When he was just 13 years old, Split jeweler Viktor Čivljak started learning the fine art of making filigree jewelry from his father, a second-generation jeweler.
Today, the 73-year-old master jeweler incorporates breathtaking designs into entirely-handmade brooches, bracelets, earrings, hair pins, pendants and rings. Seemingly spun out of delicate silver thread, Viktor also creates cuff-links, decorative spoons for newborns, and souvenir spoons of Split bearing the city’s cathedral bell-tower.
We recently had the great pleasure of spending the day with Viktor and his wife, Flora, watching as Viktor showed us the painstaking process of making one pair of stunning filigree earrings. I’ll be sharing that step-by-step post in the near future.
Until then, here is a small collage of just some of the magnificent pieces showcased in the family’s shop.
Planning Pointers:
- You can peruse just a handful of Viktor’s offerings in his Etsy shop, or find him on the Filigran Split Facebook page. We were utterly amazed at the hundreds of custom designs that Viktor’s created in the last five decades. He said that he’s also happy to custom-design work based on a customer’s sketch too.
- If you’re lucky enough to be visiting Split, do drop by the Čivljak’s shop, Filigran Split, located at Bosanska 4. It’s just a few seconds’ walk from Pjaca (Narodni Trg Square), and less than a minute from the Iron Gate of Diocletian’s Palace.
Where in the World?
Jewelry design © Viktor Čivljak, Filigran Split, Bosanska 4, Split, Croatia.
Photography & text © by Tricia A. Mitchell . All Rights Reserved.
Filed under: Art and Culture, Collages, Travelogues Tagged: artisan filigree, Croatia, filigree jewelry, silver jewelry, Split, toka jewelry, traditional Croatian jewelry, travel
