Ruby Yallouz

"Something mysterious occurs when I'm creating. There's a kind of energy (...) it's the pleasure of creation."

"My fascination with metals began when I was 14 years old, when a friend of mine invited me to join a course in jewelry design. It wasn't until I was studying architecture that I was able to make my dream come true: I was so excited I invested everything I had in materials and tools.

"When I was a student of Architecture and Urbanism, in the beginning of the 1980s, the atmosphere was very optimistic. I studied hard in order to be able to design different pieces. I worked as an architect for some time – in fact I received awards for some of my projects. Yet I decided to leave it all and dedicate myself exclusively to jewelry.

"Everything was running smoothly until the economic crisis that accompanied the early 1990s. I had to diversify and began to create different types of jewelry and other items. By 2001 I was able to consolidate everything: architecture, design, jewelry and other items. Whether it is a piece of jewelry or a vase, I manipulate metal – a prime material filled with many shapes and color possibilities.

"Something mysterious occurs when I'm creating. There's a kind of energy that fuses with the work and everybody else feels it too. This effect has nothing to do with the material itself – it's the pleasure of creation. My work is distinguished for its originality and artistic value, which has opened the doors of many important galleries in Brazil, as well as in Spain and Portugal."