Meral and Halil Sartekin, the designers behind Kelim Jewelry, create matte sterling silver jewelry inspired by the geometric patterns in kelims, the traditional woven carpets of their native Turkey. Born in Akhisar, a rural village in Turkey, Meral was an independent, free spirited young woman who left her country to travel abroad to Zurich, Switzerland, where she married Halil and had their daughter.

The couple founded Kelim, a boutique specializing in goods from their native country, in 1992, and became inspired to design jewelry that incorporated traditional Turkish aesthetic themes with the natural beauty of their adopted country of Switzerland. For Meral, “Kelim means the warmth of something handmade.” The couple wants their jewelry to be wearable, so it can be accessorized with jeans and a t-shirt, or make the perfect statement with a cocktail dress. They also incorporate colored gemstones such as onyx, fluorite and coral into their designs.

Each piece in Kelim’s extensive collections evokes a sense of movement and fluidity. Whether their bold, Geometric Drop earrings, their popular Bubble Bracelet, or all of the work in their extraordinary Pod collection, the undulations of mountainscapes and the richly layered textures of Turkish culture are evident, in both bold and subtle ways. With a dedicated U.S.-based distributor, the Kelim brand is offered to an exclusive roster of retailers, from traditional fine jewelry stores to specialty stores, ensuring that stylish women from across the globe can adorn themselves in Kelim’s distinctive designs.