In 1981, friends Holly Hosterman and Paul "Yashi" Lubitz were recent college graduates looking for unique ways to use their degrees. Holly majored in studio art with an emphasis on jewelry making and Paul majored in industrial technology as well as music. Their jewelry business began in a small, one-car garage in Arcata, California.
Together they discovered new and interesting jewelry designs. They experimented with different materials and found niobium to be one of their favorite metals to work with. While niobium appears to be a dull, grey metal, Holly and Paul discovered that once dipped into electrically charged water, niobium turns into different vibrant colors. Most of their jewelry pieces use niobium. With a colorful, lightweight metal like that, designs are endless and the team at Holly Yashi constantly come up with new, fun, one of a kind designs.
"For over 40 years, our signature style of colorful and lightweight niobium metal is still what makes Holly Yashi jewelry unique and irresistible. Featuring an array of inspiring materials, including Austrian crystal pearls, Bohemian and dichroic glass, and hypo-allergenic metals, all our jewelry is crafted by hand in small, high quality batches, one piece at a time."
