07/11/2025
SOLD YEAH!!! Another unique piece a dancer might wish to add to their collection:
VINTAGE, 1-of-a-kind BYZANTINE INSPIRED NECKLACE + EARRING SET, 22K GOLD DIPPED, HAND-CRAFTED - $150
MARKETPLACE LINK: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3209150119237404
THE AWESOME COOL STORY BEHIND THIS:
IN 1989 I WENT TO ISTANBUL AND IN THE MARKET I MET THE JEWELER MEHMET KUCUKDEVECI. AS AN ARCHAEOLOGY MAJOR, I WAS NATURALLY INTRIGUED BY THE STYLE AND LOOK OF HIS JEWELRY. HE TOLD ME HE HAD A FRIEND WHO WAS AN ART HISTORIAN. THIS FRIEND WOULD GIVE HIM IDEAS AND HISTORICAL SHAPES AND IMAGES TO INSPIRE HIS DESIGNS. I WAS ABLE TO VISIT HIS LITTLE WORKSHOP ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY. HE SHOWED ME HIS DESIGNS AND HOW HE ATTEMPTED TO IMITATE THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF BYGONE ERA ARTISANS (THIS PARTICULAR PIECE SHOWS THE SHAPES ARE HAMMERED BY HAND AND NOT MADE BY A MACHINE). IN ORDER TO REPLICATE THE BRILLIANT GOLD SHINE, HE WOULD TAKE HIS PIECES, SHAPED FROM BASE METALS, AND THEN DIP THEM IN 22K LIQUID GOLD. EXCEPT FOR THIS, HIS PIECES ARE NOT MADE OF VALUABLE MATERIALS.... ANY "GEMSTONES" ARE MADE OF PLASTIC. THIS WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!