OUR STORY
Moshe Ben-David was born in
Al-Aliya, Bayhan region, Yemen, in 1927. He immigrated to Israel in 1949 and
settled in Azur transit camp, Matte Yehuda. In his filigree creations, Moshe
Ben-David interweaves seven generations of Yemenite tradition with modern and
original creativity. He continues a long family line of jewelers that was recognized for the remarkable pieces they created for the Emirate nobility.
Six months following his arrival to Israel (1950), Ben-David
was discovered by Mrs. Ruth Dayan at the Azoor transit camp. In 1954 she
invited him to exhibit his works at the newly established “Maskit” gallery, where he started gaining reputation and getting acknowledged for his
extraordinary skills. Throughout his professional journey as being one of Israel’s most prominent jewelry makers, he filled a position of head manager of
the jewelry production in the Maskit Fashion house during ten years of involvement in the brand.
Among his many achievements, Ben-David participated in
multiple exhibitions and won second prize and citation from Israel Export
Institute for smoking accessories (1964 - 1965). In 1973, Ben-David was invited
to restore and create ancient Egyptian jewels to be used in the film “Moshe”. Later,
in 1974 he was commissioned to create 9 pieces of jewelry replicas for Michael
Cacoyannis’ celebrated film The story of Jacob and Joseph. In 1978, in
honor of Israel’s 30th Independence Day, he was selected as the sole
artist to represent the jewelry of his country in the Philadelphia exhibition.
The unique creations of his master of filigree art are known
and admired worldwide until this day, having been honored with numerous prizes
in international exhibitions. His works were selected on numerous occasions to
serve as the official gifts that were granted by the Israeli Government.
In addition to his mastery ancient jewellery, Ben-David
continues to introduce new ideas and creations, such as the insertion of
antique Roman glass in filigree frames. In wearing these exclusive
masterpieces, you can experience the exotic feelings of ancient oriental art as
well as the thrill of original and unique designs in modern material and
conceptions.
The legacy of Ben-David passed on to this son, Rami, who
joined Ben-David in 1984 to continue his line of work. The tradition of
designing and creating these exclusive jewelry and appliances passes on through
generations of artists to preserve the exceptional art of Yemenite filigree.