Cano

Joyería Cano is a Colombian jewelry house with a five-generation history that started with an accidental discovery. In the late 19th century, a stonemason named Nemesio Cano stumbled upon a pre-Columbian burial site filled with gold artifacts. The discovery changed the family's life forever. Nemesio's sons José and Félix carried on the search, and the Cano family eventually donated more than 10,000 gold pieces to the Gold Museum in Bogotá - around a third of the museum's entire collection.

Nemesio's grandson Guillermo took things a step further: he wanted people to wear these artifacts, not just look at them through museum glass. He traveled to Germany, trained as a goldsmith, came back to Colombia, and in 1968 opened Bogotá's first boutique selling exact replicas of pre-Columbian pieces alongside his wife Dory. National Geographic later called him a jeweler who recreates masterpieces of the past with exceptional skill. Today the brand is led by Eduardo Cano - the fifth generation of the family.

What sets Cano apart is that it's the only jewelry brand in the world with an official license from the Gold Museum to reproduce pre-Columbian pieces. Every piece is handcrafted using the lost-wax casting technique - much the same way indigenous artisans worked thousands of years ago. The brand has over 4,000 original molds: rings, earrings, bracelets, brooches and pendants made from brass with gold or silver plating. And every piece comes with a certificate confirming its connection to an original artifact.

Cano now has 14 stores in Colombia and abroad. The standout locations are in Bogotá and Cartagena. In Bogotá, look for Cano right inside the Gold Museum or at the Andino shopping centre in the prestigious northern part of the city. In Cartagena, find them in the picturesque historic centre, one block from Plaza de Bolívar.