Uniquely Jerusalem Jewelry Shops
Bezalel Art Fair
Bezalel Fair (Photo: Zeev Trembovler, Betzalel Fair PR)
Every Friday, artists, designers and jewelry-makers from all over converge on the area around the pedestrian walkway of Bezalel Street in downtown Jerusalem to peddle their wares at the Bezalel Arts Fair. Jerusalem has a lot of markets and fairs, but this is one of the most popular. It's has a truly special atmosphere as shoppers stop by the stalls to check out the goods and strike up conversations with the artists and designers to find out the stories behind them and their works.
Where: Betsalel Street, Shats Street and Gan Hasus, Jerusalem
Baltinester Jewelry and Judaica
Baltinester Jewlry and Judaica (Photo courtesy of Baltinester)
Baltinester is a genuine Hallmark on Jaffa Street and one of the first Judaica and Jewelry stores to open in Jerusalem. This family-owned business, ran by the Baltinester brothers, has been producing and selling handmade gold and silver crafting for more than 60 consecutive years. The jewelry pieces are classy and of high-quality, and it’s a great place to find something beautiful to wear for everyday and for celebratory events. If you’ve got your heart set on diamond rings, magen-david or hamsa pendants, or gem stones in all shapes and sizes, this is the place to go to.
The store also offers worldwide shipping, which is convenient when traveling light.
Where:31 Jaffa St, Jerusalem
Adi Greenstein Jewelry
Located in a small storefront in an alley between Hillel and Shamai Streets, Adi Greenstein Jewelry is both and shop and studio, where local designer Adi Greenstein sells a wide selection of original designs inspired by classic, modern and Israeli motifs and creates custom-made pieces for her customers using gold, silver and local gems. Alongside the sales, she also conducts workshops for aspiring jewelry-makers on various subjects.
Where: 23 Hillel Street (the alley between Hillel and Shamai), Jerusalem
Hours: Sunday-Thursdat from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm; Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 py
Diana Shye
Photo: Courtesy of Diana Shye
Diana Shye is a local artist and goldsmith who creates handcrafted jewelry in her private studio and sells directly to customers. She specializes in 14k gold-filled jewelry (an outer layer of gold mechanically bonded to sterling silver) mounted with precious stones. She focuses on bringing classic motifs into modern styles, and her stylistic imprint is obvious in each and every piece.
Ophir Jewelry
In Ophir Jewelry, nestled unassumingly in a building near Kikar Zion on Jaffa Street, 83-year-old Abraham Lor has been making jewelry since he was a teenager and has had his own shop in this space since 1956. He calls design "his first wife."
Abraham's father was one of the first students at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, and Abraham has carried on the tradition, specializing in making unique antique jewelry from old Roman coins and just about any other Jerusalem artifacts he can get his hands on, as well as precious metals and stones.
“We also have the largest collection of antique jewelry, mostly 150 years old and younger,” says his son, Sefie (Joseph), who runs the shop now while Abraham continues his work in the studio.
“It’s like a museum where the unique designs emphasize the special jewelry and antique style," Sefie's wife Ravit adds. "You smile all day long to be among beautiful things.”
Where: 38 Yafo Street, Jerusalem
Designers in the City
Photo: Courtesy of Designers in the City
Located on Bezalel Street in downtown Jerusalem, "Designers in the City" is where some of the city's finest designers get to unleash their creativity in front of interested potential customers. It's a truly unique experience to see the designers at work in their natural environment and even converse with them as they are working.
In addition to jewelry, there are artists representing the vast spectrum of design disciplines, including ceramic design, industrial design, fashion design and more.
Where: 7 Betsalel Street, Jerusalem
