Gezahegn was born and grew up in Aksum in northern Ethiopia. Aksum, the site of the ancient capital of the first centralized state (second to eighth centuries A.D.) in Ethiopia, has long been known for its gold working traditions. Today, one still finds many goldsmiths working in the town, using techniques handed down from father to son, generation after generation.[

In Aksum, most goldsmiths are trained by their fathers or another male relative. But in Addis Ababa many of the apprentices are not related to the owners of the shops in which they work. Gezahegn started his apprenticeship at the age of 11, after he moved to Addis Ababa. His teacher, Haile Abraham, was not a relative but he was from Aksum.

Today, Gezahegn maintains a relatively large shop. He has eight people working for him, including a receptionist. At one time, he had fifteen employees, but today a shortage of supplies restricts the amount of work he can produce. Some of his employees have been with him for as many as twelve years. Gezahegn feels that it is critical that he treat his workers well, especially the talented ones, for if he does not they will go work for someone else.[2]

In the display cabinets in his shop, one sees a vast array of jewelry that reflects Gezahegn's varied clientele. There are finger rings, necklaces, neck crosses, earrings, bracelets, hair combs, and pins. The designs are both traditional and modern. There is a large expatriate community in Addis Ababa and many of Gezahegn's customers are foreigners. Most of his Ethiopian and African customers prefer the modern international designs, though many Ethiopians still buy traditional jewelry. Europeans and Americans are primarily interested in the traditional forms.

Gezahegn can fabricate most of his designs in either gold or silver. When people can afford it they usually buy gold-in June 1993 it cost 85 birr (or $17 US) per gram.[3] The research team could not afford gold, so, with the exception of one gold finger ring, all of the examples of Gezahegn's jewelry purchased for the exhibition are made of silver (which costs only six birr per gram). Finished jewelry is priced solely by weight. Gezahegn uses a formula, an average of the cost of the metal and labor, to fix the per gram price for his gold and silver jewelry (see side bar). Interestingly, he makes greater profit on ready-made gold jewelry imported from abroad that he buys for 65 birr per gram and resells for the usual 85 birr per gram. The prices of gold and silver fluctuate. Gold is available from the government or on the open market. The major source of silver is coins, primarily Maria Theresa thalers which are melted down and reworked into jewelry.[4]

Gezahegn and his workers use a variety of technologies, traditional as well as new ones introduced from abroad to create his jewelry. Gezahegn travels all over Ethiopia and to America, Italy, Great Britain, Greece, Tanzania, Kenya and Dubai (Oman) to obtain equipment that allows him to work more efficiently and produce better jewelry. He has learned and mastered many techniques to work gold and silver, among them filigree, lost-wax casting, granulation, repoussé, and appliqué.

One learns to be a goldsmith in much the same way that other specialists acquire their skills and knowledge, through apprenticeships assisting master goldsmiths. During apprenticeship, one observes, copies, and is critiqued by the teacher. Gezahegn recalls that he started his training in Haile's shop with mundane duties like running errands and sweeping the workshop at the end of the day, but over time he was given more responsibility and learned to fabricate simple things like chains and wedding bands. Eventually Gezahegn mastered more complex techniques. Part of the training process involves learning to read pattern books containing designs for various types of jewelry. One of the things that separates an average goldsmith from a true master is his ability to create new designs. Gezahegn related that he has always enjoyed drawing and even as an apprentice would stay up at night creating new designs.

A Formula for Pricing Jewelry

Gezahegn explained his for estimating the profit he makes in producing gold jewelry: Let's begin with 30 grams of 24 karat gold which costs me 76 birr per gram. Most of the jewelry I produce uses 18k gold; to make this I add 6 grams of copper and 2 grams of silver to the 30 grams of 24k gold. I end up with 38 grams of 18k gold. 18k gold is currently worth 60 birr per gram. If we take the amount of gold that can be lost during the fabrication process into account (we can loose up to 10%) a gram of 18k is then worth 66.6 birr. On the average, I pay the worker who produces the piece 4 birr per gram of worked gold. The cost of the gold is now 70.6 birr per gram. The current market rate for finished 18k gold jewelry is 85 birr per gram. My gross profit is therefore 14.4 birr per gram, but then I must pay for rent, tools, supplies, the wages of my receptionist, etc.

2. Metalworking throughout Ethiopia is man's work. The one female who works in Gezahegn's shop is a receptionist who deals with sales.

3. In June 1993, the official rate of exchange was 5 birr per U.S. dollar.

4. The Maria Theresa thaler is a silver coin that was first struck in Austria in 1751, the year of Empress Maria Theresa's coronation. It quickly became a popular currency throughout the Middle East and appears to have been introduced in Ethiopia by the early nineteenth century. It served as the primary currency of Ethiopia for over a century until Menelik II began minting his own coins. Today these distinctive coins are no longer legal tender but can be found virtually anywhere in Ethiopia. They still are valued for their silver content. They have served as the primary source of silver for silversmiths since their introduction to Ethiopia. The current price of a thaler ranges from 20 to 30 birr.

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