Where to get a custom solitaire ring in Istanbul? Review of Fth Jewelry (Turkey)
You know I’ve taken jewelry-making classes (at a beginner level) with several French artisans. I can make simple jewelry for myself, but these classes mainly help me spot and appreciate handmade pieces.
During my latest trips to Istanbul, I discovered that the city is full of talented jewelry artisans. Whether at the Grand Bazaar or in a hidden gallery, the skill and craftsmanship of Istanbul’s jewelers are known in the small world of jewelry. Unfortunately, too few foreign tourists are aware of this.
So I’ll share my little experience: how I got to watch live the making of a custom silver ring.
Before leaving for Istanbul, my sister told me about her broken ring (the one she made herself). My sister designed it in an artisan workshop, and we no longer have the tools to fix it. I told her that in Istanbul, I might find someone to repair it. I took the opportunity to show her the many semi-precious stones I had bought in Madagascar. She chose a blue tourmaline, which I’ll have set in Istanbul.
I’d already spotted Fatih’s shop in December 2021 when I passed by it by chance. His shop is next to my Airbnb. The design and craftsmanship immediately caught my eye. And when he invited me in and I saw his jeweler’s workbench, I made a mental note and told myself: that’s where I’ll go to get my stones set.
Three months later, I returned to Istanbul with the blue stone and my sister’s broken ring. I drop by Fatih’s unannounced and ask him, via Google Translate, to fix my sister’s ring. Without hesitation, he does it and repairs it so well it looked brand new.
I then take out the tiny blue tourmaline and ask him to make a silver ring with it. I gave no design instructions. He’s the artist.
I thought he’d tell me to come back in a few days. On the contrary, he invited me to sit across from him and served me tea.
Next to me slept the cutest ginger cat. I was thrilled. I was exactly where I wanted to be.
And so for 1 hour and 45 minutes, I got to watch the ring being made live, from start to finish. I didn’t miss a single detail. Note that I only came with the stone; the entire ring was created by him (well, except for the cat).
So here are the steps of making a ring:
- the setting (the base that holds the stone) was fortunately already available. Among jewelers, making them takes so long that they usually have them in all sizes. He found the one matching my stone (which is pretty standard), so good news. That saved us at least an hour! The process is so lengthy that watching a setting be made from scratch would have stressed me out—so many soldering points, hahaha
- then for the band of the ring:
- cut a piece of silver & file it
- heat it and bend it into a round shape
- soldering => his soldering technique is a feast for the eyes. It takes total mastery to achieve that result. His solder leaves no trace.
- the part near the stone needs to be slightly higher, so he had to hammer and file it into shape
- the band was heavily filed across the surface to make it smooth and comfortable to wear
- then, a solder is done to attach the setting to the band
- everything is polished
- the setting begins and it’s the part where you can tell if a jeweler is good. The stone must be showcased properly—not too high, not too low—so it catches the light well. The prongs must be strong to hold the stone but also discreet (not too short, not too long). The stone must be perfectly placed.
- then, everything is polished. The ring, whited from the soldering, becomes extremely shiny, as if it comes alive.
To see the full process in video, I invite you to check out our TikTok video on the subject. Yes, we have a TikTok account now 😀
@nomadbento #customring #silverring #istanbul #turkey #turkey #aroundtheworld #aroundtheworld #digitalnomad #travel #travelbloggers #jeweler #custommade #silver ♬ Up and Away [Bydureon] – GHOSTLAND
Fatih is soldering the band of the ring to the setting
During the process, a few neighbors stopped by. That’s the life of a neighborhood craftsman, neighbors support each other, chat, and say hello. I don’t know if they have their own shops, but they seem super at ease and treat the shop like their second home.
When I was taking classes with Thierry Grave in the 18th arrondissement, it was like that too: he received neighbors all day long, who came by to say hi.
Being able to experience that Turkish neighborhood vibe, I felt so lucky. One of the neighbors spoke English well, so he acted as a translator between Fatih and me and I was able to explain my story, why I was getting into making jewelry, etc.
What I really loved was that Fatih was completely at ease, working totally relaxed, with several pairs of eyes fixed on his hands hahaha. Some craftsmen might have been bothered by that, but not him. On the other hand, the steps weren’t explained, because he didn’t speak English, but even if you knew nothing about it, just watching a craftsman make your ring from a piece of silver is extraordinary in itself. He let me take as many photos and videos as I wanted. That’s how I was able to put together the little montage for you.
Fatih is very proud of his work. Look at the rings he’s wearing, he made them himself too. I absolutely love his hand-shaped ring, it must have taken him a huge amount of time, it’s absolutely gorgeous and adjustable too.
And here’s the result! It’s much better than a ring bought in a store.
The proportions are perfect. I asked him to leave his mark (stamp) on the side of the ring. A sort of artist’s signature. He also left a 925 hallmark to indicate the ring is indeed sterling silver.
And of course, it was made to measure, so it’s 100% adapted to my sister’s size. When you make custom jewelry, it’s to the 1/10 of a millimeter, the craftsman can file and adjust as precisely as possible, so if you’re between two ring sizes, this should interest you, as it will be 100% fitted to your finger.
Here are the different parts of the ring:
Cost of the operation: $60
including the quick repair of two silver rings. It’s not expensive at all for the exceptional quality and above all handmade!!
You can also pay by card if you’d like. I just did the conversion and paid in cash in Turkish lira. Of course, he can make gold jewelry too, but my sister wanted silver.
To be sure he’s there and that you can watch your ring being made live, feel free to contact him via Instagram before your visit and describe your project. So, if you want specific gold (18k, 24k), you’ll need to specify. Honestly, if you’re looking to get custom engagement or wedding rings made, this is a great idea! If you have family jewelry with multiple diamonds for example, you can ask him to make several rings out of them.
You don’t have to bring your own stone, but if you want to watch the making process, you might need to come back another day, because if you ask for a specific stone or diamond, he needs time to go find it for you.
I’ll also leave you with his Google Maps coordinates (new address!), as well as photos of the jewelry already available at his shop. He also has an Etsy page and ships worldwide. Anyway, it’s a unique experience that I highly recommend if you have some time during your trip to Istanbul.
