Get to Know...Boaz Kashi

By Jennifer Heebner -- JCK Online, 2/1/2008 2:00:00 AM

Boaz Kashi is keeping his family's goldsmithing tradition alive and exciting. The Kashi family, of Tel Aviv, Israel, has been designing jewelry since 1889, primarily classic styles like four- and six-prong gem-set rings and cameos. But as father Abraham started turning over more responsibilities to his son, designs grew bigger and bolder, with oversize gold rings, chain links, and pendants often sporting equally massive colored stones.

Another difference between father and son is time spent at the bench. “If I don't feel good [about the direction of a design], then I will work on it for two weeks, if necessary,” says Kashi. “If I don't like it [when it's finished], I'll melt it. My father tells me I am crazy to work on one piece for so many days.”

Kashi's signature style includes oxidized gold, bezel-set and burnished melee accents, and rose-cut diamonds. His gold wire jewelry resembles miniature balls of yarn—or bird nests, the original inspiration—with gem accents. One men's ring comprises five continuous feet of gold wire. “People like the size,” Kashi explains. “It's powerful.”

Kashi's daughters—Leah, 10; Noa, 7; and Rona, 2—help name the collections, such as Bereshit, which is Hebrew for “creation,” and his wife, Sigall, offers quiet support. “My wife says, [Make the jewelry] as you like,'” says the designer.

Though Kashi makes many of his own pieces—he learned a century of bench knowledge passed down from his family—seven goldsmiths help to bring sketches to life. [Boaz's sister, Orit, also hammers out some of her own petite styles, like angel pendants.] All findings and components are original designs, and new styles join existing collections every few months while new lines are introduced twice a year. Boaz Kashi jewelry is primarily for women, and very few styles are cast.

The designer entered the U.S. market a year ago, and Bergdorf Goodman and Takashimaya New York are among his clients. He exhibits at the JA New York Show, as well as overseas at International Jewellery London and Inhorgenta Europe in Munich, Germany.