Meet Artisans Gallery Team Member - anakim

article by Jill of glazedOver

We continue our Artisans Gallery introductions with Orna, our French translator and the artist behind the unique and elegant gold and silver jewelry shop: anakim.

Orna’s studio

Tell us a little about yourself My name is Orna. I am the designer and creator behind anakim which in Hebrew means “necklaces.” I’m married and have wonderful, grown up sons who are my greatest pride.

Outside Orna’s studio

I live in sunny Israel and I love my life very much. I’m a happy person and am very easy to please. I’ve been a Graphic Designer for many years. I’ve had my own studio and have worked for several major companies in Israel until recently when I realized that I had reached a point professionally that would enable me to implement my other dream and vision. After exploring many different types of media, I feel I finally have found my calling in designing and creating jewelry. It fills me with such tremendous joy that I can never have enough of it. Besides creating jewelry, I love to read books, to travel around the world, and to spend precious time with family and friends.

How did you come to be fluent in more than one language?
Due to my father’s work, my family lived abroad in different places and when I was a teenager, we spent a couple of years in a beautiful place in France. There, I went to a local girls only (!) school and learned French.

Olive Green and Lemon Serpentine Silver Ring

Ok, you speak French, but you also speak Hebrew, right? What other secrets are you hiding?
If I tell, it won’t be a secret any more, would it? Nope, I’m not telling.
Tell us about your Etsy shop. I opened my shop about couple of years ago without any expectations or assumptions. I love designing and making jewelry from scratch and never imagined that so many people, from all over the world, would love them as much as I do. I couldn’t be happier. Besides selling, I love the Etsy community. The connections I have made with different people from many different places without encountering any barriers of language or culture has been so rewarding.

Oval Carnelian Silver Necklace

Tell us one quick/funny story.
Since this post is about me as translator for the Artisans Gallery Team, I thought you might find this story to be funny:
Over the last couple of years, I have made a lot of friends on Etsy and have been corresponding with them from time to time. One of them expressed her wish to come to Israel and meet me in person. She sent me an email asking what she said might be a weird question: “Do you speak English or some different language? I never know because Etsy translates it for us.”
(Wouldn’t it be great if Etsy could do that for us! )

Organic Recycled Sterling Silver Round Ring

Teach us how to say something in Hebrew When you comment on a treasury you can write:
Maxim = enchanting, wonderful
Madhim = exquisite
A’havti ! = love it!

…and here are some other useful phrases:
Laila Tov = good night (which for us is US lunch time)
Boker Tov = good morning (when I wake up and most of
you are still on cloud 9)
Toda Raba= Thanks so much.

Did we forget to ask you anything important? Nope, but I would like to take the opportunity to say how much I'm glad and grateful to be part of the Artisans Gallery Team and to express my gratitude to all our team "admins" for pulling all of this together. You're all great!
Click here to see more pictures from the anakim workshop: anakim on flickr