Blog
Bonjuk Bay x E M M A K R A F F T
Bonjuk Bay is a magical little cove just near Marmaris where so many go every year to unwind, enjoy nature and each other's company. When I was asked to create a product for their shop, I naturally gravitated towards their lovely spiral logo. I have been working on developing kinetic jewellery for a few months now, and this was a perfect opportunity to hone in on these skills, as well as working with brass, which I have been curious about for some time now. The spiral necklace was made in a limited quantity in silver and brass, and is available at their shop. The gold model has been added to the permanent collection and is available here.
#kintsugiwithemma Workshop
Japonca’da “altın ile onarma” anlamına gelen Kintsugi ya da Kintsukuroi, yalnızca bir restorasyon yöntemi değil, kırık seramiklerin tamir edildikten sonra daha güzel olduğunu öne süren 600 yıllık bir seramik sanat biçimi.
Ve sonunda, 25 Ocak Cumartesi günü Cooklife Balat’ta gerçekleşen ve Türkiye’nin ilk Kintsugi atölyesi olma özelliğini taşıyan #KintsugiWithEmma etkinliğini gerçekleştirdik.
Yazı: Merve Uvut (Devamını okuyun)
Daha fazla bilgi ve kayıt olmak için: info@emmakrafft.com
Instagram: @kintsugiwithemma
Kintsugi Workshop No. 1
Türkiye'nin ilk Kintsugi Atölyesini 25 Ocak'ta gerçekleştiriyoruz! Kısa sürede dolan atölyemiz için oldukça heyecanlıyız. 6 ay süren seyahatler, araştırmalar ve denemeler sonucunda artık bu geleneksel Japon sanatıyla ilgili edindiğimiz bilgileri paylaşmaya hazırız.
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We are holding Turkey's first Kintsugi workshop at Cooklife Balat. Seats filled up fast, and we are very excited about it. After months of travel, education, materials research and tryouts, we are finally ready to share all that we have learnt about this beautiful Japanese craft.
Capsule Evil Eye Collection with Vintage Istanbul
Vintage Istanbul is a collector and vendor of Vintage fashion items. They came to me with a set of vintage evil eye beads and asked me to create a jewelry collection for them. The limited collection sold out in 24 hours. A selected number of rings are still available on Etsy and the Vintage Istanbul website.
Kintsugi Case Study - Emma's Mouse
My newfound hobby is with Kintsugi - which I don't find very different from jewelry making. It requires the same kind of meticulous patience. This antique Rosenthal mouse was left behind by my grandmother (who was strangely afraid of mice). After my trip to Japan and brief Kintsugi course with Waka Artisans in Hong Kong, I decided to try this lovely ancient art for myself.
The process starts with combining a mixture of dark Urushi and stone powder to develop a paste which is moulded into the desired shape or to fill in cracks. After about 2-3 weeks of drying, 'Bengara-urushi' or red Urushi is applied and dried. The process is repeated after which gold powder is applied.
Japanese Inspiration
The Emma Krafft Sensibility
"The idea has taken root that in all of life – be it jobs, relationships, social life – we face utter failure unless we nurture our inner salesman. We are encouraged to create a glossy hyped-up version of ourselves to broadcast to the world."
(Quote from article: 'Is modesty still a virtue?, Financial Times - by
The Emma Krafft sensibility embraces modesty - that which still considers our talents and capacities. It is strong but subtle, rooted in intelligence and embraces subtlety. In a world where everything is advertised to us, discovering something unique has become near nigh impossible.
Funnily, I found the text below from a book on Parisian mannerisms quite relatable.
When you can have anything
She doesn't have a ring on each finger or a big diamond on each ring.
She doesn't wear a gold watch that costs as much as a fancy car.
In fact, she doesn't own a fancy car.
She doesn't carry an enormous designer bag.
But she might have a newspaper under her arm.
She might mention Sartre or Foucault in a conversation.
It's her personality that sparkles and nothing else:
the signs of intellectual wealth
(from How to be Parisian wherever you are by Ebury Press)
Krafft Family Heritage
Through the website Myheritage.com I was able to track down the Krafft family history and even got in touch with distant cousins in Australia (many Templers were sent there after the war). We found that we had many family photos in common, and the research continues about their story. The Templers in Germany settled in parts of Palestine (parts of which are now Israel) .
With different beliefs than that of the Protestant church, the Templer followers started their missionary task in Palestine as early as 1858, which still belonged to the Ottoman Empire.
"The settling was done with careful planning to prevent any failures in a hostile surrounding. Only those people who had skills that were needed for the establishment of the settlements were requested by the center in Kirschenhardthof. Kurt Hutten wrote: “The settlers overcame all difficulties and needs through great diligence and brought trade and agriculture to a high standard, they built a road from Jaffa to Jerusalem and developed excellent cultural and social facilities. A medical service was established in each settlement, and schools, kindergartens and evening classes for further education were started. Later many of the Jewish settlements were based on these examples.”
(Source: "The Templers and other Awakening Movements in the Northern Black Forest and beyond" by Fritz Barth - 2004)
The photos of the settlements show real skill in city planning and organization. I've added some photos and drawings below to show the beauty of the colony at the time. The architecture and organization of the houses in the surrounding natural environment makes me feel nostalgic for a time I never actually lived in.
The German Colony in the 1920's-30's
The German Colony in the present day (a little sad to see how it has changed, isn't it?)
Kintsugi
"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places"
Kintsugi is a Japanese traditional craft that repairs broken ceramics using lacquer mixed with gold. Not just a method of restoring, the deep philosophy of Kintsugi suggests that an object can be more beautiful for being broken. The idea is to not only accept but bring forward the broken elements to create a new harmony. "Kintsugi" is a part of the concept of "wabi-sabi”, which seeks to find beauty in imperfection. Don’t you think we can all be more accepting of both our own and each other’s faults?
Celuk (Silver village) in Bali
Emma Krafft Custom Wedding Rings
Happy to be a part of this wedding ring journey!
I was first contacted by the groom to be who had a rough idea of the type of ring he wanted. We sketched out this beautiful design and then rendered it in 3D, after which we cast and produced the ring in white gold and set it with 10 beautiful VS diamonds with a pear set in the middle.
The originality and detail of this design lies in the way the stones gradually get larger on each side of the center diamond. The process of making was a pleasure, and we even discussed how the proposal was going to be made. She said yes!
Congratulations to the happy couple!
Emma Krafft Studio
The studio is now open in Karaköy in Istanbul.
