{{Short description|American artist and jeweler (1926–2022)}} {{Infobox artist | name = Sidney Mobell | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1926|04|10}} | birth_place = Denver, Colorado, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2022|11|04|1926|04|10}} | death_place = Hillsborough, California, U.S. | resting_place = Home of Peace Cemetery (Colma, CA) | education = | known_for = Jeweled art | notable_works = | movement = | spouse = Ronni J. Grant (1959–2002; her death) }}
'''Sidney F. Mobell''' (April 10, 1926 – November 4, 2022) was an American artist, jeweler, and philanthropist from San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Levinson |first=Jay Conrad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=re6ACzIoKdcC |title=Guerrilla Advertising: Cost-effective Techniques for Small-business Success |date=1994 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-395-68718-5 |pages=189 |language=en}}</ref> He owned '''Mobell Jewelry''' and was known for his designs of everyday objects made of gold and jewels.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0q0SAQAAMAAJ |title=Jewelers' Circular / Keystone, Issues 11-13 |date=1976 |publisher=Chilton Company |volume=146 |language=en}}</ref> He lived in Hillsborough, California.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Turning the Ordinary Into Gold Treasures |url=https://www.sutterhealth.org/patient-stories/turning-the-ordinary-into-gold-treasures |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=Sutter Health}}</ref>
== Biography == Sidney Mobell was born in Denver on April 10, 1926, and starting in 1937 he was raised an orphan.<ref name=":0" />
Mobell eventually made his way to San Francisco and owned and operated several jewelry stores in the city until his retirement in 1995. In March 1996, Mobell Jewelry was sold to Shreve & Co..<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Iwata |first=Edward |date=1996-03-21 |title=Famed Mobell Jewelry sold to Shreve |url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Famed-Mobell-Jewelry-sold-to-Shreve-3149082.php |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}}</ref>
Mobell was known for his transformation of ordinary, everyday items such as food cans and cellular phones into bejeweled pieces of art. Several of his works are housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, including a $2,000,000 USD Monopoly set made of 23-carat gold, with rubies and sapphires atop the chimneys of the houses and hotels.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Orbanes |first=Philip E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aYs3BAAAQBAJ |title=Monopoly: The World's Most Famous Game--And How It Got That Way |date=2007-10-09 |publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=978-0-306-81592-8 |pages=140-141 |language=en}}</ref> It is the most expensive Monopoly set ever produced.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-jeweled-art-of-sidney-mobell-86945772/|title=The Jeweled Art of Sidney Mobell|last=Stromberg|first=Joseph|work=Smithsonian|access-date=2017-12-07|language=en}}</ref>
Mobell was a guest on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', several times where he showcased his designs.<ref name=":1" /> He was also a donor to several healthcare causes.<ref name=":0" />
Mobell died in Hillsborough, California, on November 4, 2022, at the age of 96.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sidney Mobell Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/sfgate/name/sidney-mobell-obituary?id=37150653 |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=1 December 2022}}</ref>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mobell, Sidney}} Category:1926 births Category:2022 deaths Category:21st-century American Jews Category:20th-century American jewellers Category:Artists from San Francisco Category:Jewish American artists Category:People from Hillsborough, California
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