7th Anniversary Moment 1: Before the Beginning.

Moment 1: Every story has a beginning, and to find ours, you're going to have to take a trip to Roanoke, VA (unless you already live there, in which case, "Hiiiii!" and also, stay put.). Before there was betsy & iya the handcrafted jewelry line and retail shop, there was Betsy and Iya the sisters. Technically, it's Betsy and Ashlyn, two girls 2.5 years apart, who according to legend - aka their mom - spent most of their formative years glued at the hip. When baby Betsy couldn't quite pronounce her big sister's name, she settled for "Iya" and it just stuck, as childhood nicknames tend to do.

Fast forward several years later to early 2008 when it was time for Betsy to name her new line of jewelry. She wanted a name that would represent herself, the maker, and also give a nod to her influences. "When I was naming the business," Betsy wrote in 2009, "I wanted it to be personal while genuinely reflecting the style of the emerging collections. I have always been most fascinated with the harmony found in contrasts. We are precisely that: Betsy is classic, like a part of my designs. Iya is more exotic, like a part of my designs. Betsy is old; Iya is new. Together they are a perfect match. Together they make me feel bigger than I am. Together, I am stronger." Artist: Sarah Jean Simmons See you there, Anna ***Song of the Moment: Mirrors by Justin Timberlake***