WATCH: The Ancient Art of Filigree Jewelry Making in Kosovo
In a broken-down communist-era factory on the outskirts of the ancient town of Prizren in Kosovo, nine aging factory workers use 50-year-old tools to make some of the most beautiful and intricate silver jewelry I have ever seen.
From the outside, this battered factory is not very impressive. (Photo: Jo Piazza)
During the Cold War, the state employed hundreds of workers here. When the Soviet Union fell, these workers privatized their craft. Today they operate on a much smaller scale.
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Through the cracked windows of the factory, you can hear wild dogs barking as the workers delicately mold the silver pieces. Prizren had been famous for filigree, the ancient craft of spinning gold and silver thread to produce lacelike pieces of art, since the 15th century.
These workers have been making filigree jewelry by hand for decades. (Photo: Jo Piazza)
The workshop recently started offering filigree classes for locals who are eager to learn the craft in a country where the unemployment rate hovers between 45 and 65 percent. Tourists can also visit by appointment to learn the craft if they make arrangements with a local tour operator, such as Petrit Riza of AirTour (petrit.riza@airtour.net). Many of the factory pieces are made to order, but select jewelry items are sold in the Filigran shop in downtown Prizren, a completely unassuming storefront that you would miss if you didn’t know exactly where it was.
The Filigran shop is just past the ancient bridge in the Prizren city center. (Photo: Jo Piazza)
The price is determined by weight at a rate of 3 euros per gram of silver (the factory only uses wire that is at least 98 percent silver). The ring below cost 15 euros. A matching pendant was priced at 10 euros, and a similar pair of earrings was 20 to 40 euros.
I paid about $19 for this incredible, handcrafted silver ring. (Photo: Jo Piazza)
