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Headline: The $1.5 Million Facemask

Caption: A luxury jeweller has created a $1.5 million facemask. The prestige PPE is described as “fully functional” and features 250 grams of pure 18k gold, set with 3,608 natural black and white diamonds. Yvel, the Israeli luxury jewellery brand, say that, with a total weight of about 210 carats, it is the most expensive mask in the world. Designed to be wearable, it features a slot to insert a disposable N-99 mask, which provides protection from Covid-19. Designed by Isaac Levy, founder and owner of Yvel, the mask was commissioned by a Los Angeles-based businessman and art collector. He has been a customer and friend of Yvel for many years and placed his initial order as an act to help support Israeli industry as well as Yvel’s 150 employees in Israel and the United States during the pandemic. The order required an intensive production process to ensure the mask was compliant to safety regulations and could be completed on time. This project was entrusted to 25 of the company’s top artisans and diamond setters who were carefully selected to carry out the extraordinary assignment. “We are blessed with very loyal customers who appreciate the creativity, commitment and dedication of our master craftspeople. When we were first challenged to create a mask of this magnitude, we were energized by the opportunity and our team came together to create something truly unique and special, and yet - functional. Unlike any project we have done before, this order involved not only beautiful jewels but also a protective element,” said Isaac Levy, owner and co-founder of Yvel. When the COVID pandemic accelerated globally in the spring, Levy came to the U.S. to meet with long-term customers and friends to see if they would place orders so he could keep his production centre open and employees working. The Los Angeles businessman, who has asked to remain anonymous, delivered the most compelling assignment. When Levy return to Israel and assembled his team, he included three graduates of a special program he created to help Ethiopian immigrants learn a trade and develop a career in jewellery design. Three of those graduates played key roles in the development of the mask. “We cannot thank the buyer enough for his support over the last few decades and especially now during the pandemic. We can’t wait to official present him with the mask,” said Levy. “In these tumultuous times, every order we receive helps to preserve the company’s day-to-day operations and provide a way of living to its employees.”

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