Shlomo “Sol” Machat was a devoted husband, father, entrepreneur, jeweler, lifelong learner, and a man whose extraordinary curiosity about the world was matched only by his genuine interest in people.

Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, the youngest of four siblings, Shlomo carried a deep love for Israel and Judaism throughout his life. As a young man, however, he was eager to see the world and build a life of his own. He left Israel for England, where his beginnings were humble – working in a mattress factory while already displaying the entrepreneurial spirit that would characterize his entire life.

After discovering an opportunity in the pearl trade, Shlomo came to Canada, first to Montreal and then to Toronto in the 1960s. He began modestly, visiting clients in their homes with a suitcase filled with pearls, gold, gemstones and jewelry. Through talent, determination and an exceptional ability to connect with people, he built Sol Machat Jewellery into a successful Toronto business that eventually included four locations and its own jewelry workshop.

Shlomo became known for creating distinctive pieces in high-quality gold and precious gemstones, including engagement and wedding rings that are still worn by families today. Yet his clients often remembered him for something beyond his craftsmanship. Shlomo would spend hours talking with them, listening to their personal stories and offering advice. He jokingly referred to himself as a “psychologist,” and personal attention became one of the hallmarks of his business and his life.

His entrepreneurial life eventually took him from Toronto to Miami, Peru and Colombia. His ventures ranged from international merchandise and jewelry to gold exploration in the Ica region of Peru and the representation of steel-building systems in South America. Whatever the field, Shlomo possessed a remarkable ability to recognize opportunity, teach himself something new and begin again.

It was in Peru that Shlomo met Grace, through his brother Meir. They fell deeply in love, married, and welcomed their son, Gian Paul. Their relationship was characterized not only by love, but by profound friendship, admiration and mutual support.

When the family later returned to Canada so Grace could complete her residency in Family Medicine at Dalhousie University, Shlomo devoted himself to caring for Gian Paul and supporting her medical career. During this period, his restless intellectual curiosity found another outlet in the stock market. A largely self-taught investor, he studied companies, world events and market conditions through newspapers, television and later his computer, becoming an exceptionally knowledgeable and successful investor.

Shlomo possessed an unusual mind. He could multiply four-digit numbers in his head, learned Spanish after meeting Grace and within a few years could hold sophisticated discussions about politics in his new language. He read extensively throughout his adult life, with particular interests in history, philosophy, religion, Judaism and the writings of Immanuel Velikovsky.

He also had a lifelong love of classical music, beginning in childhood when his father would play classical music on the family’s radio. Many decades later, classical music continued to fill the mornings of the home he shared with Grace.

Above all, Shlomo loved people and life.

He was as interested in learning the name and story of a cashier he had just met as he was in speaking with prominent businesspeople or longtime clients. He was social, engaging, intellectually curious, generous with his time and endlessly interested in the person standing in front of him.

Shlomo lived across countries, built businesses, created beautiful jewelry, searched for gold, studied markets, learned languages, read voraciously and continually reinvented himself. But his greatest legacy is found in the people whose lives he touched.

He will be remembered with profound love and admiration by his wife Grace, his son Gian Paul, his family, friends, former clients, and the many people who had the privilege of knowing him.

Shlomo lived not simply a long life, but an extraordinarily full one – defined by curiosity, courage, intelligence, resilience, love of family, and an enduring love of people.

Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society of Ontario (https://alzheimer.ca/on/en/).