Israeli based international jewelry brand, Yvel, announces the launch of a new student-designed fashion jewelry collection entitled “Genesis” from the Ethiopian students in the Andrea Bronfman School of Jewelry & Art (AB School), housed within the Yvel Design Center in Jerusalem.
Yvel opened the AB School in 2011 with a dedicated focus on teaching the vulnerable Ethiopian immigrant community a profitable trade to help integrate them into the professional society of Israel.
The graduating students are now producing and distributing a fashion jewelry line to help raise funds for the long term support and continuation of the school. Yvel is currently seeking retail partners to help distribute the line and thereby participate in the continuation of this non-profit educational endeavor.
“We are very proud of our first year graduates,” says Isaac Levy, co-founder of the AB School. “These Ethiopian immigrants are now employed in full time jobs, and with the launch of this new collection, they are supporting the Israeli jewelry industry abroad.”
The “Genesis” collection is completely designed and produced by students of the AB School. The collection encompasses pendants, earrings, bracelets and rings made of brass and plated with 24K gold for a chic look at affordable prices ranging from $50 to $200 per piece.
Each of the designs incorporates a hidden or mystery message inscribed in Amharic, the native tongue of the Ethiopian student designers. Personalized messages such as initials or single words like “forever”, “love” and “friendship” appear in Amharic lettering on ID style bracelets, pendants on leather cords and rings. Often the message is inscribed on the inside or the back of the piece so that only the wearer will know of its special message.
Yvel has created an effective employment training and placement project for these new Ethiopian immigrants.
Remembering his own tumultuous immigration experience to Israel as a young boy from Argentina, Isaac Levy had a strong desire to create a better way of embracing immigrants into Israeli life and culture. The most severely challenged group of Israeli immigrants is currently the Ethiopian Jews, who often struggle seriously just to survive in their new Israeli home.
Partnering with the non-profit association Yedid, the Levy family determined to make a positive impact on this segment of the Israeli population with the founding of this unique school and the formation of a job placement program upon graduation.
Each candidate for the Andrea Bronfman School of Jewelry and Art goes through a detailed application process before being accepted. Students are paid a monthly stipend during the one year program. The students are accompanied throughout the training by an on-hand social worker who discusses any personal, family and social problems. The students are placed into jobs in the Israeli jewelry industry upon graduation, helping them to develop fulfilling, successful lives and contributing to the success of the overall jewelry industry in Israel.
To view Yvel’s latest collections or learn more about how you can get involved in the Andrea Bronfman School of Jewelry & Art, visit the Yvel booth at the Couture Jewelry Show in booth # 532 at the Wynn Las Vegas or visit their website at www.yvel.com.
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