Gurhan’s handcrafted high-karat gold and silver jewelry is both distinctive and fashionable, created for the woman who desires an alternative to traditional style. Designer and goldsmith Gurhan pioneered the reintroduction of pure 24-karat gold jewelry into the realm of contemporary jewelry design 20 years ago, after studying the techniques of the ancient craftsmen from Egypt and Greece and teaching himself how to achieve them.

His jewelry is steeped in history but exudes a modern twist. One-of-a-kind jewels are set with ancient artifacts, coins, unusual gemstones and rose-cut diamonds. His sterling pieces are lighter and more edgy in concept. Gurhan’s unique, handcrafted aesthetic moves jewelry from esoterically precious and rarified into the world of contemporary fashion and style.

Gurhan Orhan came to jewelry late – at age 40 – when a chance encounter with a small sheet of 24-karat gold in Istanbul’s famous Grand Bazaar intrigued him. Up to then, his closest association to jewelry had been taking old pocketwatches and recrafting them into art pieces for the wrist. Since childhood, he had enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together again, starting with electronics in his parents’ home.

Challenged by the softness, weight and expense of pure gold, he taught himself his own goldsmithing techniques, eschewing formal training, and even making his own tools to achieve the perfect look.

Gurhan designs every piece in his vast collection, creating at the jeweler’s bench instead of beginning with a sketch. A team of goldsmiths trained in the Gurhan method then handcraft his designs, and each is individually numbered by the artisan. All jewelry is made in Gurhan’s native Turkey.