mother would be arriving next. From urban shopping to trips into nature, she was experiencing Japan across a wide spectrum.

What does HOME mean to you?

It’s that irreplaceable and precious place where the people I love are waiting.

People may have various impressions of HOME, but I truly love my homeland.

Also, through my foundation — HOME — which is jewelry making, I want to continue bringing joy to others. I hope that by wearing my jewelry, people feel more confident and share that happiness with others. When I see someone wearing my jewelry, it makes me so happy I could cry.

Jewelry making is my life’s work. When I’m engraving, it feels like meditation—it’s like I enter a zone where no one can disturb me. Once I begin, I can spend hours, even half a day, without checking my phone or replying to messages. I pour all my creativity into it, and in the process, I feel like I keep discovering new versions of myself.

I look forward to continuing to grow my label, NuSha Jewelry, and I’m so grateful to my family and friends for supporting my passion. After my stay in Japan, I’ll spend some time in Southeast Asia before the next semester begins. After that, I can’t wait to return home to my loved ones.

You’ll continue to travel and move from the US to Japan, and soon to Southeast Asia. Doesn’t moving across countries make you feel lost about your identity, like an “identity crisis”?

Never. For me, changing places and situations helps me discover a more authentic version of myself.
The more I put myself in different environments, the more I understand who I truly am.

Wow, that’s an interesting feeling. In Japan, there’s even a phrase, “Paris Syndrome,” for people who chase their dreams abroad but end up experiencing an identity crisis. Maybe because your foundation — your HOME — is so strong, you’re always able to find yourself wherever you go.

Bring back home something good you find on your travels.

In Japan, many people stick to their homes and try to resolve everything within the boundaries of their HOME.

(Although there are geopolitical and disaster recovery reasons why this is the case)

But sometimes, that attachment to staying inside HOME can make it difficult to casually go out and see the outside world, or to casually return HOME after experiencing it.

So what is the definition of HOME? Is it just geographical, or is it a shared feeling among people?

None of us can choose the home we’re born and raised in. And that’s why we’re curious about what is outside our home.

In this age, where people are crossing boundaries more freely—whether through travel or the internet—what does HOME mean to us today?

I hope our conversation with Nusha gives you a starting point for something to think about.

About NuSha

The NuSha was born for people with something to say, but it always sounds weird, unclear, and not simetric as the society expects us to be.

NuSha is for the people who have the courage to go as they want, even if that means not being completely in sync with the mainstream.

My wish is to pass on to you the feeling that I get when I'm wearing NuSha creations- my jewelry empowering me, putting me at the center, and making me feel unique and special.

That is why the NuSha was born, to put YOU at the center of your life.