Olive Wood Jewelry Box – Ring Box Handmade in Bethlehem, Palestine

Bassem Giacaman learned to read olive wood grain before he could read Arabic. His grandfather Elias opened the workshop in Bethlehem in 1925 — a few steps from the Church of the Nativity, in a city that has been carved, occupied, walled in, and still kept carving. Three generations later, Bassem works the same wood, with the same hands, in the same city.

This jewelry box is his work.

Each box is shaped from Palestinian olive wood — wood from trees that take over a century to mature, pruned by hand, dried naturally, formed by someone who has spent his life learning what the material can hold. The grain on every box is different. That is not a flaw. That is the point.

The interior is lined in red velvet. The lid closes clean with a magnetic catch. It is made to hold things that matter.

Product Details

•        Material: 100% natural Palestinian olive wood, sustainably harvested

•        Interior: Red velvet lining

•        Closure: Magnetic

•        Finish: Hand-polished, smooth

•        Dimensions:  2.25 in × 2.5 in × 1.75 in (W × D × H) | 5.5 cm × 6.5 cm × 4.5 cm

•        Origin: Bethlehem, Palestine

Made by Blessings Giftshop

The Giacaman family has been carving olive wood in Bethlehem since 1925. Founded by Elias Giacaman, the workshop now runs through his son Jiries and grandson Bassem — three generations, one craft, one city. Their workshop sits steps from the Church of the Nativity and the Milk Grotto Church, in the heart of old Bethlehem.

Every piece leaves that workshop carrying the labor of those hands and the history of that land.

This purchase puts money directly into their workshop. Nothing in between.

A Note on Handmade Goods

Every box is carved from a different piece of olive wood. The grain, tone, and color you receive will vary from what you see in the photos — that is the nature of the material, not a variation in quality. Dimensions are approximate. What you get is not a copy of something. It is the real thing. And of course, the box comes empty with no jewelry.