Ace of dianonds is a craft for the restoration of archaeological, historical and contemporary objects based on metal in all its forms, and is run by me, Ivan Gagro, a licensed restorer.

 I was born in 1976 in Zagreb, where I graduated from the School of Applied Arts and Design in 1995, in the class of Professor Hrvoje Ljubić, earning the title of metal designer. Since then, I have been intensively developing my profession, primarily engaged in the restoration of mostly metal objects and works of art.

I started my career in goldsmithing workshops, where I learned most of the goldsmithing techniques, which are very important for metal restoration. From 1999 to 2011, I was permanently employed at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb on restoration and conservation of archaeology, while at the same time I collaborated with other related institutions such as the Dubrovnik Museums, the Church of Our Lady of Mercy in Dubrovnik on the Collection of Votive Gifts, etc. Since 2012, I have been continuously collaborating with the Croatian Restoration Institute, with various Croatian museums and goldsmithing workshops, and I also work for private clients.

Continuous professional development is extremely important to me. In the period from 2000 to 2001, I specialized in the conservation and restoration profession at one of the most famous and best institutions for the conservation and restoration of primarily archaeological material in Europe, the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz in Germany. There, I improved my knowledge of iron conservation and restoration and became familiar with the basics of galvanoplastic techniques, which are used to make copies. For galvanoplastic, it was also necessary to study goldsmithing techniques in their entirety.

I continued my training in the field of metal restoration and conservation in 2003 and 2004 at various institutions in France: the Center for Research and Restoration of Art in French Museums (C2RMF) at the Louvre and Versailles, and the National Heritage Institute (Institut national du patrimoine), which operates as a higher education institution for restoration and conservation. In addition to the aforementioned institutional education, I also continuously independently developed my goldsmithing craft, and in 2004 I mastered the techniques of metal refining using the galvanic process. The excellent results encouraged me to further develop my skills – by 2008, I was developing new methods and procedures through professional consultations with more experienced colleagues, studying literature, and experimenting with my own ideas.

In 2008, I got in touch with several institutions in Paris specializing in the protection and decoration of metals by galvanization and went on an internship and training course – in the technique of galvanoplastics and galvanization of larger objects at the “Texier” atelier, in the technique of nickel plating and chrome plating of metal objects at the “Le Dantec” industrial facility, and completed a specialist course in iron stabilization at the archaeological institute for the restoration and conservation of metals “Conservare”. I continued my further education in Paris in 2010, taking a course in various soldering techniques and other delicate goldsmith interventions in the restoration of precious metals at the Goldsmith Restoration Atelier under the expert guidance of Anne-Cécile Viseaux-Robert, a top restorer and professor at the French National Institute for the Preservation of Heritage (Institut national du patrimoine).

In 2011, I obtained a state license for independent work in the restoration and conservation of cultural heritage (permission from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia to carry out work on the protection and preservation of cultural property). Since 2002, I have been a member of the Restoration and Form-Phonology Section of the Croatian Association of Artists of Applied Arts (ULUPUH).