The Original Ohrid Pearl

For a hundred years, the Talevi family has made the original Ohrid pearl by hand on the shores of Lake Ohrid, in North Macedonia. It is a craft known to only two families in the world — and Talevi is the most renowned of them.

Since 1924

In 1924, Vane Talev and his brother acquired the closely held formula for the Ohrid pearl, and in 1935 the name “Ohrid Pearls” was established. The craft has passed from father to son ever since — each generation entrusted with a recipe that has never left the family.

The Craft

Each pearl is made entirely by hand, from mother-of-pearl and the fine scales of a fish found only in the waters of Lake Ohrid. Layer upon layer is applied and left to dry — as many as ten coatings — before every pearl is polished and certified by its maker. Natural pearls, the family will tell you, last a hundred and fifty years. The Ohrid pearl lasts forever.

The Distinction

Not gathered from the sea but created through patience and secrecy, the Ohrid pearl is unlike any other. Talevi’s work has been honored internationally — awarded a gold medal in Brussels — and worn by royalty, heads of state, and collectors the world over.

Coming to America

After a century in Ohrid, Talevi is bringing the original Ohrid pearl to the United States.