Do You Have a Favorite Gold Designer?

[Rosebloom]

Bumping for Madelise to post her beauties!

 

[movie zombie]

can someone get her thread moved here?! some gorgeous pieces that belong here.....

 

[canuk-gal]

better late than never!

 

[canuk-gal]

fits with the monster ER

 

[canuk-gal]

as wedder

 

[canuk-gal]

my pictures stink!

 

[rosetta]

Oh very nice canuk gal!

Always like seeing your monster e ring again!!

 

[canuk-gal]

Oh very nice canuk gal!

Always like seeing your monster e ring again!!

HI:

Miss R...I was posting pictures in the pearl forum and decided to put pictures here.....should know better than to post hand shots...ugh. But thank you nonetheless!

across the miles...

cheers--Sharon

 

[ksinger]

i was thinking of bumping the thread, too! .....need a high carat gold fix......

Nothing new here...although my charm bracelet (that's another thread in Jewelry Pieces) is "in the shop" having a charm I bought ages ago added, at long last, to it. I'll be photographing it for the charm bracelet threads if the holidays don't overwhelm me. I guess we could, also, have been sharing gold charm bracelets here...but they aren't designer gold and they already have their own area. I do, always, try to get my charms in the highest karat yellow gold available, though. (What a surprise!) It's rare to find charms in gold of over 18K, however.

I hope someone has something new to share. If not, we may have to wait until after Christmas. I bet that by then someone will have something!!!

Deb/AGBF

Deb, you might want to take a look at the one I started over in SMTB. It's 22K granulation...
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fiftieth-birthday-2012-christmas-pendant.183961/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/fiftieth-birthday-2012-christmas-pendant.183961/[/URL]

 

[AGBF]

can someone get her thread moved here?! some gorgeous pieces that belong here.....

MZ-

When you posted the above I had no idea what you were talking about. After ksinger directed me to the thread about her pendant in Show Me The Bling, I stumbled across the thread to which you were referring in your posting, the one started on high karat yellow gold and ethnic gold jewelry by madelise! It is a truly wonderful thread, and although I, too, wish that its contents were all in this thread, maybe it will be nice to have a more manageable thread on ethnic gold jewelry. I just want to make sure that anything beautiful posted there is also crossposted in this thread!

To that end, I asked MrsAkin to post a picture of her bracelet here. I also hope that other posters to that thread who have not already posted photos of their jewelry in this thread, will post their photos here. I thought I saw a set of Japanese bridal jewelry. I saw some earrings that hung about ten feet, dripping tiny, little strands of granulated gold beads...I have to go back to that thread to check them out. (I really do wish that all those photos were posted here!!!)

In the meantime, here is a link to the thread started by madelise. I think, if nothing else, it should be moved to Jewelry Pieces. After all, that is where we have threads on gold charm bracelets and so forth. People who read about gold jewlery are more likely to see that thread here than in Show Me The Bling!

Thread on High Karat Yellow Gold and Ethnic Gold Jewlery..[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-ethnic-high-karat-yg-pieces.183028/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-ethnic-high-karat-yg-pieces.183028/[/URL]

Deb/AGBF


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[movie zombie]

i agree with you, Deb.

 

[MrsAkin]

Hi everyone!

I have been visiting this thread for a few weeks. As per Deb's request I am posting pictures of my Trabzon Hasır bracelet. It feels good to finally participate

 

[AGBF]

Thank you so much for going to the trouble of reposting here, MrsAkin. I think that your bracelet, like some of the gorgeous pieces rosetta posted here when she got married, will always be one of the showpieces of this thread. No matter how big the diamond in another piece of jewelry, or how big the pricetag on the designer piece, there is nothing like a handworked piece of high karat gold that is crafted really, really well.

I may also be prejudiced because this bracelet is exactly my taste, though! I have an 18K gold mesh scarf (40 inches long) and matching bracelet that were made in Italy that I love. I would love to have something like that in 22K or 24K!

Welcome to The Gold Thread and please, please, please stick around and keep posting!!!

Hugs,
Deb

 

[MrsAkin]

Deb, it was not a trouble for me at all! Despite my age and upbringing I love gold and nothing makes me happier than sharing my joy with fellow gold lovers.

