WELCOME TO KAZAKHSTAN

He began making his first jewelry as a child. These were aluminum bracelets and earrings for his mother and grandmother, and today his products are worn by the Queen of Jordan, Rania. This is how you can briefly describe the bright creative path of the Honored Worker of Kazakhstan, the holder of the international Order of Karl Faberge, Berik Alibay. The famous jeweler and restorer told us more about the work of his life in our interview.- Berik myrza, when did you make your first piece of jewelry, and what kind of product was it?- I was about 7-8 years old. My grandfather Alibay was a blacksmith known throughout the village. All the women in our small village in southern Kazakhstan wore his jewelry. I spent hours in his workshop watching the process. Later, I began to do something with my own hands. These were aluminum rings and bracelets for my mother and grandmother. But there were no plans to follow in my grandfather's footsteps - I dreamed of becoming an artist. I went to study in Alma-Ata (now Almaty). But at the admissions office I learned that the college also trains masters in artistic metal processing. And I made my choice.- The beginning of your professional activity fell on the 80-90s. Tell us how it happened?- After studying, together with my student friends, we opened our first workshop. Things were going well. There was not much competition. There were only giants on the market, such as the Almaty Jewelry Factory. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a new stage of development began for private workshops - we were given the right to work with precious metals. The demand was great. The main customers in those years were Moscow and Leningrad. Large batches of Kazakh national jewelry were taken to these cities. And in 1991, we made our first important special order - a breastplate for the inauguration ceremony of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  - In 2016, at the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Jordan's Independence, Queen Rania al-Abdullah wore a boitumar (Kazakh pectoral ornament) made by you. Tell us about it.- Yes, that's right. Of course, the queen did not contact me personally. I have many clients who order products as gifts. Most likely, one of them gave my boytumar to the Queen. Later she also wore a besbilezik (Kazakh bracelet) and other works of mine. After that, the demand for Kazakh national jewelry increased significantly. Our ancestors left us an incredible heritage that we must pass on from generation to generation and show to the whole world. Of course, times are changing, the technology for making jewelry is being improved, but the basis of our work is the traditions of the masters of the 17-18 centuries. Their jewelry art does not lose its relevance. And today it has become a trend at all.-  Why do you think Kazakh national jewelry is so popular?- Kazakh jewelry art is distinguished not only by its sophistication and luxury. Each piece of jewelry has its own history and sacred meaning. Often they were not just a decoration, but an amulet. The decoration could tell a lot about a person: about his marital status, status, and ancestral origin. In addition, handmade is always appreciated. Only from my native village, where there are 60-70 houses, more than 30 natives are jewelers. My brothers are also jewelers, my son continues the family business. As they say, the jeweler's craft will not die as long as there is at least one woman in the world.- With your experience, you could launch your own large-scale production. Didn't you have such an idea?- Mass sales have never been of interest to me. I rarely take private orders now. There is no and there was no goal to earn millions. I am focused on something else. I want to contribute to the preservation of our rich culture and history. I have devoted over 30 years to the museum fund - I worked as a restorer. At the same time, I was engaged in my own creativity. I collect most of my products in my own museum, which is very popular among tourists. Here, by the way, there are not only decorations. Here you will see not only jewelry made of precious stones and metals (amulets, bracelets, rings), but also the traditional dwelling of nomads - a yurt, a collection of national clothes, shoes, headdresses, carpets, and household items. I have been collecting all this for several decades. I bought it from hand, and people brought something for sale themselves. I value things with history and try to preserve them for posterity, for the future. Human roots nourish his soul. Knowing your history, loving your people and working hard is the secret to success.