YVEL MAGAZINE VOLUME 2 Apr. 2014 | Page 13

11 Meet the Designers Isaac Levy “My way of repairing the world is to give others what I didn’t have as a child and to help repair the weakest links in Israeli society - our immigrants and, in particular, Ethiopian immigrants.” Isaac Levy was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to industrious and loving parents who immigrated the entire family to Israel when Isaac was a young boy, only four years old. Isaac’s father Moshe Levy brought his entire life’s savings to partner with an established sausage factory just outside of Jerusalem in Ramat Motza. Within three weeks, the partner and all of the Levy money was gone. Isaac recalls his immigration to the ‘Promised Land’ as a rather tumultuous and challenging time. His father had to find work and the Levys scraped by with frugal charm and a deepening family loyalty. They learned Hebrew and found ways to integrate themselves fully, over time, into Israeli life and culture. As a young man, Isaac met and fell in love with Orna, daughter to a pearl jewelry legacy in the Moussaieff family. Isaac quickly recognized that Orna would be the one natural and precious pearl of his life and he formally proposed. The couple was married in Jerusalem. Shortly after their nuptials, Orna taught Isaac to string pearls one day. Isaac was immediately enchanted by the natural beauty of the pearls and the creativity involved in jewelry craftsmanship. He was hooked! He began to train in earnest with his Mother-in-Law who recognized his raw talent for innovative design and worked to mentor him, sharing her knowledge of gemstones, gold, pearls and jewelry craftsmanship. Isaac and Orna now create a powerful design team, stimulating innovation in pearl and gemstone jewelry design with award-winning results.