This exact style is being sold abroad too. When I feel down I search for different gold jewelry online. One day I was watching a youtube video about Dubai Gold Souk and saw the exact same bracelets in a store. So nice to see that the beauty of craftsmanship is appreciated! Maybe one day you will come and visit Istanbul and I can help you with buying something like it.

I actually have other HKYG pieces I'd like to share someday. Thank you for your warm welcome!

 

[AGBF]

Deb, it was not a trouble for me at all! Despite my age and upbringing I love gold and nothing makes me happier than sharing my joy with fellow gold lovers.

This exact style is being sold abroad too. When I feel down I search for different gold jewelry online. One day I was watching a youtube video about Dubai Gold Souk and saw the exact same bracelets in a store. So nice to see that the beauty of craftsmanship is appreciated! Maybe one day you will come and visit Istanbul and I can help you with buying something like it.

I actually have other HKYG pieces I'd like to share someday. Thank you for your warm welcome!

MrsAkin-

You write that your age and upbringing have affected your love of gold. I know from the other thread that you live in Turkey. I believe that you wrote that you were raised in one region but then moved to Istanbul. I would be interested in any more you would care to share about your life and your country. I have been to Greece, but not to Turkey. There are ruins in Turkey (Ephesus) that I would very much like to see, but I doubt that I ever will. My grandfather visited Istanbul before World War II started, although he called it Constantinople, to look up records for his church. Turkey was a fairly new nation then! I have studied the history of the Ottoman Empire and I know that the Ottoman Turks allowed great freedom of religion to Christians and Jews within the Empire for many centuries before it dissolved. There was a recent article in, "The New York Times" about Spain allowing descendants of Spanish Jews back into Spain as citizens now. In 1492 the Moslems and Jews who were not killed or forcibly converted by the Inquisition in Spain fled to the Ottoman Empire. Jews were given safe haven there. In what I see as adding insult to injury, Spain will only take back these descendants of former Spanish Jews if they become Jewish. (Many are now Catholic or other religions.) At least that is how I understand it.

But I have digressed. I love gold and its history, too! If you have any more pieces you can photograph, please do.

There are sometimes Turkish websites that sell high karat gold jewelry on eBay. I haven't looked in recent years, but I used to look. Are you aware of them? I should go see if they still exist!

Deb/AGBF

 

[AGBF]

I went onto eBay last night to see whether the large website based in Turkey (I believe it was called Atlantis) still existed. I got waylaid looking at the many pieces of high karat gold that are now being sold on eBay. (This is a huge change from just a few years ago and certainly should answer the oft asked question about whether yellow gold is gaining in popularity!)

The website that carried this ring had several pieces that I found very charming. They were handmade of 22K gold and made a lot of use of granulation, which I love. The eBay seller name is,"druzydesign" and their shop is called,"Ehret Design Gallery". MrsAkin is responsible for reawakening the gold lust in me! (But as all we long time gold lovers know, that lust is never far from the surface!)

druzydesign...http://www.ebay.com/itm/STUNNING-SOLID-22K-GOLD-GRANULATION-SAFETY-BACK-EARRINGS-CARE-DESIGN-3-43-gr-/140840633770?pt=US_Fine_Earrings&hash=item20cac185aa

Deb/AGBF

 

[MrsAkin]

Deb,

I just saw your message, sorry for the delay! I'll try to explain what I meant by saying "despite my upbringing". I grew up in Trabzon which is in the north-east of Turkey, near Black Sea. At the age of 17 I came to Istanbul for my college education. I can say my family is relatively modern compared to most of the population. I never saw my mother wearing gold jewelry. Silver at most... My parents do not even wear wedding rings. I'll admit, I used to think yellow gold was not for me. Then I met my husband. He's from the central part of the country and his family is extremely traditional. (It may seem ridiculous for me to emphasize where everyone is from but believe me, it's a key part in my story. Talking about our hometowns is as natural as talking about weather for us.) I learned to love yellow gold from my mother in law who is a lively and skillful woman - a great cook and doting mother of seven. When we got married my in-laws gave me many gold bangles. It's an unspoken way of honoring the bride and her family. I started wearing them as I wanted to show them my appreciation for their gifts. Then I realized I liked wearing gold. It's shiny, precious and something about wearing bangles on my arms made me feel very feminine. What do you do when you like gold? You buy the shiniest, most valuable kind which is high karat yellow gold. It's also a great way of investment. Here in Turkey whenever women save enough money they buy gold coins or 22k bangles if they saved up more. When the family needs cash they can sell their bangles and loose very little money in the process. It's like cash you can adorn yourself with Funny thing is my father thinks it's not very modern and appropriate to wear gold jewelry... Well I can't make everyone happy, right?

