Born in Jerusalem in 1929, Yaacov has spent his entire life in close proximity to the family workshop. In 1947, he began his studies in the metalwork department of the “New Bezalel” (which was reopened in 1935 under the direction of new immigrants from Germany). During this time period, the institution was directed by Mordechai Ardon, a graduate of the Bauhaus; the metal department was headed by Yehuda Wolpert and David Gumbel. In the course of his studies, which he completed in 1950, Yaacov absorbed novel German design principles: functionalism, clean lines, geometricality, an absence of romantic ornamentation and mechanistic aesthetics. However, in keeping with family tradition, Yaacov expanded the Yemenite influence in the “New Bezalel” by complicating the universal language of modernistic formalism with the Yemenite-style flowery filigree ornamentation that is often set with stones. He worked with his father in their home studio for many years, supplementing Yehia’s traditional line with a newer, more stylized and abstract one, one which also uses squarer lettering. In this manner, he has distinguished his own work from earlier pieces by being less burdened with ornamentation.