Jacob Arabo
Encyclopedia
Jacob Arabo is a Bukharian-American jeweler who is owner and founder of Jacob & Company. He is known for providing watches and other jewelry to hip hop
artists, National Basketball Association
players, and other celebrities like Sir Elton John, Bono
, David Beckham
and Rudy Giuliani
.
at the age of 14, and came to live in the United States. As a youngster Arabo had an interest in his family’s jewelry and time pieces. At 16, he discontinued his formal education, and after showing some aptitude, he enrolled in a program that taught jewelry-making. Arabo quickly developed his natural talent and demonstrated superior skills, leading his instructor to encourage him to leave the course and begin his own career as a jewelry designer. By the time he was 17 years old, Arabo was designing his own pieces.
Initially selling his pieces from a kiosk in the Kaplan Jewelry Exchange (in the heart of New York City’s jewelry district), by the age of 21, Arabo had officially started his own jewelry business.
Although he started out offering moderately priced, traditional jewelry, Arabo’s design sense soon caught the eyes of celebrities, singers, and artists in the hip-hop and rap music world. In the early 1990s, as word about his workmanship spread, his clientele and business grew, and Arabo became known amongst aficionados as “Jacob the Jeweler”.
Arabo founded Jacob & Co. in New York City in 1981. Operating out of a "mine-inspired" storefront on East 57th Street, the townhouse space is replete with Jacob’s signature five-time-zone watches.
Arabo’s Jacob & Co. timepieces were among the lots selling at the highest prices at Antiquorum Geneva Auction in April of 2010. His Crystal Tourbillon was the top selling lot at $477,120 USD, and the firm’s titanium Napoleon Quadra was the third highest selling lot at $354,432 USD. In October, 2008 at the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction held in Hong Kong, a spectacular Jacob & Co. cushion-shaped diamond ring was the item that sold at the highest price; $5.78 million. At the same auction, a yellow gold and diamond necklace and earring set from Jacob & Co. was the fourth highest priced item (selling at $960,624).
For over 25 years, Jacob & Co. has created revolutionary jewelry and timepieces for discerning men and women. The innovations apparent in these pieces draw from the finest traditions of design and craftsmanship, and are appreciated by connoisseurs of fine jewelry. The originality and vision achieved by Jacob & Co. has become an enduring international phenomenon.
, Jimmy Fallon
, Gisele Bundchen
, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Enrique Iglesias
, Justin Timberlake
, Verne Troyer
, Fred Durst
, David & Victoria Beckham, Sir Elton John, Karl Lagerfeld
, Carmen Kass
, Naomi Campbell
, Stefano Gabbana, Mýa
, Busta Rhymes
, Nelly
, Wyclef Jean
, Nas
, Tyrese
, 50 Cent
, Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna
, Jennifer Lopez
, Bono, Michael Jordan
, Tyson Beckford
, Britney Spears
, Sharon Stone
, Beyonce Knowles
, Rudolf Giuliani, Lenny Kravitz
, Jessica Simpson
, John Mayer
, T.K. Hong Kong.
, as well as for not declaring large cash purchases to the IRS. In October 2007, after admitting to lying to investigators, Arabo and his attorney, Ben Brafman, entered a plea in which the more serious charges of money-laundering were dropped. In June 2008, Arabo was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, fined $50,000, and ordered to forfeit $2 million to the U.S. government. Arabo was released from jail in April 2010.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artists, National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
players, and other celebrities like Sir Elton John, Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
, David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
and Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
.
Early Life
Jacob Arabo, formerly Yakov Arabov , and his family emigrated from UzbekistanUzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
at the age of 14, and came to live in the United States. As a youngster Arabo had an interest in his family’s jewelry and time pieces. At 16, he discontinued his formal education, and after showing some aptitude, he enrolled in a program that taught jewelry-making. Arabo quickly developed his natural talent and demonstrated superior skills, leading his instructor to encourage him to leave the course and begin his own career as a jewelry designer. By the time he was 17 years old, Arabo was designing his own pieces.
Career
Originally a designer for numerous jewelry brands and clients, Jacob Arabo soon became known amongst celebrities (most notably in the music industry), for creating custom jeweled pieces.Initially selling his pieces from a kiosk in the Kaplan Jewelry Exchange (in the heart of New York City’s jewelry district), by the age of 21, Arabo had officially started his own jewelry business.
