'Being able to move around freely in Bahrain, with a Jewish appearance, feels like a dream'

HOLYGEMS, the world’s only jewelry inlaid with natural precious gems mined from the Holy Land of Israel, made its debut at the Jewelry Arabia, the Middle East’s premier jewelry and watch event, which took place last month in Bahrain.

During the five-day event, HOLYGEMS showcased it's never-seen-before, extremely rare, Carmel-Sapphire, a natural precious gem exclusively mined from the Holy Land, priced in the $20,000 to $1,000,000 range.

Following a prophetic revelation, and for the first time in history, precious gems are mined from Israel, including blue and green Sapphire, red Garnet, black Spinel and a unique gemstone found only in Israel: the Carmel-Sapphire.

These precious gems which are embedded into a modern jewelry collection combining top quality diamonds from the Israeli Diamond exchange, made history in a first ever collaboration with the BJC – Bahrain jewelry Center.

Recall that until recently a visit to this desert island was a distant and unattainable dream for Israelis, but thanks to the blessed 'Abraham Accords', the entry and stay in Bahrain for Israelis, is now free and safe.

The HOLYGEMS team in Bahrain led by Yossi Taub, the company's business development manager, had a series of meetings during the days of the exhibition, with government officials, local businessmen in the jewelry industry, and members of the Jewish community and of course with the dedicated embassy staff headed by the honorable ambassador Mr. Eitan Neah.

"We heard a lot about Jewelry Arabia in Manama" says Yossi Taub, "and we were grateful for this opportunity to take part in making a small history collaborate with the organization of BJC". 

One of the most emotional meetings of the HOLYGEMS delegation, took place in the old synagogue of the small Jewish community that still exists in Bahrain. Yossi Taub gave Mr. Abe Nonoo, the head of the community, a special gift, a Torah scroll made of silver from the Hazorfim, on which were set precious gems mined from Israel. Mr. Nonoo was moved to tears, not only to meet Jews from Israel, but also to hold in his hands a piece of the land itself in all its glory.

"The ability to move around freely as a person with a religious Jewish appearance from Israel in Bahrain feels like a dream" Yossi added, " We received amazing responses, the HOLYGEMS jewelry evoked great curiosity and anticipation by the local audience. I believe that the successful exhibition was only the beginning for a continued fruitful cooperation in the other Gulf countries in the near future". 

Mining miracles

The miraculous discovery of this new Israeli natural treasures was made possible only because of the perseverance and immense faith Yossi's father, Abraham (Avi) Taub, a descendant of a pioneer family with long-standing three generation presence in the diamond and luxury jewelry market in Israel, who heard about something that the Lubavitcher Rebbe (the most influential international Jewish leader of the 20th century) said in 1988. 

In a filmed interview with the then mayor of Haifa, the Rebbe said that there are precious gemstones in the Haifa and Carmel area in the Land of Israel, and that the Almighty did a wondrous thing when he himself concealed them in the depths of this Holy Land.

Taub was a loyal follower of the Rebbe and an experienced businessman, and this statement made him restless. Thus, in 1999, along with several partners (including his bast friend, Rabbi David Nachshon) and the Rebbe's revelation guiding his actions, Taub established a company (Shefa in Israel G.M. Ltd) for the exploration, research and development of precious gem mines in the north of the Land of Israel. Although all scientific assumptions were contrary. 

"In March, five months after my father's sudden passing, and after 20 years of R&D in collaboration with international experts and research institutes, Israel, for the first time ever, issued a Discovery Certificate confirming that an economic deposit of precious gems was found in the areas for which the company holds licenses" revealed Tali Shalem-Taub, the company's CEO and Taub's first daughter.

"Our father's new discovery combined with the brand's jewelry, creates great interest in the luxury jewelry market, both in view of the sacred origin of the precious gems, including their mystical and energetic added value, and in view of the company's ability to provide a certificate of origin and traceability of each gem from the mine to the customer, an extremely rare transparency in itself in the market".

New tourist experience in Israel

Just before the trip to Bahrain, HOLYGEMS launched a unique visitor center in Akko, presents all stages of sorting the stones from the precious gems mined exclusively from Israel, and setting in the "HOLYGEMS" jewelry.

The new visitor center, and the only one of its kind in Israel, was opened at a special event in the presence of the mayor of Akko, Mr. Shimon Lankri, and senior officials of the municipality. As well as the fames Israeli singer NARKIS, the actresses Eden Harel and Oded Menashe, lifestyle influencers and bloggers from the world of luxury jewelry, and international media. 

The event was managed by the Taub family, orthodox Chabad followers, who own and manage the mining company and the jewelry brand HOLYGEMS.

The visitor center is already having guided tours which goes through all the stages of uncovering the gems - from washing the piles of sand from the mine, sorting with dedicated machines, to finding the raw gems, polishing and setting in the highest level of luxury jewelry, which are presented in a luxurious showroom.

In light of the demand, the company intends to soon open another boutique branch in the Mamilla area of Jerusalem.