Stationed near Sderot during Passover 2023, Iron Dome operator Margaret Krinetz concentrated on her watch, her busy hands doodling in a notebook as she monitored the sky on her computer. It was a task that required precision and focus.
“Interceptor systems are designed to respond to certain missiles and height in the atmosphere and distance,” recalled the physics and biology student.
“Monitoring the Iron Dome is nerve-wracking. Our eyes are constantly on the computer, coordinating our responses along with other interception systems and with nearby pilots as well. You have to know how to read all the sky images and differentiate between birds, drones, and missiles.”
She noted that the missiles and the intercepting systems resemble waves as they are targeted and brought down.
“Waves and optics are my favorite physics subjects,” she said.
Her favorite subject has also become lucrative. Besides her interest in designs, creating jewelry was a longtime hobby and eventually a business for Krinetz. As she contemplated the waves and missile trajectories, the Iron Dome operator’s doodles became sine and cosine waves, and soon enough the waves on paper were transformed into a sleek line of jewelry studded with diamonds.
“Waves also represent the ups and downs of life,” she explained.
“Just as Oct. 7 was a huge ‘down’ for the nation of Israel, we will naturally rise from it. After my grandfather passed away, I was feeling very down. We were very close to each other. Someone comforted me, saying, ‘The intensity of the down will be equal to the intensity of the high.’”
The birth of the Wavy Collection
She named her line of jewelry the Wavy Collection, and the fluid arcs and loops with embedded diamonds indeed resemble shiny, oscillatory, sinuous waves.
Raised in Dimona, Krinetz – whose parents are immigrants from Moldova – started her business career in the second grade, selling paintings and hand-designed coloring pages. At age nine, she was creating jewelry, beginning with combinations of crystals, beads, and silver. Her school chums began buying her pieces, as did friends of her parents. Krinetz learned to manage her inventory, personalize her creations, and market her offerings.
Her jewelry business became official in 2016, after completion of her army service. Her initial pieces were silver and gold jewelry.
“I had a break after a trip to South America,” she said. “I came back to Israel and started selling 14K gold and diamonds during COVID, in 2021.”
Her current lines are made from gold, diamonds, and occasionally silver. She said that everything is handmade to order, and she obtains the stones from the Tel Aviv Diamond Exchange. Stones larger than half a carat come with certification.
Bridging art with science comes naturally to the 29-year-old, who was designated a gifted student in school and has plans to do a degree in astrophysics after completing a physics degree at the Open University in Ra’anana.
“I am curious about the size of the universe and comparisons between macro and micro,” Krinetz said. “It is fascinating how the tiniest cells mirror the larger universe.” She said she often catches herself thinking about that and visualizing everything from stars to planets to alien life that may be out there somewhere. Some of her creations feature compass designs.
After Oct. 7, 2023, many of her friends and acquaintances were missing, and for a while Krinetz lost her momentum, she recalled. Being a technician and not a combat soldier, she was told to be ready to be called up in case she was needed; but the reserves had sufficient Iron Dome operators.
Instead, she tried to focus on selling her inventory. But a few weeks later, customers on a Facebook group that sold Israeli creations to American Jews noticed her designs featuring five-point stars with tiny diamonds. These clients – many of whom had been buying from her before the war – begged her to incorporate Stars of David.
“They were looking for designs that were going to help them define their Judaism,” Krinetz explained.
She obliged, creating a line of six-point stars with diamonds in the center on wedding bands, engagement rings, and necklaces. She called this line the Stellar Collection, and it became an instant bestseller in the United States.
Her brother, who is currently serving in the IDF as a combat soldier, commented that her line of Star of David jewelry is “safe to wear” because from a distance the star is somewhat concealed within the overall design. This design has become popular among Americans and others who may be hesitant to wear their Stars of David but still want to identify with Israel.
With plans to launch two additional lines in late February, Krinetz currently sells 15 to 30 pieces per month on her website (margaretkrinetz.com) and on Etsy. Prices are updated regularly, according to the fluctuating costs of gold and diamonds.
Krinetz is exploring ways to make her collections available in the US and Europe at select jewelry shops. She also works at the research and development department of the Open University. She asserts that physics, jewelry design, and Iron Dome technology are all extremely compatible.
“I’m not alone,” she said. “Many people who are scientists are also very creative.”
