03 Gold and silver Scheherazade's Palace
ring featuring diamonds, mosaic with turquoise tesserae and a blue tourmaline
with an inversely engraved intaglio.
By Rachel Garrahan in New York
Scheherazade, the legendary Persian queen, was
famed for her storytelling prowess. Enthralling the murderous King Shahryar
with tales of courage, mischief and romance over 1,001 nights, she avoided
death at his hands and captured his heart in the process. These stories form
the basis of the book The Arabian Nights, which has charmed readers around the
world for centuries.
Leave it to Sevan Biçakçi, a master of
storytelling in jewellery form, to recreate the Persian queen's palace in a
ring. Featuring two of the Turkish master-jeweller's signature techniques -
intaglio carving and micro-mosaic - the queen's palace rises majestically
beneath blue tourmaline, its domes echoed in the dramatic setting of turquoise
tesserae, diamonds, blackened silver and gold.
Describing his jewellery as "Byzantine
empire meets Alice in Wonderland", Sevan Biçakçi is famously secretive
about the techniques used to create his fantastical pieces. (Not even Maria,The
Jewellery Editor, was allowed to film Sevan's workshop during her visit to
Istanbul.) Drawing heavily on the historical and cultural influences of his
native Turkey, his work is unlike anything you might see in a museum - or
contemporary jewellery boutique for that matter.
Instead you are left to wonder at the miniature
marvels contained below the extraordinary domes of his unique pieces. Inspired
by the impressive dome of Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, built in 537AD, the cupola
and outlying architecture of this historic monument has been sheltered for
eternity beneath a smoky topaz, beautifully contrasted with large rose-cut and
fancy colour diamonds set luxuriously around the shank.
Nature is another recurring source of
inspiration for Biçakçi, brought to life in his ladybird ring - creatures he
describes as good-luck bugs - that appear to scurry beneath an inversely carved
smoky topaz. These scarlet creatures are richly matched with the turquoise of
the micro-mosaic leaf that wraps itself around the finger.
For those who prefer the escapism of a bright
blue sky, his one-of-a-kind aquamarine ring depicts doves - symbols of peace and freedom - in flight
against a dazzling backdrop of 3.76 carats of diamonds; yet another mesmerizing
option from the enchanted Byzantine
world of Biçakçi, for the woman who wants to tell a unique story on her finger.
Sevan's work is available in many stores across
the world including the Grand Bazaar and Zorlu Center in Istanbul, Harvey
Nichols and Talisman Gallery in London, Strasburgo in Tokyo, and Barneys New
York stores across the US.
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