The Biti Besha Story
For thousands of years, jewelry has inspired journeys: quests for silver, gold, pearls and gems have driven some of the boldest adventures in human history. For most of us, though, the journeys that jewelry inspires are more personal ones, made priceless not by stones and metals, but by the memories, experiences and dreams gathered along the way. It is these journeys that are at the heart of Biti Besha — a line of fine, hand-crafted jewelry that celebrates adventure in the everyday.
One of the sweetest sounds I’ve ever known is the gentle jangling of my grandmother’s bangles. To this day, the sound of silver bracelets slipping down my wrist instantly transports me to childhood summers with my grandparents on the Croatian coast — a place of stone walls and olive trees, warm sea breezes and orchards full of ripe cherries and apricots.
My grandmother always wore a stack of silver bangles that would tinkle softly as she held my hand walking to the beach and tucked me in at night. I loved to watch them sparkle in the sun as she chatted with friends over sweets and Turkish coffee on the vine-covered terrace, while my grandfather pecked at his typewriter in the shade of majestic pines. He always kept a basil plant on his desk — it was his favorite scent, and as he worked, he said it reminded him of what was most important in life.
These are glimpses into some of the journeys that led me to create Biti Besha, a name I invented by combining words from different languages that together mean “be beautiful.” Drawing on my degree in gemology and international travels, I design and handcraft each piece with high-quality, natural gemstones and pearls, with custom, precious-metal stamps available to create pieces as individual their owners.
Minimal, yet elegant, Biti Besha jewelry is designed to accompany you wherever your journey should lead — whether it’s across the street or around the world; toward a dream or down memory lane. Thank you for being part of the Biti Besha journey, and I hope you enjoy making Biti Besha a part of yours.
Happy adventures,
Kaja
Owner | GIA Certified Gemologist
Meet Kaja
I'm a Graduate Gemologist, lover of gems, designer, and jeweler. My love and passion of gemstones, cultures and colors stems from my childhood summers. As I am first generation American, I spent most of my childhood summers overseas in Slovenia and Croatia, where my family is from. I currently live in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York. Just like my life, a melting pot of cultures, my jewelry and company's name, Biti Besha is comprised of two words from two different languages. "Biti" a Serbo-Croatian word meaning 'to be or be' and "Besha" , a Castellano way of saying beautiful. Combining the two creates "be beautiful". My line is simple yet elegant. I take pride in focusing on the small details and choosing just the right stone or component for each piece.