Turkish people love gold and it's a big part of tradition. But the southeast of Turkey, now that's where the real deal is... They have the most extravagant wedding gifts! I'll show you a few pictures to prove my point.(Of course these are extreme examples)





I also want to show you a picture of a bracelet style I really like. I don't have a bracelet in this style but admire them from afar. This is special to Urfa region:


I don't really know any online Turkish jewelry vendors, sorry. I mostly shop for gold around Grand Bazaar and do not prefer to buy anything online. It's mostly about the bargaining factor. It's always cheaper when you negotiate with the seller directly. I opened the link you gave on your message. I've seen sets in this style when I went to Grand Bazaar for jewelry shopping . But I also have to say those earrings are expensive! I think they should be around $250 at most. It's 2 am here so I may be sleepy but seriously, how could they say the earrings retail for 2 grand when they weigh 3,5 grams only? I think the options we have in gold jewelry would pleasantly surprise you.

I've been dying to see those ruins since I was a child and finally visited Ephesus in August 2010. While it was breathtaking it was also very hot and I kinda felt dizzy touring around as the ruins are scattered through a fairly large area. I have pictures in front of the library and sitting on the stairs of the amphitheater. Let me say the Aegean coast is covered with ruins. Wherever you go you see something historical. Last summer we went to Bodrum with our car and everywhere we turned our heads had historical artifacts. You go through olive trees and boom! Temple of Zeus stands right in front of you. The historical background is amazing. I traveled a lot and saw a large part of Turkey but if one could only visit one city I'd definitely say it should be Istanbul. Although I sometimes miss the city I grew up in, I'm hopelessly in love with Istanbul. To me it is the greatest city in the world and the only one I want to spend the rest of my life in.

What you said about Spanish Jews is true. Their descendants still live here in Turkey and freely live according to their beliefs. They are called Sefarad and there is even a music band named after them. The population used to be a lot more ethnically diverse but after the resolution of Ottoman Empire there have been an exchange of Muslim Turks from the old empire lands with the non-Muslims and most people of other ethnicities left the country. We Turkish people do not separate ourselves from Ottoman Turks; we have a great deal of respect for our ancestors. It's flattering to hear the same from others as well.

Wow now that was a long message! I hope I covered all your questions. If you have any others I'd be glad to answer them for you.

 

[AGBF]

Thank you for taking so much time to post pictures and to tell me about the different regions of Turkey, and, more importantly, about your own family, MrsAkin. Your English is extremely impressive. I have studied several foreign languages to greater and lesser extents, but I do not think that I could write as well even in my second (and therefore my best non-native) language as you do in English! And I studied it and used it for many, many years!

I would love to be able to buy gold jewelry in Turkey rather than on-line here, I assure you...especially if I had someone like you to do the bargaining for me! I suspect that if the gold vendors see a tourist that they do not sell the jewelry at the same price as they do to a savvy local!

I, also, fell in love with high karat gold later in life. When I was younger I wore very small, simple pieces of jewelry. In the United States 14K gold jewelry is considered "fine" jewelry, although there has always been 18K gold and platinum jewelry here as well. I wore a lot of 14K and some 18K yellow gold when I was a young woman and also small (6mm size) white pearls. That-in this country-is considered a traditional piece of jewelry for a young woman. When I was growing up a young woman might wear a single strand of pearls to her high school graduation or a special birthday party during her teenage years. I always wore one simple pearl clip earring on each ear when I went to work; that was because I didn't have pierced ears. I didn't take the plunge and pierce my ears, like "ethnic" people, until I was 48! Everyone else in my generation (I came of age in the 1960's) had pierced ears, but I remember my mother telling me that ladies didn't pierce their ears. When I was growing up the only people in the area in which I lived who had pierced ears were the girls who had moved to New York City from Puerto Rico. I remember that they looked very exotic.

At any rate, when I got older I, like you, came to love high karat gold. (Only I suspect I was far older than you when I started to love it. You seem to have started to love it as a bride.)

