Few luxury jewelers - well, luxury or not - design and create using pure, undiluted 24 karat gold as their primary element. With the cost of gold continuing to rise and the mainstream popularity of diluted versions such as 14 karat and 18 karat yellow gold, jewelers opt to create with materials that are the leading fashion and which keep cost to a minimum.
One designer jeweler has forgone all those concerns creating in pure 24k gold ever since his start as a young jeweler. Orhan Gurhan, designer and founder of the mega luxury jewelry company called simply
Gurhan, discovered his lifelong passion as soon as he touched pure gold for the first time. His newfound discovery led him on a journey back in time. He devoted one whole year to researching the skill and craft of Byzantine and Anatolian metalsmithing dating back 7,000 years. After his year engulfed in the traditional metal craft methods and philosophies, he vowed to never work in less than 24-karat gold. Imbued with a new wealth of knowledge, gold became his molding clay.
However, Gurhan himself will be the first to admit that working with a pure and natural element is not an easy task. In fact, the natural state and properties of gold can bring about difficulties which Gurhan must solve on the spur of the moment at the artists bench. "It's almost an obsession for me to conquer the limitations and difficulties of working with 24-karat gold," he said. "The process of solving the many problems of using pure gold is a significant part of what I do, and it often dictates the parameters of my designs." He says his secret - not secret anymore - to working with pure gold is turning what seem to be limitations into advantages.
Given that there are challenges to gold and Gurhan has such a lengthy experience with gold and vast knowledge of metalsmithing, it would make sense that he sketch his new designs first to save time and be efficient once it's time to create at the bench. However, Gurhan does not employ this typical step in the design process. "I need to have the gold and the stones in front of me. Sometimes design ideas that might be aesthetically wonderful are a challenge with 24-karat gold. So, I must think technically. I know that most designers do sketch first, but for me, design is so technical, so three-dimensional, that I am most comfortable starting with my imagination and then translating it into something tangible at the bench," Gurhan said.
With a hands-on approach to design, the prototype for each new piece is created by Gurhan personally. This is just one facet that makes his jewelry unique. Another facet is that all of his designs are 100 percent handmade. Of course, he does have assistants and other goldsmiths who continue the work once the prototype is ready but he says, "Only when a piece is complete and I have addressed all of the design issues do I even consider handing it over to one of my goldsmiths," he shared. Each Gurhan jewelry piece is numbered and personally signed by Orhan himself. What is required to become a part of the Gurhan team? Experience? Education? Well, for one, you do not need previous jewelry experience. He will not hire anyone with previous jewelry experience to avoid interference with the ancient techniques he has learned and continues to use.
Gurhan jewelry is rich in history and technical design precision making it incredibly expressive. In a world of mass production, Gurhan jewelry offers a handmade luxury jewelry alternative where each design is the product of the artist.