BlogBack: Gurhan’s Spokesperson Defends the Met’s High-Priced "Afghanistan" Jewelry

Maya Ahluwalia, marketing and public relations manager for Gurhan, responds to my criticism (in Golden "Afghanistan" Now at the Met) of the high-priced Gurhan-designed jewelry sold at the Metropolitan Museum's shop in connection with Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul:

I thought that a little background on Gurhan [Orhan], his collaboration with the Met, and the purpose of the collection would help provide a different angle on the topic.

The artifacts in the exhibition, like Gurhan's designs, pull from a wide array of cultural influences. The region that modern Afghanistan currently occupies was originally part of the cultural crossroads known as the Silk Road. The convergence of cultures on the well-known trade route created art and artifacts with a mixture of Greek, Indian, Chinese, Anatolian and Turkish influences, not strictly Afghan.

Gurhan was chosen by the Met specifically for the fact that his major contribution to the world of jewelry has been to reincarnate the techniques of ancient goldsmiths who first worked in pure 24 karat gold. These goldsmiths emanated from all the various cultures that created the museum treasures, not just Turkey or Afghanistan. Their techniques were abandoned for a long period time following the trend to alloy gold with lesser metals such as silver and copper, and indeed, it became commonly regarded as impossible and undesirable to make jewelry using 24 karat gold due to its softness, weight and expense.

Gurhan's pioneering revival of the use of pure gold in modern jewelry challenged these long-held assumptions and it is thanks to him that this metal is now available for today's woman to wear.

I think that it is also worth mentioning that although Gurhan is Turkish by birth, he views himself as a citizen of the world. The exposure to different areas of the world and cultures influence Gurhan's designs, creating a look that is not inherently Turkish, but that has global appeal.

A related BlogBack, from a spokesperson for the company that supplied the less pricey jewelry that was sold at other venues of the "Afghanistan" show, is here.