Earlier in the thread I posted a picture of my bangles. You mentioned how much you like bangles, so I will repost a picture of mine. I feel about them the way that you say Turkish women feel about bangles and coins: as if I could use them in a pinch. For now, they are a great way to keep some money invested!

I have really enjoyed discussing things with you. Thank you for being so congenial!

Hugs,
Deb

 

[AGBF]

What a magnificent portrait, rosetta! It reminds me of some exquisite photos of one of my friends taken when she was a bride. (She is my age and we met when our daughters were in the three year old class in nursery school, so I never saw her as a bride; I only saw her photos.) At any rate, she is Pakistani and she had exquisite henna work on her hands and arms for her wedding. For someone who loves gold as much as I do, it is remarkable that it is the henna that stands out in my memory! She is from a prominent family and has very expensive jewelry, so I assume she was as decked out as you were...but I remember her henna. And, frankly, I notice your henna as much as your beautiful gold jewelry! You look so delicate and beautiful!!! What a lovely bride you were!

rosetta-

I am not sure that these photos belong in this thread, but I do not think they they do not belong in this thread, either! At worst, they can be considered a threadjack. I found them back when you posted the beautiful pictures of your wediing. The photos of your hands reminded me so much of my friend Tabassum's hands that I went and looked for pictures of henna dyed hands, specifically henna dyed brides' hands if I could find photos, on the Internet. I am not sure that all cultures and religions use the same patterns, but every single one I saw was exquisite. I am posting some photos.

Please, no one shoot me!

Deb/AGBF

 

[AGBF]

More photos.

 

[AGBF]

More photos of brides in henna.

 

[AGBF]

OK...that's it for the photos I found that night. Unless I go crazy and do another search, that's all I havve been keeping on my computer. I hope at least some of you enjoy the photos as much as I did! And cheers to you, rosetta!

Deb

 

[MrsAkin]

Deb,

Thank you for all your kind words. It's my pleasure to be having these conversations with a knowledgeable PS'er like you! I started to learn English at school when I was 11 years old. I'm 26 now- so basically I've been studying English for most of my life! I have to admit though, Hollywood was and still is like a teacher for me. When I was just starting to learn the language, I had a teacher who forced us to watch movies in English- without subtitles! So it basically became a habit of mine. I used to be shy about speaking with foreigners but I got over it. Nobody is perfect and I decided that it's okay for me to make mistakes

I like to think that I'm good at bargaining. My friends want me to go shopping with them all the time. Haggling is a natural part of shopping in here. I'm embarrassed to admit shop keepers tend to give tourists insanely high prices. Sometimes 3 times more than you should pay. When they realize that you are likely to bargain for a product they give you a higher than usual price. Even us locals get this kind of treatment. So it's always good to shop around a little, checking the prices for the item you are after beforehand.

I never knew it was considered "unladylike" to have your ears pierced! My mom says I loved jewelry when I was a baby and reached for her earrings so often that she had my ears pierced around the age of 2. I love wearing jewelry now but before I got married I didn't even feel the need of buying any. But this has a lot to do with the fact that I was working as a lawyer and anything other than wedding and engagement rings was considered inappropriate. But I like your bangles! They seem modern and pretty wearable for our standards. Do you also buy gold by weight? Is it practical to cash them in or do they lose value in the process?

The henna pictures you posted look amazing! I wish someone here knew how to make those designs too! Being the DIY queen I watched lots of youtube videos but couldn't get the hang of it just yet! And how adorable are that real flower bracelets one bride has on her arms? Super simple yet soo feminine and beautiful! We also traditionally have "henna night" the night before a girl gets married. It's a celebration like a bachelorette party- only with lots of belly dancing (under elders' supervision of course) I didn't get to have these amazing designs drawn on my hands but it's a lovely tradition that I have fond memories of.


Yes it's just a glob of henna but there is a gold coin under that rose given to me by my mother in law for opening my hands

 

[Rosebloom]

Dear gold lovers -

Greenwich Jewelers is having a nice sale right now and there are some stunning Gurhan pieces for half off. Please buy them so I don't!

http://www.greenwichjewelers.com/store/sale

 

[rosetta]

Dear gold lovers -

Greenwich Jewelers is having a nice sale right now and there are some stunning Gurhan pieces for half off. Please buy them so I don't!

http://www.greenwichjewelers.com/store/sale

Oh do not tempt me Rosebloom!

