Begum Khan Archives | gioiellis.com

Cats and earrings with Begüm Khan

Published on March 23, 2023

Flirty Cat earrings, in oro placcato, cristalli, radici di smeraldo

It is not true that there is no longer a sultan in Turkey. There are millions and several hundred thousand live in Istanbul: they are cats, a feline population that lives among the streets and historic buildings of the Ottoman city. And it is no coincidence that cats are among the sources of inspiration for Begüm Kiroglu, designer of the Begüm Khan brand. The founder of the brand has a special story: she studied at the Bocconi University in Milan before moving to Shanghai, where she completed a master’s degree in Chinese culture and art. A passion for creativity led Begüm to the historic Silk Road in Shanghai, where she completed a master’s degree in Chinese art and culture.

Orecchini a forma di zampe di gatto. Bronzo placcato oro 24 carati e cristalli

It was the cultural history of China that inspired the birth of the Begüm Khan brand. But her earrings encrusted with gems or crystal reveal the influence of the Ottoman tradition. The jewels are in simple gold-plated bronze, with root gems, i.e. non-transparent and therefore cheaper, but which retain color and depth. Alongside the jewels for women, Begüm Khan also offers a wide range of jewels for men, which we wrote about here.

Orecchini Crazy Cat in bronzo placcato oro e cristalli

Teddy earrings placcati oro e radici di zaffiro rosa

Orecchini placcati oro con radici di rubino

Orecchini con placcati oro e quarzo nero

Orecchini placcati oro e radici di smeraldo

Begum Khan’s earrings

Published on March 8, 2022

Showroom/Orecchini

Orecchini placcati oro 14 carati con radici di smeraldo

There aren’t many jewelry jewelers who start with cufflinks. Begüm Kireoglu, a refined designer from Istanbul with her brand Begum Khan, is perhaps a unique case. She was born into a family of Ottoman art collectors. And from the legacy of the ancient empire that controlled much of the Mediterranean, she drew inspiration for her bright, colorful, creative jewelry. Her experience is also very special: after studying economics in Istanbul and management of luxury brands in Milan, she moved to China, in Shanghai, where she completed a master’s degree in Chinese culture and art. Her thesis concerned the market and trends in the world of luxury in China: a study that she convinced her was to propose accessories for men, cufflinks.

With her first pair of custom cufflinks for her brother’s wedding in 2012, she also launched her own brand, Begum Khan. After five years, she has extended her proposal to women’s jewelery, with particular attention to earrings, but not only. Everything is made in the Istanbul atelier and handcrafted by artisans. Nature, for example animals, is one of the sources of inspiration for Begüm Kireoglu, who to make the earrings, which he also sells online, uses gold-plated bronze, with cubic zirconia or roots of precious and semi-precious stones, such as emerald or the peridot.

Orecchini in bronzo placcato oro con radici di peridoto mandarino

Orecchini in bronzo placcato oro 24 carati con cubic zirconia

Orecchini in bronzo placcato oro 24 carati con turchese e opale sintetici

Orecchini in bronzo placcato oro 24 carati con quarzo nero

Orecchini Lily Pond placcati oro con cristalli

Orecchini Giraffe placcati oro con cristalli

Orecchini Teddy Bears placcati oro con cristalli

The refined ambiguities of Begüm Khan

Published on November 23, 2021

Rings/bracciale/Showroom

Orecchini in oro 14 carati con pavé di radici di rubino

The ambiguous charm between East and West in the jewelry of the designer Begüm Khan ♦ ︎

She started with the cufflinks, jewels that replace the cuff buttons of the shirts. Success has prompted her to continue on the path of jewelry. And so the Turkish designer Begüm Khan has extended the range of action to the classic feminine jewelery. Classic up to a certain point, though, because Begum Khan makes Orientalism a starting point for refined, pleasant, and ironic pieces to wear.

Anello in oro rosa 14 carati e diamanti taglio rosa

The designer, in effect, has a background that allows her refined choices. Born into a family of art collectors, the designer is inspired by the ancient opulence of the Ottoman Empire and the traditions of Southeast Asia. A tradition, however, that she reinterprets in her own way, with a touch of modernity. She created collections inspired by Tibetan fabrics, ancient religious talismans and the domes of the most famous mosque in Istanbul, Süleymaniye. Each piece is handmade in an atelier near the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul in 24 carat gold and bronze, finished with baroque pearls and stones like the ruby root and aquamarine.

Anello doppio in argento e oro, diamanti, smeraldi, ametista

Bracciale Cobra in argento, diamanti taglio rosa

Orecchini in bronzo placcato oro e pavé di radici di peridoto

Orecchini in bronzo placcato oro 24 carati con gemme sintetiche

Orecchini in bronzo con pavé oro 24 carati e pavé di quarzo nero

With Begum Khan the polished is him

Published on January 3, 2020

Showroom

Bronzo rodiato incrostato di radice di zaffiro

The cufflinks for men (but not only) elegant, extroverted, precious signed by Begum Khan.
The jewelry for men, we say it out loud, are in most cases ugly. There’s also those who say that a man should never wear jewelry, but they are a minority. In any case, the jewelry for men are designed largely with a vaguely military-style, with leather and buckles, crude steel and rapper chains. But there who comes out of this macho pattern and, paradoxically, is a woman born in a male-dominated society: Turkey. Begüm Kiroglu was born into a family of Ottoman art collectors in Istanbul. Luckily for her, she spent her childhood surrounded by rare and beautiful objects (works of Oriental art, bleu-blanc porcelain, antique carpets, exquisite tapestries). Then, become an adult, she moved to Shanghai, where she earned a degree in culture and Chinese art.

Among ancient Ottoman art, Chinese culture and dynamism of Shanghai, has chosen to engage in a jewel for refined men: the cufflinks. It created the Begüm Khan brand. Forget the gold cufflinks with simple geometries and, at most, a stone. Her wrist jewels are rich in baroque pearls, emeralds, paved with precious stones. In short, they are jewels that does not disfigure when worn by a woman but, paradoxically, do not affect virility. Indeed, the contrast can also bring out more male character of the wearer. As long as you know how to do. Federico Graglia

Gemelli in bronzo argentato e quarzo nero

Gemelli in bronzo argentato, radice di zaffiro e smalto bianco