20th Anniversary Photobook.

Over the past 22 years, Maya has created thousands of pieces—among them, several hundred one-of-a-kind jewelry. Looking through the countless photos I’ve taken over the years was a joy, but selecting which ones to include in this book was no easy task.

This book was originally meant to commemorate our 20th anniversary in 2023. The process took longer than we anticipated. So here we are, a little later than planned. Still, we decided to keep “20th” in the title—just as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics kept its name, even when held in 2021.

Some of the pieces featured here were pivotal in shaping what ileava jewelry is today. Others were included simply because we love the photo, or because the piece brought back memories. There were also many pieces we would have loved to include, but we could no longer find photographs of them. We had to leave out hundreds more due to limited space—but we treasure every single piece Maya has ever created. The ones not included in this book are no less meaningful.

We also want to thank the people behind the scenes—casters, bench workers, lapidarists, and specialists in gemstones and pearls—whose contributions may not often be in the spotlight, but are essential to every piece we create.