THE STORY
“I believe it is a blessing to be living your dream and, as one who has the luck to do that, I will be always grateful to my grandparents and parents who always stood behind me and believed in me and my passion!” ~ Yossi Harari
Yossi Harari’s fascination with magnificent jewelry began early when at just eight he announced to his parents that he would be “the family jeweler!” The owner and founder of a now world-eminent hand-crafted, fine 24-Karat gold jewelry brand , Harari had a wonderful childhood with a truly cosmopolitan upbringing being raised in Istanbul, Israel and Switzerland. Growing up, he was surrounded by his grandfather’s vast collection of art and antiques, beautiful objects, and ancient artifacts. His senses were constantly delighted and by the age of eleven, he surprised his mother by redesigning one of her diamond rings — the first jewelry item he made. It was this artistic endeavor that set him on a course of creativity and design from which he has never strayed. Yossi began his formal training receiving degrees in Gemology and Jewelry design from the Gemological Institute of America in Los Angeles, followed by a History of Arts degree from Tel Aviv University. Honing his skills in the U.S. and Israel, Harari opened a couture jewelry atelier in Istanbul in 1991 where he revived the long forgotten art of 24K gold-smithing
Today, Harari is one of the most famed, trendsetting craftsmen whose 24k gold pieces line the shelves of prestigious retailers, such as Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, and adorn high-profile and celebrity clients. In 2007, 2009, and again in 2014, Harari was awarded with the Couture Design Award — ‘The Oscars' of the jewelry industry — that recognizes excellence in jewelry and timepiece design. He attributes the success of his nearly 26 year old business to “a Love for Art.”
His Tel Aviv headquarters, including a stunning showroom used for private and by-appointment jewelry viewings, was his grandparent’s home. Built in 1971 as an exact replica of their winter home in Istanbul, the house features hand-painted and decorated ceilings in stucco and 24k Gold leaves, agate marble floors, Baccarat crystal chandeliers, gilded wood, elaborate doors, and 18th century French vitrage.
Harari is renowned for his innate understanding of modern women’s desire to be bedecked in luxurious, chic, bohemian, yet cutting-edge couture jewels — embellished with diamonds or precious-stones —that can be worn from day to night and create an iconic, effortlessly cool, and fashion-forward look.
Yossi Harari has endeavored to recover the ancient art of jewelry-making, magically imbuing each of his creations with inspiration drawn from the exotic and classically feminine designs of Byzantine and Etruscan jewelry and marrying it with his modern, chic, whimsical and out-of-the box style. To this day, Harari and his expert goldsmiths in Istanbul — his ancestor’s home — create ingenious organic shapes from pure 24-karat gold sheets, sculpting each toggle, bead, and bezel by hand, refusing to resort to wax molds or castings.
Yossi Harari is celebrated as a pioneer who brought back the art of creating pure, handcrafted 24-karat gold jewelry. His gold pieces, including those accented with hammered gold and libra pave, are noted for their creative and intrepid fusion of diamonds as well as precious gemstones. The gems are selected for their durability and ability to withstand the intense work done on their setting. As he explains, “It is not as if we have pronged settings that can delicately be shifted into place. We must hammer pure gold bezels into place around the stones by hand.”
Each item radiates the rich yellow color and warm feel of pure gold and recalls the spectacular jewels of ancient times. Despite this contrast between the old and new and inspiration drawn from archaeological jewels of the past, Harari emphasizes that he has “a modern, bold interpretation of classic designs.” Those that wear a Yossi Harari item know that theirs is one of a kind as the time-honored techniques used in their making ensure that no two pieces are ever exactly alike and makes wearing Yossi’s jewelry an entirely individual experience.
Harari explains that he “designs for the up-to-the-minute woman — the woman on the go who wants to be comfortable yet sexy, exotic yet modern, fashionable yet possessing her own sense of style.” Whether making a statement with Yossi Harari’s jewelry pieces means teaming them with an exquisite evening dress, a little black dress for a night out on the town, or to lunch paired with jeans, one thing they are not designed for is to lie forgotten in the bottom of a drawer!
Always seeking new ways to express his art and achieve fresh and exclusive looks, Harari invented his own metal alloy by combining oxidized silver with 24k gold to form “Gilver.” Today, Harari offers an entire line of chic, trademark, handcrafted Gilver couture pieces that offer an unsurpassed alternative to traditional gold and sterling silver jewelry.
Harari uses gems and diamonds as a painter uses oils on their palette — mixing and matching them to create just the right effect. He selects only the best, most vibrant and accessible colored stones, such as sapphires, Persian turquoise, tsavorite garnet, and Paraiba tourmaline. These, and diamonds, gleam from the folds of the gold or Gilver settings that embrace them.
Yossi Harari’s couture jewelry is versatile, designed to be layered and stacked, and worn with the exclusive, sophisticated and cool flair they emanate. Each unique piece makes a statement on its own, but the layering of different pieces allows a woman to create her own look. Even when piled on, the overall effect is still elegantly laid back.
The “Heaven on Earth Collection” is a unique line of hi-end 24-karat jewelry featuring captivating precious gemstones by Shefa Gems.
The precious stones in the jewelry collection are sourced using state-of-the-art procedures, but are rare, discovered in the soil of the Holy Land, and steeped in history. Harari’s signature jewelry collections are bold and modern, yet created using ancient techniques and influenced by a bygone era. Together, we find a confluence of two worlds in search of creating something beautiful and momentous. Something that captures an earthy richness with a sense of spirituality and yet suits the modern day wearer who wishes to make a bold, luxurious, and at times whimsical statement. But above all, a statement that is entirely unique.
The gem suite from Shefa Gems comprises rare stones, some of which have never before been discovered on earth. Among these are the Carmel Sapphire with its unusual mineral inclusions. This gemstone ranges in color from orange to brown to blue to nearly black. Within the Carmel Sapphire is the newly identified mineral Carmeltazite. Natural Moissanite , another precious stone discovered by Shefa Gems that is considered rarer globally. With its deep blue-green colors, transparency, radiance, brilliance, fire, luster and hardness, Natural Moissanite is ideal for use in jewelry in a rough format. The jewelry suite also features Black Spinel, Ilmenite, Garnet, sapphire, ruby, CPX, crystal quartz and pearls from Harari’s inventory, and diamonds sourced from the Israeli diamond stock exchange. Altogether, the collection is warm and vibrant with dazzling stones.
Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the “Heaven on Earth Collection” is the clever use of little glass shaker beads that hold small quantities of the uncut gems. Retaining their natural shape means not losing stone weight or value by cutting, and also means that the gems can reflect their earthy origins and retain their uniqueness. This richness creates bold, breathtaking and unique jewelry items — be it a necklace, bracelet, ring or earrings. The glass beads by HDK Technologies were designed by Yossi Harari to compliment his shapes and amorphic elements and are created using the Phoenician glass blowing techniques of 2000BC. The line also features rich, warm 24 karat gold and Yossi Harari’s signature alloy “Gilver.” The fact that all Harari jewelry is hand-crafted using ancient goldsmithing techniques makes this entire collection one that emphasizes the union between ancestry, earth, spirituality, and beauty.
Yossi Harari, who was designated by Shefa Gems as the designer for the project, explains that “the collection is inspired by the dream and realization of finding precious gems in the Holy Land. It emphasizes the combination between the local Israeli gem suite, raw materials of 24 karat gold and gilver, different metal and texture combinations, the glass shaker beads, and the innovative stone settings in the signature Yossi Harari style, all creating an unforgettable, hand-crafted textured look. A look that inspires and is called ‘Heaven on Earth.’”