Meet the Artist - With Sadik

On this weekend's Meet the Artist I would like to introduce you to a gifted jewelry maker from Turkey - Sadik from FIGistanbul.

Sadik makes bold, colorful, and highly detailed jewelry, which captured my eye a while ago. I fell in love with his earrings (I am into bold earrings now days) and his bird earrings were on my wish list for a while. Now that they are here - I have to tell you, they are absolutely sticking. People notice them immediately and fall in love with them just like I have. And now you can fall in love too!


Tell my readers a bit about yourself

I have always loved jewelry - especially ethnic earrings - as women have managed to use and wear almost any material as earrings to adorn themselves for some thousand years, which again I believe is the most important type of jewelry among all. And the first thing I look at at a woman is her earlobes :-)

Ashgabat ring

When and how did you begin to make jewelry? Is this your only creative medium?

I started making jewelry 5 years ago and I also have a liking for ethnic fabrics and embroideries.

Samarkand necklace

Where do you sell your art? Is this your day job?

This is my day job. Besides Etsy, I sell my jewelry at 2 other art and jewelry stores in Istanbul.

Could you tell us about your creative process? Where do you find your inspiration, where you go to look for embellishments, and so on.

My greatest inspiration is the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul as it is full of all kinds of beautiful jewelry,textiles and other crafts with its 4000 stores. I visit the Grand Bazaar at least 3 times a week to inhale that atmosphere.

A classic Chinese silver neck ornament of Miao tribe,
which Sadik have always loved and is inspired by

Do you have any tips you would like to share with other Etsy sellers regarding photography, marketing, customer service, and so on?

I recommend all Etsy sellers to exhibit their items as much as possible with detailed pictures.

What is your favorite item of all times?

My favorite item is my Large Spade Earring - both the original that I have in my collection and the ones I replicate. It embodies the spirit of ethnic, ancient, and modern at the same time.