Goro Takahashi (1939-2013) was a self-taught silver craftsman, who first embarked on his creative journey during high school, learning leather carving from U.S. troops in Occupied Japan. Today, he’s better known as the mastermind behind Goro’s jewellery, a favourite of celebrities around the world. But what’s most interesting about Goro’s, perhaps, is just how Takahashi himself evolved from humble beginnings as a small-town artisan to become the head of one of Japan’s best-known jewellery brands.

An American soldier gifted Takahashi a set of leather carving tools at the end of the Occupation. Through further exploration and self-teaching of the craft, he opened his first shop in Aoyama at the age of 27 in 1956. Seeking further inspiration, he travelled to the United States, where Native Americans taught him the art of silver engraving. Takahashi reportedly grew particularly close to the Lakota tribe and even became the first non-member of the tribe to participate in their sacred “Sun Dance” ritual. He was eventually bestowed the name “Yellow Eagle,” an honour rarely granted to an individual outside the tribe.