I sat down at the top of the page where I needed to briefly explain my journey.
I'm sure it won't be brief, I hope you'll be patient and read it, becoming a part of my story.
My name is Berfu, and I am the founder of the Jewelarin brand.
I feel like this will go somewhere different from standard brand story writings.
But I think I'll leave it at that and continue without stopping.
The song "How do I tell it, where do I begin" is playing in my head...
I love it dearly. I also feel the warmth of being from Bodrum in this song.
I will try to write about the years stretching from a child who has been painting, dancing with colors, writing, thinking a lot, and participating in many activities since she could remember, saying 'I don't know exactly what, but I'll do a visual job when I grow up,' to Jewelarin.
I graduated from Cinema and Television. I worked as an assistant director until my daughter was born, alongside my studies. I was 6 months pregnant on my last set. Every profession has a rhythm, and thinking that rhythm wouldn't suit me after having a child, I decided I needed to find something different.
My mother always has a saying she uses to describe me: 'If she leaves the house without her earrings, she'll turn back halfway, put on her earrings, and then continue.'
At the same age, in jewelry stores, you know how there are dozens of rings on ring stands? I was the girl who looked at each one individually, touched them, tried them on, and tried to create combinations.
Because my wrists are thin, I was always on the hunt for small-sized or adjustable bracelets, and I loved necklaces with extenders - because you can shorten, lengthen, and layer them; you could summarize me as someone who completes her outfit with jewelry. What a brief summary, though :)
I come from such a youth. Perhaps like many of us, if you're reading this.
Did this not change as I grew up? It changed. Sometimes it became very simple.
Sometimes I got into natural stones, sometimes I leaned towards minimalism, sometimes towards chunky pieces...
My connection with jewelry also changed when I became a mother.
With a messy bun, a tiny baby, and sleepless days, was there any state of mind to think about jewelry?
Sometimes there wasn't at all.
It doesn't really seem like there would be from this perspective; but Jewelarin came precisely at that time...
My daughter; Larin…
She was 3 months old when I seriously took the first steps for Jewelarin.
I was extremely postpartum; I mean, extremely.
I was rushing home from the Grand Bazaar.
My daughter was with my mother.
That's when I started combining the first products with my messy bun; opening an Instagram page and sharing. I was doing something that made me feel better in my new state; and it was also a period of 'whatever I can contribute to the household economy is a gain'…
I don't know how far it will go or in what direction; but I started.
Without calculations, without books, the kind they call a premonition...
From the bedroom of my house.
Over time... as I became more professionally involved with the materials; the story of the stones, the language of the metal, the feeling it left on a piece... A different place opened up within me.
Jewelry was no longer just aesthetic, but a form of communication.
The name Jewelarin, of course, comes from Larin.
It felt like I would grow my brand as she grew.
Indeed, that's what happened; Larin turned 1, then 2, then 3, kindergarten started; I had more time. As she grew, 4-5-6... and as her own spaces increased; my moments with Jewelarin also increased.
Safe and classic pieces; designs I found meaningful began to come together over time. Symbols, textures, finishes...
On the path I started with 925 silver; 14 karat gold was also added to the story.
I chose each one with my own eyes; I described and had them made myself... I sat and strung them.
In fact, I've even started sitting at the workbench now.
Production, photography, packaging, shipping, customer relations...
I am behind all of it.
I am not one for highly assertive sentences; I even wrote what's above without stopping or thinking; because I am actually often shy when talking about what I do.
But here, for myself and so that you can get to know me better, I want to write the sentence within me:
'A piece of jewelry that becomes part of your story feels different from a common accessory. I want to reach people who feel this.'
Hello from a woman, a mother... someone on a journey, finding her way by feeling, trying to do something professional with an amateur spirit!
If you've read this far, if you've become a part of my story; thank you for your patience and effort.
Welcome, welcome...
I can't wait to be a part of your stories too.
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