Hip-hop’s favourite ‘Jacob the Jeweller’, who counts Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Madonna and other A-listers among his clients today, has come a long way from being a teenage immigrant in the US who always had ‘ideas to design’
In the world of high-end jewellery and luxury timepieces, few names carry the same weight and sparkle as Jacob & Co. Founded by Jacob Arabo, this brand has adorned the limbs and torsos of the rich and famous with pieces that are as much art as they are jewels. But the road to becoming Hollywood’s favourite “Jacob the Jeweller” wasn’t paved with diamonds from the start. It was carved out with hard work, a keen eye for design, and the courage to take risks.
Arabo sat down with Tatler at the launch of his first Asian boutique at The Peninsula Hong Kong, in collaboration with Cortina Watch, as he talks about his early days as an immigrant with big dreams, his unexpected rise to fame, and what it means to truly believe in the beauty you create.
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Tell us about your early days.
I was only 14 when I [went] to America. My parents were immigrants from the [former] Soviet Union … My father got me a job when I was 13 years old [in USSR]. During summer break, I was too old to go to camp and he didn’t want me to sit around and hang out with friends. So he got [me] a job for the whole three months [of] summer to learn photography.
How did photography influence your journey into jewellery design?
All [that] summer, I was working for this professional photographer in his studio. I was developing pictures myself, in one of those [old-school photography] laboratories. That gave me the vision to design, because in photography, you [have to visualise] the picture before you take it. So when I was 16, I decided that I was going to become a [jewellery] designer, because I knew I always had ideas to design.
What was your first step in the jewellery business?
I had no idea how to build a brand or what branding is all about; all I wanted to do was to create. Without thinking about a business plan, I started to educate myself to build a brand. I was just concentrating on making a good living, and creating jewellery; there were no watches back then. So I got a job as a jeweller at a very low pay—it was US$125 a week. I thought to myself, this is not enough for me to make a living and support my family, [so] I started asking the [other jewellers] in the factory: “How long [have you been] working here?”. One said 10 years. I asked: “How much do you make?” [He said] US$400 a week. That’s it, huh? [So I thought,] it takes a long time to grow. So I asked my boss, “Can I design jewellery for you?”. Even though I wasn’t [hired] as a designer for the company, I had come in as a jeweller. So he said, “Yeah, you could try.” That’s how I started designing jewellery.