Although he started out offering moderately priced, traditional jewelry, Arabo’s design sense soon caught the eyes of celebrities, singers, and artists in the hip-hop and rap music world. In the early 1990s, as word about his workmanship spread, his clientele and business grew, and Arabo became known amongst aficionados as “Jacob the Jeweler”.
Arabo founded Jacob & Co. in New York City in 1981. Operating out of a "mine-inspired" storefront on East 57th Street, the townhouse space is replete with Jacob’s signature five-time-zone watches.
Arabo’s Jacob & Co. timepieces were among the lots selling at the highest prices at Antiquorum Geneva Auction in April of 2010. His Crystal Tourbillon was the top selling lot at $477,120 USD, and the firm’s titanium Napoleon Quadra was the third highest selling lot at $354,432 USD. In October, 2008 at the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction held in Hong Kong, a spectacular Jacob & Co. cushion-shaped diamond ring was the item that sold at the highest price; $5.78 million. At the same auction, a yellow gold and diamond necklace and earring set from Jacob & Co. was the fourth highest priced item (selling at $960,624).
For over 25 years, Jacob & Co. has created revolutionary jewelry and timepieces for discerning men and women. The innovations apparent in these pieces draw from the finest traditions of design and craftsmanship, and are appreciated by connoisseurs of fine jewelry. The originality and vision achieved by Jacob & Co. has become an enduring international phenomenon.
Awards
Arabo’s Five Time Zone “The World is Yours” Timepiece was a 2006 Travel and Leisure Design Award Winner.Who wears Jacob & Co.
Angela BassettAngela Bassett
Angela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...
, Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
, Gisele Bundchen
Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Caroline Bündchen is a Brazilian fashion model, occasional film actress and goodwill ambassador for the UN Environment Programme.In the late 1990s, Bündchen became one of the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find success...
, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
, Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, Verne Troyer
Verne Troyer
Verne J. Troyer is an American stand-up comedian, actor, stuntman and performer, best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series...
, Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...
, David & Victoria Beckham, Sir Elton John, Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...
, Carmen Kass
Carmen Kass
-Early life:Kass was born in Tallinn, Estonia and grew up in Mäo village, near Paide, the capital of Järva County. Kass, her sister and brother were raised only by their mother Koidu Põder.-Modeling:...
, Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
, Stefano Gabbana, Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, Tyrese
Tyrese
Tyrese Darnell Gibson , also known simply as Tyrese, is an American R&B singer, rapper, actor, author, former fashion model and MTV VJ. After releasing several albums, he transitioned into films, with lead roles in several Hollywood releases.-Early life:Gibson was born in Los Angeles, California,...
, 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
, Bono, Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
, Tyson Beckford
Tyson Beckford
Tyson Craig Beckford is an American male model and actor, best known as a Ralph Lauren model. He was also the host of both seasons of the Bravo program Make Me a Supermodel.-Biography:...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
, Beyonce Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Rudolf Giuliani, Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
, Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
, John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, T.K. Hong Kong.
Video games
Arabo was featured in the game Def Jam Fight For NY, in which the players' hip-hop characters compete to earn cash with which they can buy jewelry from Jacob the Jeweler.Philanthropy
Jacob & Co. generously donated the Champion’s prize a diamond encrusted watch worth $10,400 for the Wall Street Warfighters’ Foundation Charity Poker Tournament. The event took place on the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City. The foundation helps disabled veterans find long-term employment in the financial services industry.Controversy
In June 2006, Arabo was arrested for being part of a money-laundering scheme instigated by the Detroit-based Black Mafia FamilyBlack Mafia Family
The Black Mafia Family , was a drug--trafficking organization originally based in Detroit, Michigan. Founded by the Flenory Brothers , the organization began in the late 1980s. By the year 2000, they had established multi-kilogram cocaine distribution cells in cities throughout the United States...
, as well as for not declaring large cash purchases to the IRS. In October 2007, after admitting to lying to investigators, Arabo and his attorney, Ben Brafman, entered a plea in which the more serious charges of money-laundering were dropped. In June 2008, Arabo was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, fined $50,000, and ordered to forfeit $2 million to the U.S. government. Arabo was released from jail in April 2010.