Laura Cowan

All Laura's products are original handcrafted pieces, including Passover Seder Plates, Shabbat candlesticks, modern Menorot for Hannukah, Kiddush Cups, Dreidels and many different mezuzah designs.

Each piece is beautifully boxed making it an ideal gift for Jewish weddings, Jewish holidays, Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, as well as for housewarming and hostess gift giving.

Laura's fresh ideas contribute to a new wave of exciting Judaica design, shaking up the traditional Jewish gift market and generating worldwide interest. Her work is exhibited in galleries and museums around the world including The Jewish Museum in New York, The Vienna Jewish Museum and the Spertus Museum in Chicago.

Laura’s Inspiration for her Judaica designs

Many of Laura's Judaica designs are inspired by the Sixties mission to land a man on the moon. Although this was achieved even before Laura was born, she was fascinated by the hype and excitement generated by the race to the moon. Laura also loves the irony of a futuristic design based on what is now history. Combining this with her Jewish upbringing and identity, Laura has produced many stunning pieces of modern Judaica.

Laura says, "In my mezuzah designs I use a simplified, pure rocket shape as a symbol of modernity. Each piece is given a further identity by the type of metal and finish chosen. For example, a mezuzah with a matt surface on white metal accentuates the futuristic look, while a distressed or antiqued brass finish adds an unexpected juxtaposition of past and future. I work on each contemporary mezuzah design adjusting the chemical concentration, timing and temperature until I have achieved the right shade or texture for that piece."

Mezuzah in space

Laura was thrilled when she was contacted by American Astronaut Greg Chamitoff. At a request from a former professor and a friend, he proposed to take two of Laura's mezuzot with him to the International Space Station. After passing NASA’s stringent tests they received the go ahead to send Laura's Apollo Mezuzah and Shuttle Mezuzah on Expedition 17, which blasted off in May 2008.