Challenging Mass Production: 4 Spots Keeping the Pulse of Unique Craftsmanship in Ankara
- 11 Mar
- 6 dakikada okunur
Güncelleme tarihi: 29 Mar
Everywhere we look these days, we see the same jewelry. All the stores are full of mass-produced items and copies of each other. To be honest, we are a bit tired of this. We don’t want the jewelry we carry to be just an ordinary ornament. For us, it is much more important for them to have a sense of labor, a story, and a unique design.
While searching for our own style, we discovered some truly beautiful and different places in Ankara. These spots are nothing like the mass production we know. There are those who design jewelry with their own hands, and those who bring wonderful natural stones and authentic motifs. If you are also tired of wearing the same things as everyone else, you are definitely in the right place. Let’s take a look together at these 4 special spots where you can find your own style.
A Scent of Bohemia in the Air: Naga
Naga is a boutique shop located on Selanik Street in Kızılay. With its wooden walls and the scent of incense that hits you the moment you step inside, the place offers a warm welcome to its visitors. The shop is divided into two parts; the first section consists of accessories like rings, earrings, and necklaces reflecting bohemian and subculture styles, while the second section features shalwars and shirts designed with hippie inspiration.
As soon as we enter, we are greeted by a shelf full of incense in different shapes and scents. While smelling the various options we pick up, we feel our eyes slowly closing, feeling as if we are being transported to another dimension with every sniff. The prices of the incense ranged between 50–220 TL. We were satisfied with the prices, and the variety of essence options met our expectations.
In the middle part of the shop, we greet authentic, handmade earrings made of different beads and feathers, carefully hung on the shelves. We are amazed by the variety of earrings and put a few that we believe reflect our own taste into the wicker shopping baskets handed to us by the staff.
Moving deeper into the shop, we see natural stones with different properties and shapes and turn our attention to them. Stones like rose quartz, amethyst, lapis lazuli, and aventurine, known for their healing properties in nature, manage to captivate us with the energy they radiate. Although there is a great variety and different size options, the prices seemed expensive to us. Especially the prices of small stones start from 300 TL, while the larger ones go up to 2000 TL.
As we turn our heads, we come across a pile of rings of different shapes and sizes in a large wooden basket on a coffee table, looking like fish tossed into a bucket. The moment we dip our hands into the basket, we lose ourselves among the shapes falling into our palms. Naga raises the bar not only with steel rings but also with metal, plastic, and wire options. The prices of the rings vary according to their size and materials. The most affordable ones start at 95 TL, while the most expensive rings go up to 550 TL.
While wandering through this mid-budget shop for rings, the yoga mats and tarot cards on the cardboard boxes at our feet catch our attention. We immediately start examining the tarot cards brought from overseas by different brands. In the shop where selections such as love cards, mystic readers, sign cards, and oracle cards are available, we see that the prices are between 700 TL and 1500 TL when we turn the cards over. We found the prices expensive compared to the market and continued our journey.
Instagram: @nagaelsanatlari
A Journey from English Teaching to Jewelry Design: Geepoint by Gülden Tayanç
Did you ever imagine that natural stones and silver could be so harmonious? Let's watch together the inspiring journey of a professional brand that emerged from a hobby, from English teaching to jewelry design. Gülden Tayanç, a former English teacher, transformed her hobby into a jewelry brand in 2007 after her retirement. For Ms. Tayanç, Geepoint is much more than just a store where she sells. She has embraced her own success and courage so much that she has made it her philosophy to believe in the value of giving oneself a chance. With this philosophy, Geepoint has made it its principle to help those who want to design their own jewelry. We can see this especially in the workshops where Ms. Tayanç teaches jewelry making. One of the most inspiring aspects is Ms. Tayanç's future ideas about her brand. Creating a collection with precious metals found only in Turkey is one of her dreams. Located in the heart of Tunalı, in the Ertuğ Passage, Geepoint awaits enthusiasts, making jewelry shopping a much more enjoyable experience than you might imagine.
We're sure jewelry lovers are tired of seeing mass-produced and identical items. We think it's a wonderful idea that the jewelry we wear every day, witnessing every moment of our lives, should be unique to us and carry a story behind it! If you think like us, we suggest you visit Geepoint, filled with handcrafted jewelry!
Instagram: @geepoint_taki
Here, Customers Are Part of the Design: Ballade Art
If you have even a slight interest in jewelry, you'll know how much meaning a piece of jewelry can hold for a person. Sometimes it's a ring we never take off, sometimes a necklace we give to our loved one… They are all more than just accessories, they all carry a piece of us. Whether you buy it for yourself or give it as a gift to a loved one, we believe that being involved in the process of making a piece of jewelry makes many things much more meaningful. Ballade Art, waiting for you in Ertuğ Passage on Tunalı Hilmi Street, was founded with this very idea in mind. This brand, brought to life by Alper Karabak, doesn't just bend and shape precious metals when designing its jewelry; it brings its customers' ideas and dreams to life. If you are a customer who values being a part of the designs, we suggest you pay a visit! Hold on tight, if you come here, you might feel like you've embarked on a historical journey. Because Ballade Art, in addition to its simple designs that can appeal to everyone, frequently incorporates and draws inspiration from historical and mythological figures. A pendant designed in the shape of a Spartan helmet or a ring in the form of a Byzantine coin… A gateway to the past based on Tunalı… If you want to add your own touch to the dusty pages of history, Ballade Art is perfect for you!
Instagram: @balladeart
Lost Among Vintage Jewelry: Antikacı Vural
Antikacı Vural is a hidden treasure of Tunalı. While wandering through the Tunalı passage, the window display caught our eye and drew us right in. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by an irresistible scent of incense. We began our tour hoping to discover the worlds squeezed into this tiny shop. In every corner we looked, we had the chance to observe another piece of these hidden treasures. The first thing that caught our attention was the wooden dressers inside. The moment we opened the cabinet doors, we found a drawer full of jewelry and started digging through it. Deep in the drawer, among old and sometimes rusted earrings, we pulled the first one we could grab from the chaotic storm of jewelry and began comparing it with what the others had in their hands.
The prices of the jewelry vary between 30 TL and 1500 TL. While some pieces were in good condition and wearable, others were rusted and scattered over the pile with their pairs missing. The lack of price tags on the items also made it difficult for us to adjust our budget. Perhaps because we looked confused by the mess, the owner, Mr. Vural, came over and started talking to us about his business. With the pride of expanding the family antique business to its current state, he emphasized the importance of being an "eskici" (old-goods dealer). As we continued our conversation, our eyes drifted to the section decorated with silver brooches, and their sparkle was enough to dazzle us. Some brooches in the section were in packages, while others were displayed openly. We picked out three brooches that we believed would suit us best and left the shop, continuing our journey with the hope of discovering new places.
Instagram: @antikaci_vural
Yorumlar