Having a child can change one's priorities. This was true for Gali, of El Dorado, California. After the birth of her third child, Gali decided that she needed to own her time. To do this, Gali, which means "my wave" in Hebrew, now makes her own line of jewelry and sells them in her shop on Etsy. Her shop, called NAMI, means "wave" in Japanese.
"I was born in Israel, raised in California and moved back to Israel to finish high school and serve the two- year mandatory army service. After 24 years in Israel, in 2009, my family and I have moved to California," Gali says. "I have an MBA in business and spent many years in managing positions. In 2006, after the birth of my third child and the need to own my time, I started studying silversmithing and opened up Nami."
Gali, who was inspired by a tremendous love for her three children, wanted to keep them close by. "My first designs were boy and girl figures," she says. "In order to make them my own, I stamped each of their names on the back of the charm and all three hang on a silver chain close to my heart. The full Nami collection reflects what I feel jewelry should express when you wear it.
"Nami Charms are all hand made, originally designed and carved from wax. The wax model is molded into a silver charm which then requires additional work such as filing, punching and polishing to give it a finishing touch. Each charm is made of high quality .925 Sterling Silver. Most of my charms and jump rings are 16 to 20 gauge so they have a nice thickness to them and are secure on the jewelry. I also use the 11mm high quality lobster clasp (not the regular round ones). Added elements such as turquoise stones, pearls and gold fill are used in some models. Most of the charms can be personalized by stamping names, dates or initials to give them a personal touch, making them a one of a kind masterpiece," Gali says.
"I hope my jewelry makes you feel as special as you are," she says.
In her work, Gali loves to make special pieces that mean something to the one receiving them. "I am the only hand that stamps the special words that my customers request straight from the heart," she says. "I love hearing those special stories like that of a women who had adopted her sister's daughter after her sister died from cancer. Before her death, her sister would leave notes around the house for her daughter with inspirational sayings and words of love. The daughter had kept all these notes and her aunt had me stamp one of those notes on a silver disk as a present for her niece's 18th birthday. The aunt even scanned a picture of the note to show me. I get stories like this all the time and it makes what I do feel so much more special. I love being given the opportunity to make something that will touch someone's life."
Gali also loves being able to have the flexibility to be there for her three kids who are 17, 14 and 6. "I hope to continue touching people's hearts while being at home for my family," she says. "I think everything in life has a time and a place. I gave up a lot to pursue this career and the freedom to own my own time but I gained so much more. I followed my heart and that motherly instinct that told me that I needed to be there, for my then newborn baby and the rest just fell in to place."
