Molu Jewelry Board Member

Ahmet Molu graduated from Istanbul Bilgi University. He completed his master’s degree in Design Management at Istituto Marangoni in Italy, then graduated with high honors from the Graduate Gemologist program at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Since 2017, Molu has been managing the design and production departments at Molu Jewelry.

Co-Founder of Art for Jewelry

A strategic marketing and brand consultant in the luxury goods and jewelry sector, he is also a founding partner of the Art for Jewellery platform. He provides consulting services to national and international brands on strategic marketing, brand positioning, and market entry processes. Holding expert certifications in gemstones and diamonds, he prepares jewelry purchasing and trend reports in line with global trade show trends. She is the author of the book Istanbul’s 100 Jewels and Artists and has won two prestigious awards for this work. She carries out cultural, artistic, and marketing projects with institutions such as the Jewelry Exporters Association and the Istanbul Jewelers Chamber. With the Neomena Trade Platform she established in Dubai in 2025, she supports companies’ export processes in the Middle East.

Creative Director of Terzihan Jewelry

Terzihan is the creative director and second-generation representative of the Mücevher brand. After graduating from Galatasaray University’s Faculty of Communication, she completed her master’s degree in jewelry design and luxury brand management in Italy. She took over the company with her brother Can after 8 years, opening stores and showrooms in the US, Dubai, and Lisbon. In 2023, the brand was chosen by iconic names such as Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, and Mariah Carey.

Chair of the Department of Jewelry and Jewelry Design, Marmara University

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çimen Bayburtlu conducts interdisciplinary research in the fields of jewelry, textile, and fashion design, combining traditional handicrafts with contemporary design concepts. She has participated in numerous national and international projects and held solo exhibitions titled Selfscape in 2014 and Silent Discourses – Wearable Metal Textile in 2017 in L’Aquila, Italy. Her personal exhibitions, such as “Stitch by Stitch Me,” “From Canvas to Body,” “Journey with Ehram,” and “Weave of Life,” focus on themes of identity, weaving, and transformation. Her works have been featured in various group exhibitions, and she has published articles in national and international platforms.

Istanbul Technical University – Metallurgical Engineering

Prof. Dr. Emel Geçkinli graduated from the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at the Faculty of Mining Engineering at Istanbul Technical University (ITU). She completed her master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral studies at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University in the United States. After returning to Turkey, she began working as a faculty member at the ITU Faculty of Mining Engineering; she was promoted to associate professor in 1979 and professor in 1989.

Throughout her academic career, she served as a visiting faculty member at École Polytechnique in Montreal, Canada, and as a consultant at the Materials Department of the TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center. He retired from the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at the Faculty of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at ITU in 2009. Between 2011 and 2015, he served as a faculty member and department chair at the Department of Jewelry Engineering at Istanbul Commerce University.

Melis Goral Jewelry – Founder and Creative Director

Melis Goral is the founder and creative director of the Melis Goral Jewelry brand. She graduated from Saint Benoit High School and completed her education in fashion and jewelry design at NUOVA ACCADEMIA DI BELLE ARTI and the European Institute of Milan in Italy. After completing an internship in New York in 2008, she returned to Turkey and brought her first designs to life within her family business, Ziya Jewelry, establishing her own brand in 2009. She opened her first showroom in Bebek in 2015 and strengthened her brand image with a new store, also in Bebek, in 2021. Her designs combine Art Deco aesthetics with inspiration from art, architecture, and cultural elements. Melis Göral Salargil, winner of the ELLE Style Awards “Jewelry Designer of the Year” award, represents her collections at select retail outlets in Turkey and abroad.

Gold Carver, Silver Inlayer, Mother-of-Pearl Master, “Master Craftsman”

Born in Gaziantep in 1943, Mehmet Zeki Kuşoğlu settled in Istanbul in 1949 and graduated from the State Applied Fine Arts College in 1964. That same year, he went to Germany on a state scholarship to complete his specialization and returned to Turkey in 1969. Kuşoğlu developed his interest in Turkish-Islamic and Eastern arts by working with artists of the period, focusing on wood, stone, and metal arts. Prioritizing the concepts of identity and cultural heritage in art, Kuşoğlu emphasizes in his lectures and writings that artists should be knowledgeable not only in their own fields but also in disciplines such as history, music, and philosophy. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zeki Kuşoğlu, who has held numerous exhibitions of his classical and contemporary works, presented papers, and published various articles and books, is an important reference name in the art world.

Founder and Designer of Kurtulan Jewelry

He is the founder and designer of Kurtulan Jewelry. He graduated from Istanbul Boys High School and Istanbul Technical University with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He began his career in the jewelry industry at the age of 16 as an apprentice in the Grand Bazaar, specializing in original jewelry design, 24-karat gold production, gemstone cutting, and diamond grading. He represents the Kurtulan Jewelry brand internationally by combining traditional handicrafts with engineering discipline and modern design concepts. He holds a pioneering position in the industry with his work contributing to the development of Turkish jewelry design. He achieved international success with his designs reaching the finals of the World Gold Council Design Competition in 1998, 1999, and 2002.

Entrepreneur

After graduating from VKV Koç Private High School, she successfully completed her Law degree at the University of Westminster in London.

She is currently a senior (4th-year) student in the Psychology Department at Bahçeşehir University.

She is an Entrepreneur and Digital Content Creator.

Altınbaş University – Jewelry Design Department

Graduated with honors from the Sculpture Department of Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts, he completed his master’s degree at the same university on the artistic reflections of the concept of the subconscious. The subconscious, fairy tales, myths, and symbolism form the fundamental sources of inspiration in his work. Having worked in the jewelry industry for many years, he has conducted research on ancient production techniques and developed original jewelry collections. His designs have won numerous awards and patents in competitions and organizations. He currently continues his work as a lecturer at Altınbaş University’s Jewelry and Jewelry Design Department.

Jewelry Industry Consultant / Manager

He was born in Finike, Antalya in 1952. He graduated from the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) Department of Business Administration with a bachelor’s degree in 1974 and a master’s degree in 1976. He began his career at OPA Organization, Marketing and Research Ltd. in Ankara; then moved to Istanbul and held various management positions within Ege Holding between 1981 and 1990.

Between 1990 and 2009, he worked as a professional manager at leading companies in the sector, such as Arpaş, Altınbaş, and Favori Jewelry. Since 2009, he has been providing sectoral consulting services to the Jewelry Exporters Association and many national/international jewelry companies.

He is married and has a daughter.