The concept of wearable art has been on the agenda of the fashion world for a while now. With this concept, the fashion world aims to break away from the wear-and-discard routine by incorporating art.

Touching objects we use to overcome fast consumption processes with art has been among the rising trends in the fashion world and the realms of decoration and jewelry for some time.

However, beyond all this, adding an artistic approach to one’s work and touching design with art have been on the agenda of a group of designers for many years. One of these names is Zeynep Erol.

Each piece of jewelry crafted by Zeynep Erol is essentially a small sculpture, a work of art. Erol, who not only sculpts but also produces meaningful and artistic jewelry inspired by her subjects and routes, has showcased her work in her workshop for many years.

Most pieces are unique, with only one of each. Working with more malleable metals such as gold and silver, she embellishes them with diamonds, antique details or charms.

Recently, I met with Erol at her workshop and showroom in Nişantaşı. Shortly after our interview, she introduced her new collection, "Ancient Egypt," inspired by her recent trip to Egypt through a special event.

Just before that exhibition, we sat down with the jewelry designer-artist. The space she works in, creates and uses as a showroom is incredibly inspiring.

Indeed, wandering through her showroom felt more like exploring an art gallery than a jewelry store. She promptly began describing her latest collection: "My trip to Egypt last year was a significant source of inspiration for me."

In a very calm tone, she began to talk about her new collection, saying: "After a long time, I poured out the overflowing emotions from within me into design and presented them to you."

With over 50 pieces, her special collection reflects the ancient symbols, rich culture and mysterious history of Egypt.

In her collection, dominated by lapis lazuli, turquoise, sand color, agate and coral stones, as well as diamonds and pearls, Erol narrates the story of Egypt through designs that depict the history of humanity using pyramids, wall paintings and hieroglyphs. As I mentioned, curious people can visit Zeynep Erol Atelier and explore the exhibition.

So, how did Erol step into the world of jewelry design? Engaged professionally in the art of ballet and later starting her career as a German teacher, Erol’s design journey began when she sought an artistic discipline to express herself and received training in the Grand Bazaar.

Erol explains it: "Actually, design has always been a part of my life. I come from an artistic family; there are painters in the family, my father is an architect, and I have cousins who are architects. I always had an interest in both painting and jewelry, but I wanted to develop myself more in the field of ballet. I practiced ballet for about 14 years until the age of 20."

"After that, I had a career as a teacher for about six years, but during that process, I started creating sculptural jewelry with a jewelry approach. I took lessons in the Grand Bazaar for about two years. During that time, I learned simplicity. What makes my jewelry valuable to me is not just the precious stones on it but the power and story of the designs. I see each of my designs as wearable little sculptures," she continued.

Erol, who travels extensively and constantly turns new inspirations from her travels into jewelry and sculptures, has found her greatest source of inspiration in India over the years.

"India is a country that catches me with its culture, architecture, philosophy, people, and traditions. I have been going there at least 2-3 times every year since 2001. The influences of this culture can be seen in most of my designs, but in the same way, I draw a lot of inspiration from Anatolia. Inspirations turn into jewelry. And I introduce these jewelry pieces through an exhibition," she said.

She also added: "I express myself by opening exhibitions. Each jewelry exhibition delves into a specific theme. For example, for the ‘Alchemy’ exhibition I opened in 2009, I visited Mardin thrice because I loved the filigree craftsmanship. I had put a lot of thought into how I could turn this Syriac craft that has been ongoing since the fourth century into art. My goal was to revive the almost forgotten and incredibly strong and beautiful craftsmanship of filigree, or rather, the craft."

These jewelry pieces, crafted with precious metals and each a work of art, are undeniable proof of Zeynep Erol’s unique perspective on the world of jewelry as she navigates through the jewelry and narrates the inspiration and crafting processes of each piece.

"What makes my jewelry valuable is not just the precious stones on them but the power and story of the designs," Erol also emphasizes.

As mentioned, her workshop houses sculptures akin to jewelry. They are all interconnected, bearing the traces of a long and adventurous journey.

Erol explained: "I started with jewelry and later began producing large-scale sculptures. In jewelry design, I am constantly dealing with fine details; sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, for months, after investing so much effort, one desires to see the material on a larger scale."

"It can be said that I transformed the sculpture into a reverse art, as a larger version of my jewelry. In other words, the satisfaction grows richer as it expands. I particularly love working with bronze in sculptures, while in jewelry, I work more frequently with gold and silver. Bronze casting is similar to gold and silver casting. I also use iron in sculptures. For instance, I’ve found myself creating quite large sculptures from iron for the garden at home," she added.