Four generations and ninety years of the same craft, passed father to son. The name Ohrid Pearl was established in 1935 by Vane Talev and his brother Mihail, who bought the formula from a Russian for twenty-five napoleons – and the family still hold it. At 4.8 on Google they are the highest-rated pearl workshop in the city.
Each pearl is coated five to ten times, with at least forty-five to sixty minutes of drying between coats, brushed on with squirrel-tail or horse hair. The workshop took a gold medal at the Eureka innovation and handicraft fair in Brussels in 2001, against forty-five international competitors. The Talevi family are one of only two families in Ohrid holding the secret emulsion recipe – the other is the Filevi family.
Local tip: Ask to see the coating brushes. The process is the whole story, and they will tell it if you show an interest.
Good to know
- Where: Sveti Kliment Ohridski 60, Ohrid 6000
- City: Ohrid
- Website: official site