Holly Yashi Review and Giveaway...

Thanks to Holly Yashi I got to review some of their beautiful jewelry! I love that everything is handmade! I love the coloring and details in each piece! Truly beautiful and I am excited and loving wearing each one! Here are some of the things Holly Yashi sent to me...
























In this short video, Paul and Holly share a few words about the history of their partnership and the craft behind Holly Yashi jewelry. Designed and handcrafted in Arcata, California, a small town nestled between the Redwood forest and the ruggedly beautiful Pacific coastline, this video explores the sources of inspiration from which Holly Yashi's unique designs emerge. Learn more about the rare metal niobium and how its unusual properties have driven the innovation at Holly Yashi for three decades.

Holly & Paul: 30 Years of Jewelry as Art from Holly Yashi on Vimeo.

To view all the beautiful collections visit hollyyashi.com.

The Holly Yashi Story - Celebrating 25 Years

Humble Beginnings: In 1981, in a northern California college town, graduates were in search of careers, Holly Hosterman has an art degree in jewelry-making and Paul "Yashi" Lubitz, a double degree in industrial technology and music. They believed their talents laid the foundation for the creation of a jewelry design business. So, they transformed their one-car garage into a design studio and got to work from their kitchen table. There, they designed and manufactured the pieces that would mark the start of their lifelong careers.

Holly's first designs were hand-cut animal earrings made of brass and silver. Within months they had a loyal following. But, the company's success really ignited when Holly and Paul discovered the beauty that lurked in the full gray metal, Niobium.

Niobium: A Magical Metal

Niobium is light-weight like titanium but much more rare. When shiny metal sheets of niobium are dipped in an electrically-charged bath, the refractory metal flashes into hues of rich, permanent color. It often receives a secondary coloring treatment which is applied by hand.

Holly's intricate designs demand nobium's consistent coloring potential. Equally important, niobium is environmentally clean from start to finish and so hypo-allergenic that it is used in surgical implants."If a company can have a mission other than simple survival, ours is to resist the current direction the market is taking and suggest another way, where good design isn’t something disposable, and you can take pride in something you bought twenty years ago. We believe anything truly valuable takes some care, whether it’s your mother’s silver or your mother herself. And that the things you wear really can be an expression of who you are; they can make you feel good and brighten the day for others.

We have a story around every piece of jewelry we make, every joint we weld and color we choose. We hand craft each piece right here in our northern California studio. We talk with our artisans every day, eat bagels with them on Friday, and lunch with them the rest of the week. It’s a tradition we have here. We might be a little backwards, but we’ve grown almost every year we’ve been in business, so maybe there is something to it. It is the only way Holly and I would have it. I hope you enjoy this website; it is the culmination of more than 25 years of loving what we do.

Words from Holly

We were so young and naïve. It was 1981. I was the trained jewelry artist, the metalsmith, who had been creating jewelry since junior high, stealing my Dad’s fly tying supplies along the way. Fresh out of college, I was working three jobs, while Paul “Yashi” Lubitz, was the high energy guy that always had a ton of ideas for businesses he wanted to start but had never held a “real job” for any stretch of time. What we didn’t know then, was no matter how different we were; we had a purpose in this world together.

When Paul suggested we start a jewelry business I agreed. We transformed a one-car garage into our studio and started creating jewelry that was built on craft, creativity and innovation. I had no idea that decision would change the whole course of my life, and give me the opportunity to create jewelry that would inspire and excite women around the world. I am forever humbled, motivated and committed to keeping you, the collector, surprised and entertained by consistently giving you something new, something never done or worn before.

We’ve come a long way from those garage days…While our northern California design studio is now fifteen thousand square feet we still honor the craft of jewelrymaking, hand-crafting our jewelry in small batches, preserving the value of each piece so it may live on for decades to come.

It is my life’s passion to take the beauty of the world we live in and transform it into the jewelry you see here on our web site. Each piece has a story, each color combination a distinct choice. But, the journey only begins with us. It is the way you wear your piece, creating your own magical moments along the way that takes what I do and turns it into a part of your life. As Paul and I keep moving this company forward we remain forever grateful to everyone who has stood by us along this amazing ride.

Now here is the exciting part... Thanks to Holly Yashi one lucky reader will have the chance to win $100 worth of Holly Yashi!

To win...
Follow my blog 1 entry
Leave a comment 1 entry
Add my button to your blog 1 entry
Tweet or Facebook about this 1 entry
Blog about the giveaway and leave me a link 3 entries
(please leave a comment for each entry)

This giveaway ends Tues. Oct. 6th, 2009!

Disclaimer:

*I do not receive either monetary or any other form of compensation.
I do however receive the review products at no charge to evaluate and express my own opinion.*