I wanted to create a Sorguç for myself utilizing period materials as close to the originals in design as possible while still being a unique piece.

A small pendant of jade carved in a period floral motif makes up the base of the piece. I adhered a piece of wool to the back as a base for the pin, feathers and chains to be stitched to. I wanted to use gold Leaf in the Kundan style (Keene et al. 18) but the types of gold leaf available at this time were sticking to the entire stone instead of the gesso. Obtaining Kundan gold leaf was impossible due to current pandemic supply chain and shipping constraints. Therefore, I utilized shell gold to simulate the look of the technique with shell gold I had on hand.

After determining that I would not be able to use Kundan Gold to effectively bezel set the gemstones in place, I decided that barge cement would have to do in place of that medium.  Not long after the cement had set, I was cleaning the piece and dropped it from a height of almost 5' onto cement.  A leading tenet in the Oriental faith is that perfection is for the gods, that Allah only is perfect. Old rug weavers would deliberately weave in a mistake, because perfection is reserved for the gods, not man.  I personally believe that the sign of an artisan's skill is in how they handle mistakes.  This was a big one, as the gemstones all came loose and spread across the floor while the jade split straight down the middle. I utilized jeweler's glue to put the jade back together and re-adhered the gemstones. 

I then worked on the pre-fabricated aigrette.  It was hammered to shape to ensure the bottom would more easily slide into fabric. I filed the back of the aigrette and punched/filed two holes at the top in order to stitch the aigrette to the wool backing of the jade. 

I added a variety of feathers to the wool backing of the jade using barge cement then covered everything with another piece of wool. I took this opportunity to stitch a modern pin back to the wool backing of the jade to ensure it wasn't going anywhere. (This was a modern, personal choice due to the expense of the materials.  I REALLY don't want this thing falling off my head!)

I then used gold chain, jump rings and hooks to create the hooked chains found in many extant pieces for attaching it to a turban.  These are simply strung onto the bar of the pin with jump rings so that I can easily remove the chains for different styles of wear.

In the future, I would very much like to create a Sorguç or another piece of Ottoman Turkish jewelry using the Kundan technique.  When the world's supply and shipping chain comes back to some semblance of normalcy, I look forward to trying my hand at it.  I would also prefer to make my own aigrette or straight metal stem once our metal shop is set up with all of the various tools and supplies we have at hand.