Journal No.02
Journal is an ongoing editorial series documenting the ideas, influences, and craftsmanship behind every Terzihan collection.
Journal No.02 is devoted to The Shield, Terzihan’s most iconic form. Rooted in ancient symbolism and shaped by a Mediterranean sensibility, the Shield draws on the language of protection, permanence, and identity. Its distinctive geometry brings together gold, diamonds, and enamel in a form that bridges heritage and contemporary expression.
Across Istanbul, Mardin, and Cappadocia, this journal traces the cultural and architectural influences that inform the Shield. From Istanbul’s layered history and talismanic traditions to Mardin’s sculptural forms and the elemental landscape of Cappadocia, each destination offers a different perspective on the relationship between place, material, and meaning.
Through architectural details, found objects, material studies, and the precision of craftsmanship, Journal No.02 explores how centuries of visual language are distilled into a singular form — one that carries its history forward while remaining unmistakably Terzihan.
THE ANATOMY
The anatomy of Shield lies in the dialogue between gold, diamonds, and enamel. Rooted in ancient talismanic forms, its distinctive geometry carries a sense of permanence, shaped by the enduring language of protection. Eighteen-karat gold defines its structure, diamonds trace its contours with light, and enamel introduces depth through a palette ranging from deep red and midnight blue to forest green, ivory, and rhodium. Each variation offers a different interpretation of the same iconic form — a study in contrast, where heritage meets contemporary design and symbolism becomes an enduring signature.
fırst stop; where the continents meet
ISTANBUL
Few cities carry their history as visibly as Istanbul. Here, civilizations have risen and receded, leaving behind a layered language of domes, carved stone, intricate ornament, and enduring symbols. Between two continents, the city has long been a meeting point of cultures, materials, and ideas — a place where influences converge and take on new forms.
It is here, in Terzihan’s home city, that the Shield takes shape. Within the ateliers of Istanbul, eighteen-karat gold, diamonds, and enamel are brought together through a process guided by precision, experience, and a deep understanding of the material. Each piece carries the imprint of the hands that create it, transforming a form rooted in ancient symbolism into a contemporary expression of identity and protection.
For Terzihan, Istanbul is more than a point of origin. It is where heritage becomes craftsmanship, where cultural memory finds its way into form, and where the Shield continues to be made.
FOUND OBJECT
In Istanbul, even the smallest objects can hold the memory of another time.
An old Ottoman key lock speaks of doors once closed, homes once guarded, and lives held behind them. Its purpose was simple: to protect what lay beyond the threshold. Yet with time, function gave way to symbolism, leaving behind an object that carries the quiet language of security, secrecy and belonging.
For the Istanbul chapter, the key lock becomes a natural companion to Shield. Both were created to protect; one guarded a physical threshold, the other carried protection close to the body.
A key to what is hidden. A shield for what is treasured.
objects collected
selection 01
second stop WHERE THE STONE HOLDS
MARDIN
Mardin rises from the edge of the Mesopotamian plain, its honey-coloured stone catching the sun and holding it long after the day begins to fade. Here, architecture feels carved rather than built — layered terraces, ancient walls and quiet courtyards shaped by centuries of living.
In this landscape, gold feels instinctive.
For generations, gold has carried a place in the adornment of the region — treasured not only for its beauty, but for the meaning, memory and prosperity it can hold. Terzihan turns to this language through pieces that let gold speak in its purest form: warm, luminous and sculptural.
Against Mardin’s stone, the metal becomes almost part of the landscape — light captured in form, polished by time.
In Mardin, gold becomes a reflection of the sun.
FOUND OBJECT
Mardin is a city shaped by its surroundings. Its warm, honey-toned stone forms terraces, courtyards and ancient façades, absorbing the changing light of the Mesopotamian landscape.
A fragment of this enduring material becomes our found object — raw, tactile and marked by time. Placed alongside Shield, it reveals another dimension of the piece: its geometric form echoes the architectural language of Mardin, where strong lines, carved surfaces and repeating patterns transform stone into ornament.
Shield finds a natural connection here. Its protective symbolism meets a city built upon layers of history, craftsmanship and enduring forms — translating the strength of Mardin’s architecture into something worn against the body.
What was once carved into stone becomes a symbol carried in gold.
OBJECTS COLLECTED
SELECTION 02
THIRD STOP WHERE EARTH BECOMES MYTH
CAPPADOCIA
In Cappadocia, the earth takes on an otherworldly form. Volcanic landscapes rise into sculptural valleys, ancient dwellings emerge from stone, and the horizon becomes a study in texture, light and time.
Here, nature is the architect.
Terzihan’s Shield finds a new expression within this landscape. Its geometric form echoes the elemental shapes of Cappadocia, while its talismanic symbolism speaks to the ancient human desire to find protection in the world around us.
Reimagined in precious metal, Shield becomes a contemporary relic — a meeting of the earth’s raw forms and the artistry of adornment.
Where the earth becomes myth, protection becomes a piece of history.
found objects
In Cappadocia, nature is shaped by time. Volcanic earth, wind and water have carved the landscape into forms that feel almost otherworldly — organic, sculptural and quietly mysterious.
Our found object, a pod, reflects this language of natural formation. Its rounded silhouette and textured surface offer a study in the beauty of simplicity, where the smallest forms can hold the character of an entire landscape.
Placed alongside Terzihan’s Shield, the pod creates a dialogue between nature and adornment. Shield’s protective symbolism meets the organic language of the earth, bringing together two forms shaped by the enduring instinct to preserve, protect and carry.
From the forms of nature, a new talisman emerges.
OBJECTS COLLECTED
SELECTION 03
