9. Silversmithing and Goldsmithing

Silversmithing and goldsmithing were among the most prominent artisanal crafts of the Vlachs. Using silver as their primary material and gold as a complement, Vlach artisans, known as silversmiths, goldsmiths, or kouyoumtzides, created a diverse range of items: jewelry, weapons, cartridge cases, snuffboxes, seals, inkwells, pocket knives, amulets, reliquaries, buttons, oil lamps, perfume bottles, votive offerings, trays, pitchers, coffee pots, cups, bowls, cutlery, and sacred objects for Christian worship. The itinerant nature of their trade required mobility, enabling them to sell their creations at open-air markets and fairs, while also connecting them to the broader commercial world. Given the high value of their goods, kouyoumtzides were often granted protection during their travels by Ottoman authorities.

Artisans from Nikolitsa, Linopotio, Moschopolis, Nymfaio, Metsovo, Syrrako, and Kalarrytes produced silver, silver-plated, and gold-plated (gilded) works that journeyed far beyond their homelands. Their seasonal travels and long-term migrations spread their craftsmanship across northern Greece, from Epirus to Thrace, as well as to the Italian Peninsula, the Balkans, Central and Northern Europe, Constantinople, Asia Minor, Russia, and Egypt.

Sotirios Voulgaris (1857–1932), a descendant of a distinguished goldsmithing family and founder of the globally celebrated jewelry house BULGARI in Italy, proudly traced his Vlach roots to Kalarrytes.