The magic happened..
Today was the day. I wandered, I looked and explored the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul. a maze of jewelry shops, carpet shops, cafes and a lot of scams. I asked a lot of questions, but the answers were not coming and suddenly there they were. A duo, best friends from childhood.
I was looking in their window, as I had so many other shops and somehow this one was different. I walked inside their pint size shop, they gave me Turkish coffee.
They had one work bench and they sat facing each other.. All these years, maybe 40, maybe 50 years, maybe more... One, a character excited and gregarious, the other, quiet and contemplative, Ilhan and Sabahattin.
I showed them photos of me working in India. They laughed and patted me on the back. They showed me how they work, (no one else here would do this).
They fed me lunch. I found some beautiful vermeil pendants. Ilhan told me the origins of the designs.. Somehow, in our broken languages. We laughed, they gave me tea..
Sabahattin, showed me how to take gold off of silver, I took photos, we smiled and laughed.
I bought hundreds of pendants.
It was a happy day for all!!
The Byzantine collection will soon be ready. I am designing and thinking and can not stop smiling about these two best friends...
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