Since the days of Catherine the Great, talented artisans in the workshops at Mstera and Kazakavo, Russia have designed and produced metal-ware of exquisite beauty. With a tradition of icon-painting and elaborate filigree-work handed down through the generations, today's artisans of these two villages continue to produce pieces that are unique and very beautiful.

Filigree work starts with fine copper-ribbon, cut and formed by hand into elaborate designs emulating ancient Russian bobbin-lace. Working with shears and tweezers, the artisan carefully shapes each tiny segment of the pattern into the intricate design - also passed down thru the generations.

Once formed, the piece is finished with a coating of 99.9% silver. Some pieces of the Alexander Nevsky Collection® are additionally plated with 24 k. gold.

The artisans of Mstera live in quaint wooden peasant cottages, painted in bright colors and adorned with elaborately-carved window frames. Most travel is by foot or bicycle - only an occasional vehicle makes its way thru the narrow streets and it is not unusual to see a cow tied-up, grazing in the front yard of a peasant cottage.

Kazakavo - so tiny and secluded that it does not even appear on most maps of Russia, was for many years a village closed to foreigners. The Kazakavo artisans employ a unique and recognizable style of decoration in their filigree work. It is very ornate, usually enhanced by tiny pearl-like spheres. The village is located in the shadow of ancient Nizhny Novgorod, at the junction of two great rivers - the Oka and the Volga - site of the great Nizhny fair, which in ancient times drew millions not only from Russia but from all of Europe and Asia.