Beirut’s Armenian district of Bourj Hammoud has long been recognized as a center of high-quality jewelry. However, with growing international competition and instability domestically, these craftsmen have been suffering. And as the number of workshops in the district dwindles, so grow fears that a rich part of the Armenian culture risks disappearing.
Beirut's Once-thriving Armenian Jewelers Battling Economic Difficulties
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Master jeweler Hrayr Dserounian shows one of the recent pieces he has crafted, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1, 2016. The iconography reflects Armenian history.
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Sarkis Barsoumian, holding a gem, runs one of Bourj Hammoud's many jewelry workshops along with his brother Ohannes Barsoumian, Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 26, 2016.
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Small- and medium-sized workshops in Bourj Hammoud have been struggling to stay afloat, with many closing in recent years, in Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 26, 2016.
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Khajag Barsoumian, left, and his father, Sarkis, work in the family business, in Beirut, Lebanon, Feb. 26, 2016. Unlike many of the younger Armenian generation, 19-year-old Khajag has decided to follow in his father's footsteps.