Itay was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and moved to Los Angeles in 1996 when he was 22 years old. He joined his older sister, also his mentor, working and selling their jewelry designs at a kiosk at The Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Their jewelry cart flourished and developed into a store front, and eventually more stores followed. When the 2008 economic crash happened – he decided to focus on his own craft and adventure into business solo, while his sister continued on to build her own brand. In 2010, Itay Yona Collection was born, handcrafted jewelry incorporating natural elements, ‘Bringing Art Into Jewelry’.
Loving a sense of community and being outdoors in nature, he naturally found himself at home selling his designs at the local farmers market.
Raised in a family of artists, he was inspired at a young age to follow his natural talent of jewelry making. Being a jeweler herself, his older sister and mentor introduced him to the world stones, gems and color. His dad was a tailor, his mother was a stay-at-home mom & she loved to knit. Nature – especially water and the sea inspires Itay and his designs. Having been raised near the Mediterranean Sea, the tranquility of the beach is special to him. When he was younger, he longed to travel more and explore South America, yet staying in beautiful Southern California was where his heart was and now, his forever home.
His favorite Farmers Market is in Brentwood – it was the first market he built his booth at many years ago. He loves the community, loyal crowd & feel of the market. He loves Calabasas for the same reason – it offers a good vibe with cool people. He applauds Raw Inspiration for their work in operating farmers markets and empowering women. He loves how the whole farmers market crew at Raw Inspiration is making a difference in our communities & works to support the local businesses who make up these markets.
Looking forward, in 5-10 years Itay hopes to grow his business and collaborate with luxury name brands. He mentioned this in the works as of now, and has to say hush hush on the details. He hopes to offer his collection in boutiques & retailers worldwide, in addition to Studio G, his workshop and retail space in Santa Monica. Current farmers markets he attends are Brentwood, Calabasas & Pacific Palisades.
Itay is a true jeweler, he loves to custom design and craft unique pieces on the spot for his clients.
You’ll find him at the Farmers Market and at his bench at Studio G, creating custom pieces. Jewelry is a very personal item, he loves creating unique pieces that clients can cherish knowing it was crafted by hand – truly, one a kind jewelry that incorporates natural stones that hold qualities his clients wish to have near them. The most gratifying feeling for him is when clients share how perfect their custom piece is.
Find Itay Yona on the weekends in Brentwood and Calabasas, say hello and shop his designs. A sense of community is what he loves most about being at the farmers markets – it’s where he’s happiest.
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