It's no secret I am in awe of Turkish metalsmiths - they are some of the finest in the world.  The country also has a long, long history of jewelry making, stretching back thousands of years.

I featured beautiful Turkish kazaziye jewelry before when I wrote about Asli Cavusoglu's MoyoniJewelry. These are not just merely braided or woven wire. The working "cords" are actually made up of very thin wire wound round a core of silk or nylon thread!  The core is about the diameter of an average strand of hair. All totally handmade.

 Asli explained the art of Kazaziye was inherited from the Lydians who ruled the Anatolia, now in modern Turkey, from 1200 BC to 546 BC. No one knows for sure but it is thought the Lydians came up with this technique even earlier - 2800 years ago in Mesopotamia. 

The artisans generally use 24K gold or fine silver. But Moyoni Jewelry also offers sterling silver.  Some of the designs make full use of patina to get good contrast. 



Look carefully.  You can see the exquisitely made woven end caps.  

Lovely examples of braiding and knotting like the sailor's knot (sometimes called Turk's head knot).  I was also intrigued with the Viking knit used in many of the designs.  That technique was developed by the Vikings. It's very likely the Turkish metalsmiths learned from Vikings.  

We tend to think of Vikings in terms of their raids in Western Europe especially to the British Isles. However, some did venture far into Eastern Europe establishing settlements and trade. These Vikings were called "Rus" - probably from a Finnish word "routsi" for Swedes who were oarsmen. This is the origin of the name, Russia. In 860 AD, the Rus attacked Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the then Byzantine Empire.  The Rus and the Byzantines eventually settled on a trade agreement. (Reference : Globetrotting Vikings : The Quest for Constantinople).







Asli also has a textile shop called MoyoniTextiles


Giveaway

If you'd like to win $50 towards amazing Kazaziye jewelry your choice from MoyoniJewelry,   please make a comment below. Make sure you leave contact info below if you do not have an online shop or blog.

Email subscribers need to scroll down the post they receive, click on Share Comment and enter your comment. Pick Name/URL. If you don't have a store or blog, leave the URL blank.

This giveaway is international.

Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower etc. If you also do shout outs about this giveaway, those will count as additional entries too! Please say so in the comments. (The exception is Facebook - just like/comment on the giveaway status there!!)

It ends in a week's time at 6 pm EST Monday, October 11, 2021. I will pick the winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to leave a contact email if you don't have an online link or make sure you come back and check! Otherwise I will redraw in a week. Good luck!

Before You Go:

Disclosure 
 
This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation. 
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM