Seeing Beyond the Rainbow: When Colors Stop Defining the Rules

In the world of jewelry design, color is often considered king. We are used to hearing about "perfect matches," the classic color wheel, and rigid rules about what goes with what. But what happens when a jewelry designer sees the world a little differently?

My name is Rina Lutzky Levy, I am a jewelry designer and the owner of the successful brand JewelRina, and I am colorblind. For many, this sentence sounds like a contradiction. How can one work with gemstones, beads, and precious metals without sharply distinguishing every single shade? The answer is that my colorblindness is not a deficit; it is an invitation to a deeper observation.

The Challenge That Became an Advantage

Colorblindness is not a world in black and white, but a world where the boundaries between shades are blurred or shifted. My daily challenge in accurately identifying sub-tones has, paradoxically, created absolute creative freedom. Instead of leaning on the familiar theory of "green goes with purple because the book says so," I rely on feeling, texture, and contrast.

When I approach my workbench, I don't just see "colors." I see:

• Depth and Light: How the light reflects off the stone, creating lightness or darkness.
• Texture: The combination of matte and shiny, of a smooth stone against hammered metal.
• Frequency (Vibe): Each combination has a distinct "vibe" that is independent of the color name assigned by the factory.

Combinations Born from Instinct

The result of my work is what I call "unexpected combinations." Because my eye is not "imprisoned" by conventions of what is considered standard, I dare to combine shades that other designers might shy away from. My customers often tell me that my jewelry radiates something different new harmony, one that is hard to put a finger on but impossible to stop looking at.

This is beauty born from intuition. When I choose stones, I look for the tension between them. Sometimes I discover in retrospect that I’ve created a bold combination of pink and orange, or deep blue with forest green combinations that to a "regular" eye might seem too daring, but in my studio, they simply feel right.

Color as Emotion, not a Definition

For me, jewelry design is proof that beauty does not depend on perfect vision, but on emotional perception. I invite you to look at my jewelry not just through its color, but through the story it tells. Every piece is a testament that a limitation is merely a new perspective, and that the most beautiful things in the world are created when we stop trying to "match" and simply start to create.

Next time you wear an earring or a necklace from JewelRina – Handcrafted Jewelry, know that it has passed through eyes that see the world a bit differently—and that is exactly what makes them (and you) so unique