For nearly five hundred years, the Bashoura name has been associated with quality craftsmanship, and a passion for working with precious metals in order to make beautiful pieces of art. But the birth of Bashoura Jewelry as it is known today can be traced back three generations – to a man by the name of Moussa Bashoura. Born in 1905 in Ottoman Turkey, Moussa was forced to flee his homeland under the threat of religious persecution at the age of 10, and found refuge in Damascus, Syria. From there, he served in the French army as a teenager, and eventually decided to return to his silversmith roots, crafting beautiful, intricate pieces of silver filigree art, a popular and highly-demanded product in those days.
It was his oldest son, Jean Bashoura, who first started attaching the Bashoura name to the finer, more fashionable jewelry pieces similar to those that the company produces today. Born in Damascus in 1934, he took on the family business at the age of eleven, learning from his father how to craft fine metals into beautiful masterpieces. But his true passion was with gemstones, and he soon began making pieces of jewelry that included exotic jewels and diamonds, specializing in the reproduction of antique jewelry worn by the Royals of the East.
In 1979, due to political unrest and religious persecution, Jean emigrated with his wife and three children to the United States, and settled down in Glendora, California. From there, he continued in the family trade, designing and manufacturing his own jewelry in a small shop that he owned. When his two sons, Moussa and Tony, grew up, they worked with him, eventually taking over the business themselves and continuing the tradition.
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