A display of silver jewellery that combined tribal Middle Eastern, Ottoman, and Turkoman pieces with modern elements to create unique works of art. Visitors got to meet the designer and discuss her life work.

Visitors had the chance to meet with the Jewellery designer, Oytun Camcigil and explore an array of modern and ethnic silver jewellery hand-made by the designer herself. They learned what inspires her, and the intricate work behind the pieces on display.

When Oytun Camcigil isn’t making jewellery, she’s in one of the markets or bazaars of the UAE, Oman, or Turkey scouring for unique and original hand-crafted pieces of silver. Traditional jewellery from the Middle East is extremely beautiful to look at, however, it tends to be bulky and therefore difficult to wear from a practical perspective. For centuries, jewellery has played an important role in many cultures and Oytuns work plays an important role in preserving them as she will often take finished pieces and re-purpose them by entirely breaking them down & re-crafting them from scratch.

As a former architect, she uses symmetry and balance to bring traditional elements into a more contemporary style while maintaining their cultural relevance and integrity. Her work is mostly made up of traditional silver pieces combined with semi-precious stones. Over time, tribal jewellery has become difficult and expensive to find, making Oytuns jewellery all the more unique and interesting.

About Oytun Evliyazade Camcigil

Oytun lived in the Middle East from 1981 until 2017 when she moved back to her home in Istanbul. In that time, she developed a fascination with tribal jewellery from the region and started combining old and new pieces to create unique, contemporary and wearable jewellery. In 2018, she published a book titled “Eastern Treasures” which highlights her collection over the years as well as her work.