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| Yanula (Yanna) Blacy, a native of Los Gatos, California, realized at a young age that she loved to design and make jewelry. She started in seventh grade, making earrings of brass wire with glass and wood beads to sell to her school friends. During her later schooling, she majored in fine arts at West Valley College, Saratoga, California. Then in 1976 she moved to New York City to continue her studies under the tutelage of Phillip Scandurra, who introduced her to many companies such as Cartier, Tiffany, Harry Winston, Michael Anthony Jewelers, Inc. and Charles Krypell, Inc. Later, she collaborated on designs and made models for these companies. After four years of working for other manufacturers, she decided to establish her own manufacturing company in 1982. Yanula Designs, Inc. started with a showroom on 46th Street in New York. In the spring of 1987, Yanna sold her designer line and made the “great escape” from New York City to the Seacoast of New Hampshire where she continued to design and carve for her clients in New York and for an increasing number of manufacturers and well known designers throughout the world. In the fall of 1992, Yannaworld opened its doors on Route 1 in Rye, NH. With her retail gallery a growing concern, Yanna turned her attention to training others as Phillip Scandurra had trained her. Scandurra came to the United States in 1960 after designing for the Italian Mint. A master engraver and sculptor, he used architectural modeling skills to create a new technology and applied his precision drafting skills to his sculpture. Scandurra taught Yanna how to translate a scale line drawing into a precise wax model. In 1989, Phillip Scandurra died and left his legacy of specialized and unique technology to Yanna, who, from this basis, developed a new wax model-making procedure, she calls the “19 Step Process”. Yanna began a school in honor of Phillip Scandurra in 1992 on the site of her gallery and named it Waxmasters, Advanced Wax Systems, Inc. Yanna feels it is her responsibility to pass the techniques she learned during her apprenticeship on to others. In the past years, Yanna has taught and consulted on sites from South Dakota to Taiwan. Students have come here from throughout the United States and from as far away as France, New Zealand and Australia. In 1995 Yanna designed the DP95 for the Foredom Company. So students would have a fantastic drill press with a micrometer attached for precision work, this machine can be used as a drill press or vertical milling machine. Yanna also wrote and published the Waxmasters manual, designed and manufactured six bits, a vise and 10 other items that are included with the kit. The Waxmasters Kits are sold through Gesswein and Rio Grande catalogs. In the spring of 1996 Yanna moved to Aspen Colorado to continue her teaching and mentor program for new designers. Yanna continued to carve for her favorite clients. In May of 1997 Yanna taught the Masters Symposium at the Revere Academy in San Francisco. The class had 8 students and was of all skill levels, all students where able to grasp the Waxmasters system and complete three wax models. In the summer of 1998 Yanna developed a new solitaire design concept and named it New Basics. The first collection is called Tulip Petals. Hence the name, the design is of two tulip petals in a semi bezel style for round diamonds and pearls. The Tulip heads come in 5 styles; the collection includes earring studs, pendants, necklaces and rings with and without interchangeable heads and shanks. Sizes range from .10 pt. to 4 cts. 5 to 10 mm pearls. By the fall of 1999 The Tulip petal collection was selected and then the ring was featured on the cover of the 2001/2002 Rio Grande Gems and Finding catalogue. In December of 2001 Yanna started working with John Atencio, teaching his hands in Denver and working in the Aspen Store until September of 2002. In October of 2002 Yanna introduced 50 styles, New Basics the Tulip Petals for Pearls Collection and X and O’s, a prong style solitaire setting to Rio Grande. Early October she and her twin sister went to QVC to be interviewed and were accepted to be a vendor, and may be on air as early as June 2006. In November of 2002 Jeanette and Yanna opened Blacy’s Fine Jewelers in Los Gatos, CA. The store features fine Designers and Houses, adds featured in Town and Country and In Style Magazines. Diamonds, pearls and color mixed with Platinum and 18KT. Offering Custom, signed one of a kind including Yanna’s New Basics, “ The Tulip Petal Collections”. |
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| To contact Yanna click here. Studio: P.O. Box 913 Aspen, CO 81612 Store: 51 University Ave Los Gatos, CA 95030 Phone: 970-920-3050 |
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