Iceland's Highest Honor.
Crafted by Our Hands.
Þorbergur "Beggi" Halldórsson — PRAKT's co-founder and master goldsmith — is the sole craftsman entrusted by the President of Iceland to design and produce every Order of the Falcon medal.
The same hands that forge Iceland's most prestigious national honor craft the jewelry you wear home from our workshop at Laugavegur 82.
Three Generations of Master Goldsmiths
The Order of the Falcon — Hin íslenska fálkaorða — is Iceland's sole national order of merit, established on July 3, 1921 by King Christian X to honor those who have advanced the welfare and reputation of Iceland. It is considered one of the most beautiful national orders in the world.
The President of Iceland bestows the Order twice annually — on New Year's Day and on Iceland's National Day, June 17th — typically honoring a dozen or more Icelandic citizens at each ceremony. Foreign citizens are also regularly honored, particularly under reciprocal agreements with the Nordic countries, Germany, France, Britain, and Italy during state visits. Each year, an Order committee receives 80–100 nominations from the public and recommends recipients to the President.
Every single medal — regardless of grade — is handcrafted by one goldsmith. Since 1988, that goldsmith has been Þorbergur "Beggi" Halldórsson. His appointment continues an unbroken lineage of master craftsmen stretching back to the Order's earliest days in Iceland — a tradition of precision, trust, and national pride that now lives at PRAKT.
July 3rd — King Christian X of Denmark establishes the Order of the Falcon to honor those who have advanced the welfare and honor of Iceland. The medals are initially produced by A. Michelsen, the royal jeweler in Copenhagen.
1921
Production transfers to Iceland. Kjartan Ásmundsson, master goldsmith in Reykjavík, takes over crafting the Order — bringing this national treasure home to Icelandic hands for the first time.
1935
Kjartan and his son Óskar Kjartansson manage the Order's production for over fifty years. During this era, a young goldsmith apprentice named Þorbergur Halldórsson trains under Kjartan, learning the exacting techniques of enamelwork, gilding, and medal production.
1935–1988
Beggi is appointed sole craftsman of the Order, succeeding the Kjartan-Óskar lineage. Having trained directly under Kjartan, he carries forward the full tradition of technique, knowledge, and national trust.
1988
Beggi and his wife Edda found PRAKT at Laugavegur 82. For the first time, the public can commission personal jewelry from the same master goldsmith who crafts Iceland's national honor.
2020
Every year, Beggi produces between 20 and 100 Order of the Falcon medals for the presidency — each one hand-cut in silver, enameled in white and blue, fired in a kiln at temperatures perilously close to silver's melting point, gilded with 24-karat gold, and finished with a silver falcon at the center. The medals vary in size and form across the five grades.
Today
How the Order Is Made
Each medal is a meticulous process of silverwork, hand-cutting, enamel firing, and gold gilding — performed entirely by hand in a tradition unchanged for a century.
Cutting & Forming
The silver is cut to size, stamped into the precise cross or star mold for each grade, and then every edge is hand-sawed to the exact profile. The medals are cross-shaped or star-shaped depending on grade, with the Order's distinctive emblem set into the center.
Enameling & Firing
The medal is enameled in white and blue — Iceland's national colors — which are the most difficult colors to achieve in enamelwork. The piece is then fired in a kiln, where the critical challenge is temperature: the melting point of silver is only slightly higher than the enamel's firing temperature. There is almost no margin for error.
Filing, Gilding & Finishing
After the first firing, all edges are carefully filed smooth and the piece is fired again. A bail is attached, and the entire medal is gilded with 24-karat gold. The falcon at the center — the Order's defining symbol — is left in silver, catching light against the gold surround.
