Filigree Craftsmanship: My Unique Language of Expression

February is dedicated to the women who make a difference in tourism, raising awareness among the younger generation that even a small desire and initiative to learn something new can lead to earning additional income for a livelihood.

Kajak calls these women local heroines, recognizing their vital role in the development of tourism in Macedonia. Craftsmanship plays a huge part, especially for tourists who are interested in the story behind the product—and the number of such tourists is steadily growing.

Today, we introduce you to Lada Shoptrajanova Petrovska — a violinist, music writer, and, for the past two and a half years, a passionate and joyful filigree artist. After nearly three decades as a professional violinist with the Macedonian Philharmonic and founder and leader of several chamber ensembles, she began expanding her artistic horizons by diving into a new art form called filigree.

Before mastering filigree, Lada wrote music columns for the newspaper Nova Makedonija, some of which she transformed into the book Dreaming.

Filigree caught her attention because it represents a new way of creating art. She believes her love for jewelry-making might not be a coincidence, as her great-grandfather—who sadly passed away before she was born—was a watchmaker and goldsmith. She thinks this might be a genetically predetermined profession.

She crafts jewelry using high-quality silver with purity levels of 999, 950, and 925 millesimal fineness, drawn into wires of varying thickness.

To succeed in her craft, Lada took lessons from filigree artist Aleksandar Milev, as well as from top masters at Rubin Jewelry, and even attended a filigree workshop in Jaffa, Israel. She is deeply grateful to each of her teachers for sharing their knowledge, but she emphasizes that personal experience is crucial—through it, one learns the most and builds upon previous knowledge.

She sticks to traditional filigree techniques but not to traditional forms. She gives her jewelry a modern, fresh, and artistic look. For her, jewelry is a new stage, a personal platform where she conveys the artistic experience gained from over 1,000 performed concerts. The music that once flowed through the strings of her violin is now woven into delicate silver wires, because, as Lada says, filigree is not just a craft—it is a different language of artistic expression.

“Every piece of jewelry is unique; I never make two identical ones, each carries a personal signature. I want everyone who wears my jewelry to know they are wearing a one-of-a-kind creation. This is the most distinctive feature of my brand Filigree LARGO, which I started developing as a hobby, with the dream that one day it would become my main profession,” she says.

Last May, she created a jewelry collection for Tikveš Winery, which is sold in their exclusive wine boutique. She also frequently participates with her jewelry in themed bazaars. Some of her pieces can be found on the Filigree LARGO Facebook page and on Instagram @filigree.largo.