Oooh, look what I got!

Aren't these handmade earrings gorgeous!   I picked them up at a small shop in Galata last week (during a very rare Yashar free time that involved a little shopping and cheese and wine!) and have been wearing them ever since!  They are called Oya here in Turkey where there is a rich history and wide practice of this craft.   

Oya is made using a thread and sewing needle and is often used to make edgings on things such as pillowcases, bedsheets and headscarves.  The needlework is intricate and often beautiful.  My mother in law does a lot of this (in between knitting and crocheting) and is what I would call an expert.  She makes things from sight, or from her own experience and knowledge without the need for written patterns.  I am in awe of this work.