Goldsmiths and watchmakers

Sanja Kemenovic opened a jewellery business two years ago, but has always played with manual work. “As a small child growing up with my father who was a mechanical locksmith, I used to hang around tools and inherit a love for manual labour”, begins her story, Sanja, who nowadays mostly plays with metals, especially silver indeed.

In his workshop located in Ljudevita Posavskog 4, craftsman Stjepan Đurek has continued the goldsmith tradition started in 1953, succeeding his cousin, who had taught him the craft, at the head of the workshop in 1979.

The only watchmaking workshop in Velika Gorica is run by Siniša Eret who took over the business from his father Vlado.

The gold jewelry store Golub has been in the hands of the Golub family since 1957, remaining all this time at the same address, Ilica 36 in Zagreb. Loyal customers have been visiting Mr. Josip Golub ever since and today they have placed their trust in his son Marijan, who is an enthusiastic jewelry maker, just like his father was. Favorable word-of-mouth is the best sort of recommendation, and this traditional family business gets plenty of it.

Jewellery Gjoni was founded by Kolja Gjoni in 1968. The tradition was preserved by jeweller Jozef Gjoni who took over the shop at 10 Jurišićeva Street in 1988. In addition to being a qualified jeweller, he also holds a I.G.I. DIAMOND GRADING COURSE certificate he gained in Antwerp, a Belgian city famed for its diamond processing industry.

One of the longest jewelery bastions in Croatia

Jewellery Popek was founded in 1945 in Zagreb and it’s still located at the same address, namely, 9 Teslina Street. Stjepan Popek, an extremely skilful goldsmith master, was the one who founded the craft.

The Nokaj family set up the Gold Jewelry Store Mario in 1990 at Krvavi most 2 in Zagreb, continuing the long family tradition of jewelry making. They expanded their business by opening Lapidarium at Pavla Radića 10, a goldsmith workshop run by Mario Nokaj, and have recently turned their focus to the gallery concept and modern design with their new Rovinj workshop.

The small goldsmith’s shop at Prolaz sestara Baković in Zagreb goes back to 1947, when the craft business was founded by Josip and Ana Krznarić. After a few relocations the goldsmith’s workshop was taken over in 1992 by their son Kruno Krznarić. He has been practicing traditional techniques in the art of silver jewelry making.

The jewellery making tradition of the Križek family dates back to 1935, while in 2013 the family’s fourth generation took over the craft from the founder’s grandsons Viktor and Vlado.

Goldsmith Koci has remained at the same place since the very beginnings of the gold jewelry store in 1972, when it was set up by Rafael Koci. He ran it for years on his own, and his sons Gabrijel and Luigji always hung around the workshop, thus learning the trade.

Biserka Jakšić runs a jewellery shop taken over by her father in 1958. Having inherited the business from her father Božidar, who was trained by the famous Zagreb jeweller Kolenko, Biserka Jakšić has spent her entire lifetime in the workshop where she became a master in her own right.