From Eager Learner to Competition Leader: Her Inspiring Journey

From a little girl eager to learn the skills her mother possessed to a leading woman in her profession—this is how the stories on Kajak.mk begin in February, celebrating our heroines who make small yet impactful contributions to tourism development.

Short, inspiring tales you can read in one breath, designed to motivate you to fill your free time with something new that could bring additional income in the future.

Today, we introduce you to Biljana Todoroska, an Ohrid native who designs soutache jewelry.

Biljana has been creating jewelry for 12 years, with soutache being a part of her life for the past 9 years. She has participated in numerous bazaars, fairs, and various projects, and has held two solo exhibitions—one at the “Robevci” Gallery in Ohrid, and the other at the “Brothers Miladinovci” Memorial House in Struga.

What makes her a leader in her profession, according to Kajak, is that besides creating jewelry, she also conducts workshops in Skopje, where she shares her knowledge with other women eager to learn something new.

Her beginnings with handmade crafts date back to her childhood, when traditional Macedonian embroidery was created at home as a dowry for girls. Even then, her mother taught her how to make embroidery and helped her appreciate its uniqueness and beauty.

“Much later, the need to wear unique jewelry pushed me to create something for myself, and that’s how my story began and continues to this day. As I learned and perfected the techniques, I accidentally came across soutache online—something completely unknown in this region,” Biljana shares.

Upon discovering this exquisite technique originating from Russia—once used to adorn Russian military uniforms and later embraced in France as an essential decoration for the wealthiest ruling families and the most elegant ladies—Biljana was captivated by its uniqueness and decided to dedicate time to mastering it. What drew her the most was the similarity to our traditional Macedonian embroidery and folk costumes, which inspired her to study the technique online. After just a few months of hard work and dedication, she created her very first piece.

She constantly creates new pieces of jewelry, keeping up with fashion trends while always staying true to tradition. Her collections feature hundreds of models of necklaces, brooches, bracelets, and earrings—each with its own story.

For creating this jewelry, a special soutache cord is used, which she shapes by sewing and embedding various semi-precious stones, pearls, and recently, natural materials like lake pebbles, wood pieces, and assorted recycled materials. Sourcing these materials is a unique process and a form of research in itself.

What attracts people the most is the complexity of the craftsmanship, the combination of colors, and of course, the uniqueness and splendor that all her jewelry pieces offer. The creation process and the finished pieces can be found in her studio-shop "BRILLO" located in the old Turkish bazaar in Ohrid, and soon they will also be featured on the Kajak.mk platform.