Arman Suciyan was very young when his father pointed out that he should become a goldsmith. At the tender age of 15, he started working in Istanbul, but soon enough he traveled to England for education and ended up working with Stephen Webster himself. This fantastic jewelry designer surprised me with his amazing, edgy designs that I think you'll love too!
What you need to know about Arman:
He grew up in Istanbul, Turkey and began his career as a goldsmith apprentice in a workshop in the covered Bazaar at age 15. Later he got accepted to work alongside Misak Toros, who represented the fourth generation of a Turkish Armenian jewelry family. Then in 1994, he attended the Kent Institute of Art & Design and shortly after he started to work with no other than the famous rockstar among jewelry designers; Stephen Webster. An absolute wonderful opportunity, which I am sure, brought him a taste for success, what works and how things go on a daily basis within an established, yet small independent jewelry designer company.
He became a goldsmith and wax modeler, something he enjoyed lots. When he returned to Istanbul in 2008, he started to fully dedicate himself on building his own brand: Suciyan. With all his experiences, his insights, his skills and craft, he developed his very own unique style. Arman prides himself on receiving various awards. Like the one from the Goldsmiths Craft Council or the utterly prestigious DeBeers Jewellery Design Award.
Suciyan recently revealed his New Odyssey Ring Collection
The Turkish jeweler Arman Suciyan created a collection that he named the Odyssey Collection. Containing very futuristic looking pieces that were inspired by the myths and legends of antiquity telling the story of Goddesses Phrygian Kybele, Babylonian Mylitta, Ancient Egypt’s Isis, and the Greek and Roman Persephone. Arman Suciyan was only 15 and living in Istanbul, Turkey, when he learned the craft of goldsmithing. He was able to capture the winged Goddess and her evolution in silver. This new collection is designed to be worn either individually or stacked as a pair.
The sterling silver Traveller Goddess Scintilla Gold Tzavorite ring and Glancing Travellers ring are each set with blue sapphires, tsavorites, and 18kt gold nuggets. What do you think? Don't they look amazing? I had a vision of a Turkish designer in my head, I absolutely adore the influence of any part of the world in jewelry design, but also found out that I have this kind of image in my head of how that jewelry looks like. And then there is Arman, who absolutely surprised me, with his clean, sharp, stunning and mouth-watering designs! I would wear each of his pieces immediately. They have that mix between edgy, contemporary, design but made with that sense of balance and pure clean craftsmanship needed in high-end jewelry. These rings start at around €785,00! Affordable fantastic design, which is just one of the many reasons I wanted to share this jewelry designer with you!
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Esther interviews Arman, so you get to know him better too!
E: ''Can you tell us how you thought about jewelry when you grew up?''
Arman: ''I can say that my natural inclination to drawing and working with my hands lead me to jewelry. It was my father’s suggestion that I should try goldsmithing as a craft. After starting my apprenticeship in the Covered Bazaar in Istanbul, I followed my own path led by my curiosity in this craft and finding a medium that I loved working with, which was modeling wax. Rather than the traditional designs that were widely made during my first years, I had an increasing interest in more unique expressions in design and execution where I could put my imagination to work.''
E: ''You have worked in different countries. Could you share what you have explicitly learned in Turkey, Milan, and England on a professional level?''
Arman: ''In Istanbul, as an apprentice to Master Misak Toros, I learned to think outside the norms of conventional jewelry design. In England at the Kent Institute of Art and Design and later working for Stephen Webster, I gained a deeper appreciation of the quality of craftsmanship in design execution. In Milan, I enjoyed teaching and sharing my knowledge and experience with my students.''
E: ''You have also lived in these different countries. Could you share what you appreciated or learned on a human or personal level, in these 3 countries?''
Arman: ''Growing up in Istanbul – Turkey, it’s impossible to ignore all the different historical layers that the city and the country offers. This cultural richness has always captured my imagination. Later, working in the Covered Bazaar where the goldsmithing craft was passed down from master to apprentice for over 500 years, I was deeply immersed in this history and its traditions.''
''During my first years in England as a student, I liked how information and knowledge were accessible and shared so openly. This was very fresh and inspiring as well as dedication and support to keeping the traditional crafts alive and relevant to contemporary culture. Also enjoyed the diverse cultural life of London while living there for over a decade.
After getting accustomed to England and its culture and language, Italy was a new and exciting challenge. Living in the creative city of Milan supplied me with new friends, and unique tastes, particularly in food.''
E: ''You have returned to Turkey, what can you tell us about your daily work and life? How does a typical day look like?'
Arman: ''A typical day for me starts with organizing things to be done regarding their priority and trying to stay loyal to that plan.''
E: ''What is your process from translating an inspiration or idea into an original design?''Arman: ''I do not have a set process to get inspiration, I do keep a record of my sketches and visual clues that I like. I have three collections, two for men and one for women, which all have a different design language related to their storyline. I love form, movement, and texture; they are essential aspects of my creations. I create mood boards around the storyline of the collection that I am working on and start creating the overall look of the pieces.''
photo credit: Deniz Koylu.
E:'' How would you describe your fans and clients? What do they have in common?''
Arman: ''My clients are confident about their individual style and like to show this - they are mostly involved in creative lines of business.''
E: ''Where can they find your jewelry?''
Arman: ''In Turkey, my collections are available by appointment directly with me, and in the UK they are available from Jewelstreet.com''
E: ''Share with us please, what you would love people to know about your work.''
Arman:'' My work and collections evolve around distinct stories. Using silver, gold, bronze, and precious stones, my designs are brought to life with attention to the quality of the craftsmanship to achieve a contemporary look.''
E: ''Outside your job, what does life for you look like? Family, hobbies, favorite sports, or activities/ interests?''
Arman: ''Other than my work, I teach also jewelry making at a local university to second-year fashion design students. In the summer I love to spend time near the sea. We are fortunate in Istanbul. We can reach Princes’ Islands with a 40 minute, a beautiful ferry ride, where we spend the summer months, removing us from the hectic rhythm of the metropolis. I like to travel with my wife in Turkey, it’s incredible how many places there are still left that I would love to visit. I’d like to travel abroad when we have an opportunity. Also, I just love natural sciences, sculpting, and watching movies.''
You can find more about this brand here: www.suciyan.com and you can always contact me for personal advice or opinion.
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