Ilana Krepchin: A Jeweler who incorporates photography and sculpture into her craft.

Ilana Krepchin: A Jeweler who incorporates photography and sculpture into her craft.

By Doug Holder

  I met Ilana Krepchin on a wind-swept morning in late fall at my usual seat at the Bloc 11 Café in the Union Square section of Somerville. Krepchin resides near the café but is originally from Newton, Mass. She has lived in Somerville for 15 years, and loves the art shows, the coffee shops, the Open Studio events, and the general cultural milieu Somerville has to offer.

  Krepchin used to work with a jeweler in a shop in Union Square as a studio manager. She learned a lot about her craft, trade and art while employed there.

  Krepchin told me: “I really wanted to be a sculptor. I view the jewelry I make as small scale sculpture. “On her website Krepchin writes: “All of the jewelry is handmade. My creations combine a sense of fun and purpose with essential interests in my past. As a kid I wanted to be an architect—when I grew up—I now make miniature buildings.” And indeed  Krepchin uses miniature buildings in her jewelry and the crafted jewelry boxes she makes.

  And like many artists I have interviewed she uses diverse elements in her a work. A photographer for many years, she has accumulated piles of photographs that she squirreled away. She chops them up and transfers them to silver and etches their likeness in her work.

 Krepchin, who is a stay at home mom, has a studio in Cambridge where she works. She said her prices are reasonable, ranging from $10 to $400.

  Krepchin is a graduate of Hampshire College. She graduated with a degree in Anthropology. But she was always interested in artistic pursuits, and took classes along the way to perfect her craft. We are fortunate to see the fruit of her labors, here in The Paris of New England.