Ohrid Pearls

Preserved through secrecy.

The Ohrid Pearl is one of Macedonia’s most distinctive cultural treasures, created through a technique that belongs not to mass production, but to family memory, discipline, and guarded knowledge.

Its story begins in the early twentieth century, when the method is said to have been introduced to Ohrid by a Russian emigrant familiar with a similar pearl-making tradition. By the 1920s, the knowledge had passed to the Talevi and Filevi families, who became the principal guardians of the craft.

Unlike natural pearls formed inside oysters, Ohrid Pearls are made by hand through a layered process. A base is coated repeatedly with a special emulsion derived from the scales of the Plasica fish, native to Lake Ohrid. The exact preparation of this emulsion remains closely guarded, passed through generations within the families who continue the tradition.

The process is slow and precise. Each layer must be applied evenly, then allowed to dry before the next is added. This repeated coating gives the pearl its characteristic surface, soft lustre, and quiet glow. At least eight layers of emulsion are used, with additional layers increasing the value of the finished piece. 

The result is not brilliance in the conventional sense, but luminosity. Light moves gently across the surface, creating a smooth, refined shimmer that feels calm, balanced, and unmistakably tied to Lake Ohrid.

At Nas Nakit, we work with Talevi Ohrid Pearls, honouring a craft shaped by secrecy, patience, and continuity.

Each pearl carries more than beauty. It carries a guarded Macedonian tradition, preserved by hand across generations.