Jewelry Designer: Aya Mikuriya Born in Osaka, Japan in 1978. Aya moved to New York in 2000 and started her jewelry brand “Ayazakura” on the street broadway in SOHO. She majored in Jewelry Metal Technique at FIT (Fashion Institute Technology). Aya then opened her first store in NOHO, New York. In 2004, she won the Best Accessory Award at NY INDUSTRY 212 at the New York Javits Center. Aya got featured in many magazines and medias such as Marie Claire and the New York Post in the United States along with magazines such as NYLON and VOGUE in Japan which lead to the start of her career and success. In 2008, she then moved back to Osaka her hometown in Japan. Aya is actively exhibiting her unique jewelries all around Japan and working on collaborations with artists from various backgrounds overseas. In 2020, she opened Ayazakura her private ATELIER in Osaka. Aya continues to explore new techniques and focuses on customized and order-made jewelries. She has already designed and made more than 10,000 creations so far and aspires to find minerals and natural stones in sacred places to create new unique pieces for Ayazakura.