Istanbul Handicraft Center — Local services in Fatih

Be very careful. Don't buy here, don't even waste your time talking to these people.

We walked into this jewelry store in Istanbul and saw a ring we genuinely liked. Elegant design, clean setup – seemed promising.

Before we even asked about the price, I asked a very basic question: “Does this diamond come with a certificate? GIA? HRD?”

Their answer:

“No, certificates aren’t given for fancy cut diamonds. But we give you a lifelong guarantee.”

Which is completely false. Fancy cuts are certified all the time by GIA, HRD, IGI and others. The "guarantee" is worthless without independent validation.

So I pushed further: “Okay, then what are the specs – the 4Cs?”

At that point, the salesman visibly froze for a second. You could see the “oh shit” moment in his face – he clearly hadn’t expected that question. Then, without checking anything, he confidently blurted out:

“G color, VS1 clarity, excellent cut.”

No magnifying glass. No grading report. No certificate. No scale. Apparently, they know the properties of all their diamonds by heart. Sure.

Even though I had already told them I speak Turkish, I overheard one say to the other:

“Did you tell him the price yet?” – “No.”

Then came the legendary move: They pulled out the infamous Turkish scam calculator. Tap tap tap – and suddenly the ring cost:

$5,400.

Let that sink in.

Imagine a seller quoting you $5,400, lying to your face, offering no certificate – and expecting you to just trust him. That’s like buying a used car with no service history, and the owner saying:

“Don’t worry, it’s clean. You can trust me.”

No wonder so many tourists in Istanbul feel burned by scammy sellers like this.

I told them honestly:

“This ring wouldn’t even sell for $2,000 in the West.”

They laughed mockingly and said:

“For $2,000 we can offer you a lab-grown diamond.”

When I mentioned I had used ChatGPT to estimate the realistic value based on global benchmarks, they got visibly defensive and replied:

“AI doesn’t know everything. If it did, people like us wouldn’t be needed anymore.”

It clearly hit a nerve. They hated being called out and losing face.

Let me be crystal clear: Even without AI, nobody needs you guys. Nobody needs salesmen who freeze when asked basic questions, then make up specs to justify fantasy prices and lie in the face of customers.

When we left, we talked to another shop owner on the same street – without mentioning the price. His first reaction?

“They’re known to charge ridiculous prices.”

This isn’t craftsmanship. This isn’t trust. This is theater – with inflated egos and rigged calculators.

And the best part?

I later found the exact same ring – same design, 18K gold, 0.6 ct diamonds – from Emel Pırlanta, a reputable Turkish jeweler, with an HRD certificate, for just 45,000 TRY (about $1,150).

They tried to sell it for nearly five times that amount. No certificate. No ethics. Just performance.

Avoid this...

A wonderful, feel good experience. I got to meet the third generation owner, Jacob. Clean, kind and elegant. Even if you don't plan on buying a carpet while in Turkey, it's quite the experience to have. And you just might end up having sent to your home, a piece that you'll pass on to your great-great-grandkids. Remind the difference between machine made, handmade. Silk, wool, cotton, mixed And which works best for your high traffic living room, your bedroom, and just inside your front door. Perhaps wool died with vegetable s for your mudroom and kitchen. Cotton or wool for your living room. And silk for your bedroom. Be charitable to future yourself, and negotiate a little bit. I also recommend to remove your shoes and socks to walk on your future carpet. It's hard to get authentic feel with your hands if you'll mostly be walking on it with your feet! (Life hack: use mineral salt on your feet, and armpits for that matter. No scent, no...

Visited this shop with my family on vacation, we received the rug presentation which was lovey but now we’re wondering if the rugs were also fake.

My sister and I bought earrings from them which they told us came with paper work for authenticity.

I have very sensitive skin so I wanted a good quality earring. Fast forward to 3 days later my sisters earring started changing colors and broke into pieces.

My ear is now infected, red, with a wonderful purply glow brought it to a jewelry shop back in the States and they mentioned it’s not silver it’s not gold it’s definitely not diamonds like they said it was just a cheap piece of metal!

Avoid this place at all costs, they are all well dressed, fast talking thieves!!!!’

Oh and the paperwork of authenticity is a receipt that...