Dreams Are Made Of

Text and images by Dalya Turunc.

When Özlem Uçaroğlu, 52, moved from Ankara to New York in her twenties, she did not expect her life’s work to unfold on a sidewalk in SoHo.

For nearly 15 years, she has sold her jewelry from a stand on Prince Street, returning each spring with the latest of her creations, including necklaces, rings and earrings crafted from delicate gemstones.

Uçaroğlu began making jewelry in 1998 but her curiosity for craft goes back to childhood, when she would take her mother’s pieces and cut them up to make new ones for herself and her dolls.

She continues to draw on visual memories from her childhood in Ankara – from the geometric symmetry of woven Kilim textiles to the ornate silver pieces worn by older Turkish women.

Though she later designed for brands like Ralph Lauren, her jewelry-making process is a self-taught skill.

“I learned how to make rings in my dreams at night,” she says. “I think I was trying to figure it out in my own mind.”

Uçaroğlu gets her inspiration from the seemingly mundane details of everyday life. Even a certain curve in an ornate park gate, or  the way a tree looks in a particular light can serve as a starting point for a new design. 

Some designs can take months to complete, as each detail is carefully shaped by hand. One of her most popular pieces is her heart of pearl earrings, which feature clusters of pearls that resemble grapes hanging from a vine.

For Uçaroğlu, the relationships she fosters at her stand are just as important as the end product.

“When I’m at my stand, I feel like I’m at a picnic,” she says.

She eagerly returns each spring, with treats ready for the neighborhood dogs she knows by name.