Prof. Dan Shechtman is a research professor in the Faculty of Materials Engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. In 2011, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his discovery of quasicrystals. But not a lot of people know that he is also a talented jewelry craftsman.
1972, Dayton, Ohio. It all began innocently enough. Zippi, Dan’s wife, was busy in the evenings studying for a Master’s Degree in Sociology, and Dan Shechtman, a postdoctoral fellow, found himself studying stone polishing in the arts center during his free time. Before long, five pairs of polished stones accumulated. Each pair, a different color. What would he do with them? He found himself attending a silver jewelry making course, from that moment onwards, sensitively and delicately, Dan has been creating and designing jewelry. Jewelry for his wife: only for his wife.
An exhibition of handcrafted jewelry created by Nobel Laureate Dan Shechtman was displayed on campus. The exhibition showcased 15 unique pieces ranging from earrings, necklaces and bracelets with a single item — an Aztec-inspired silver belt buckle— which Distinguished Prof. Shechtman made for himself.
The exhibition, curated by Anat Har-Gil, took place June 10 to June 14, 2012, on campus.