Artist: August 2007 Archives

Two weeks ago I spent a lovely afternoon at the upscale arts and crafts Filberg Festival in Courtenay, BC. Among the many talented artisans displaying their work, one display in particular caught my eye. Appropriately nestled under the drooping branches of a big cedar tree was a quiet display of gorgeous wood jewellery.

Tahirih and Gabriel Solomon design and craft unique jewellery made from wood – hence their business name “Solomon Woodworks”. They started their business in 2003 because they both wanted to work on something that they really enjoyed, have a flexible schedule, and also work together.

On their website they describe the inspiration for their business:

We live on Galiano Island, a lush rock along the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. We work full-time making our jewellery, supplementing with the odd carpentry job.

Solomon Woodworks started when Gabriel was working with some exotic hardwoods that a friend had left in the shop. We were going to a party and I didn't have any jewellery to wear, so he said "Give me a minute!" He was back in few hours with a pair of earrings he'd made!

I loved their elegant shape and was amazed at the woods naturally vibrant colour. Realizing this was a chance to create and exhibit the beauty of wood for everyone to enjoy, we embarked upon an exciting journey of discovering and enjoying the art of fine woodworking.

Prior to starting their home-based business, Gabriel worked as an apprentice carpenter and Tahirih managed her family's health food store and café on Galiano Island. Now they work on their jewellery business nearly full-time (on and off, depending how busy galleries and festivals are). The rest of their income is from Gabriel taking on carpentry jobs, and Tahirih being his carpentry helper. Tahirih also does a few