Jewel box

For centuries Sarajevo has been the city which carries the mark of East. Old crafts and craftsmen are one of the principle reason why Basčaršija is still in the limelight. The development of crafts has begun right after the arrival of Turcs in these regions, some five hundred years ago. English traveler Henry Blount wrote this: "In the main square and in the 50 streets at the end of the square there is, perhaps, 6 or 7 hundred stores with the merchandise of all kind. In one semilong street I saw the stores packed with the gold jewelry, the beauty of which was comparable with the beauty of harem women from arab and indian fairytales. Silver-made decorative objects with their ornamentics, rich with fantastic design, did not lag behind the venician crafts of this kind."

The jewel box dates from the period when Bosnia and Herzegovina was under the ruling of Ottoman Empire, more precisely from the mid 18th century. The goldsmiths and the coppermiths were involved in fine finishing of metals. Nicely crafted silver box, made by the goldsmiths and the silversmiths from Sarajevo's golden street, and decorated with the flower ornaments, attract attention of all people who have respect for arts. In the back-then world, to have such an object in the house was the sign of prestige and the persones position in the society. It was the part of the girl's wedding wealth in which beautiful Sarajevo's girls kept their beutiful jewelry.