Deb, I really enjoyed those henna photos, woo hoo! Thanks for sharing them with us

 

[JewelFreak]

MrsAkin, I felt pure lust looking at the photo of your bracelet! It's glorious. Design & workmanship are simply wonderful & so skilled. How I do envy your living where things like that are available for less than the price of a house! I also enjoy yours & Rosetta's accounts of weddings in your part of the world, fascinating. (I would trade a beautiful wedding dress for gold like that any time at all.)

Istanbul is top on my husband's list of places he still wants to visit & I'd also love to go there & drive through the countryside & coast for its natural beauty as well as its history.

When you have time, please post more photos of your jewelry -- I'll try not to drool all over my keyboard. Would really LOVE to see more pics. Thank you for sharing what you did. Rosetta's are a thrill to see again too, thanks Deb.

We must be about the same age, Deb. My mother too thought it was poor form to pierce one's ears. Eventually the mother of a friend of mine pierced mine when I was in high school -- with a big safety pin & a cube of ice for anesthetic!

--- Laurie

P.S. Deb -- what languages? I used to (rusty now, not so much) speak French & Italian fluently; could get along in Spanish, understand Dutch as well as English though I don't speak it well, also studied Russian, German, Hebrew (a teeny tiny bit -- the professor spent most of the time telling me jokes), and Japanese. How about you? (Sorry for threadjack)

 

[MrsAkin]

JewelFreak, thank you for your kindness. I think the reason we don't pay outrageous prices for gold is workmanship doesn't really have an effect on the final price. Salesmen weighs said jewelry and then multiplies it with the current gold price per gram. You get what you pay for. My bracelet looks and feels luxurious yet it was probably made by an ordinary housewife who was trained by a "master" for a few years in this particular style. Jewelers give them the gold thread and they make it in the comfort of their homes.

Turkish women are lucky about gold but when it comes to diamonds or any other precious stones the market is soo limited. Maybe it has something to do with the demand but diamonds here are really expensive and lacking in quality at the same time. This is why I don't have any diamond pieces other than my solitaire that my husband proposed to me with. It's not really wise to buy diamonds in here- if you don't mind paying at least twice of the real value of course. I'd love to visit USA and spend my money on something that is worth buying. I will openly admit that I drool over everyone's diamonds in here.

I will show a few pictures of my husbands engagement gift to me. It was the first real piece of jewelry that I was given. This are sold as Indian jewelry in Turkey. I wear the whole set at weddings only but I can easily wear the bracelet by itself when we are visiting our relatives.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Slpendid pieces MrsA!. Love the flowers in the hewellery!

Wear them in health!

cheers--Sharon

 

[AGBF]

MrsAkin-

Thank you for sharing so generously of your time. I love coming here to read your postings and just have not felt able to respond adequately to them. As a result, I kept postponing making my replies, which has been rude. I apologize. I should have at least let you know what great pleasure your writing always gives me!

I have some family problems and when things get tough at home (with my 20 year-old daughter), I sometimes want to write about only some brief topic that pops up somewhere. I do not feel the energy to respond to thoughtful postings. I know that that is unfair of me and not polite. I can only say that I am not perfect ask you to forgive me.

I really enjoyed reading about your henna nights in Turkey and I love your beautiful gold jewelry and envy your access to it. Should you ever make a trip to the United States, I will try to get Jewel Freak and Sharon to New York (which is not far from where I am and between the two of them) or Washington, DC (also geographically between the two of them) so that we can look at diamonds and colored gems with you. I suspect that New York is better for diamonds, but the other ladies may have sources about which I do not know!

Thank you so much for all the beauty you have shared here!

Hugs,
Deb

 

[JewelFreak]

I'm in for that, Deb & Mrs. Akin! I love your posts too & wanted to thank you for taking the time to photograph your wonderful jewelry -- it isn't all that easy to do, I know. This quality & marvelous design is really a joy to see -- we don't have that available here as a rule, except in big cities with specialized shops. I would happily give my right arm for both of the bracelets you pictured -- it wouldn't be a problem, I could wear them on my left arm!

If you plan any time in the future to come to New York, please let us know. We'd LOVE to go jewel hunting with you!

--- Laurie

P.S. Deb, I don't get there often but next time, will let you know ahead of time. Maybe we can plan something?