Did you see Jada Pinkett Smith wear this necklace on Gotham? Well I’ve seen it in person, and it is truly a sight to behold!
This other-worldly creation comes from the mind and workbench of Alp Sagnak of Atelier Minyon. This Turkish designer, now with a flagship store in Soho in NYC (He has 6 stores in Turkey.) makes each and every piece by hand, and let me tell you that I’ve rarely seen such complex detail in jewelry. For instance, look at this skull quark hourglass cuff bracelet: the open mouths of the snakes, the gripping skeletal hands, and the gold skull and ribcage on the diamond-dust filled hourglass. Simply amazing.
Alp definitely has a fire in his eyes, and he enthusiastically told me about his line. He sees each of us as having two sides, the naive (which he represents with gold) and the wild (shown with darkened silver). He said, “Embrace your shadow, or it will kill you.” The two sides are clearly shown in this entwined angel and devil necklace. It makes you think, doesn’t it?
Alp, as second generation jeweler, saw jewelry making as his “therapy” while studying industrial engineering. He’s able to let his mind run free, where he creates fictional animals, such as the body of a seahorse with wings of a dragon. He uses the most poisonous flowers and dangerous creatures in his work. I was intrigued by the gem-filled syringes at his booth, which he said many use for healing.
And what about this “poison” bottle? I think it would look amazing on a long chain, layered with other necklaces.
There are certainly some pieces in his line that aren’t as mythical, such as this beautiful bracelet I tried on, woven in the Ottoman style with a bejeweled clasp.
And just the other day, he posted this photo of a rosecut diamond pendant on his Instagram page. I love it!
But I must say, I keep going back to look at his non-traditonal designs. How did he come up with this “Humble Man” pendant, with the body formed by the texture of motorcycle chains?
Or this ring, where he has a gold spider inside the enamel skull?!
As you can see, this is clearly an out-of-the ordinary line, and it was not a surprise that he won a Couture design award in 2013 and was nominated again this past year for the necklace shown first in this article.
I look forward to seeing Alp, and his vibrant wife, Asli, at the Couture show again this year. I know that there’s no way I can even imagine what I’ll be seeing from him!
