First Golden Lilies for Zenica Heroes Created in the Workshop of Goldsmith Sead Kaljić

The Golden Lily is the highest military decoration of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the conflict in the country. It was awarded to soldiers and officers for the bravest and most tactical feats against the aggressor. The decorations were made by Bosnian-Herzegovinian goldsmiths, by hand, making them all the more valuable because a part of the goldsmith's life is woven into each one, reports the Patria news agency.

The lilies with which the Zenica heroes were decorated, at a time when Sarajevo was under siege, were created in the workshop of craftsman Sead Kaljić. For the needs of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he made 120 badges. Each one, he says, was made by hand and without the slightest compensation. He is prouder of his contribution to the Army than of anything else in his life.

Two decades later, he still sits in his small shop in the heart of Zenica's old town and preserves the goldsmith craft from oblivion. He also proudly keeps the small hand mold he used to make the golden lilies.

- Goldsmithing is not buying gold and selling it. Unfortunately, most of those who call themselves goldsmiths in Bosnia and Herzegovina today only sell gold. It is not the same when you produce jewelry and when you only sell it. That should be clearly separated – goldsmith Kaljić told the Patria agency.

Kaljić is the oldest trained goldsmith in Zenica, whose shop has been open for 45 years. Yet, even after so many years, this craftsman talks about his work, his first steps in goldsmithing, and the Sarajevo masters who taught him this beautiful craft with equal love.

Handmade work is the most valuable

Everything today comes down to technology, says Kaljić. Watchmakers have no work; they only change batteries. There are fewer and fewer people who recognize the value of handmade work. Except for foreigners who sometimes wander into his craft shop. Besides, gold is less and less in fashion as a gift, because other things are bought for gifts.

In Zenica, Kaljić is also known as a master of filigree – weaving with silver wire. He does it by hand, bending small pieces into a unique composition. Everything he makes in this way is a one-of-a-kind piece. It is impossible, says Kaljić, to make two identical pieces in this way. Many filigree makers use molds for this reason, but not goldsmith Kaljić, reports NAP.