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Jewellery that communicates

SEVAN BICAKCI found himself at the right place by chance. It was his dad’s idea to let him start working as an apprentice in the workshop of one of his close friends since he was very hyperactive during his elementary school years. “I was hyper and it was almost impossible to get me to sit and listen to the teacher in the classroom. I was 12 when I first entered the workshop of Hovsep Chatak, my deceased master. He died when I was 18 after which I opened my first workshop as a model maker,” the designer recalls.

He provided big manufacturers with model masterpieces for many years following their instructions in terms of design. “This became very boring over time as there was no freedom at all for me to come up with my personal design ideas. I had to do what they told me to do and I finally decided to change my life after going bankrupt with such activities. I was 29 when I opened another chapter of my career with my individual designs in 2002. It took me almost a year to create the first 50 pieces of my own collection,” says Bicakci.

“The first piece I made was the conversion of Sultan Mehmet II’s head to a ring. It was made for the index finger so the Sultan’s face showed sideways while his turban, set with fancy coloured gemstones, was the more visible upper part of the ring. I have managed to buy back some of these first pieces later on,” he adds.

Bicakci himself wears a specially made men’s bracelet on his wrist and two rings on his right hand all the time. “I am a product of Turkey and so are my designs. If I had been raised somewhere else, I would be inspired by what would define my identity there. I have decided to be inspired by whatever gives shape to my soul, which is largely comprised by nature and lifestyle any Istanbul citizen would enjoy during everyday life. On the other hand, the more I visit places abroad and learn about them, the richer inspiration sources keep becoming,” he confesses.

Some of the pieces that he creates are not for sale. “These pieces are either award winners or they have been exhibited at some important museums. I tend to see them as my kids’ belongings, so I consider them my signature pieces, though there is no difference to tell them apart in terms of beauty or quality.”

Bicakci enjoys working with aquamarine, tourmaline, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, moonstone, citrine and so on. “As long as materials are genuine and helpful in creating the initially desired look, I am pleased to use any of them in rich combinations,” he says.

Having a few of his pieces displayed across museums around the world is truly an honour. “After all awards received so far and exposure in the contemporary art clientele, I hope my atelier will be remembered by next generations and therefore wish to experience more permanent museum exposure.”

Bicakci’s future plans are about dedicating his time to more experimentation, more holistic approaches with attention to detail so he can fit larger worlds into his pieces. “I am extremely satisfied with my journey,” he concludes. — suchitra@khaleejtimes.com