Recep Erkılıç is a very colourful person. He sells wedding rings to young couples and also dresses the people called "clubbers" who enjoy going to mad parties. Don't get so puzzled: He has another shop at Atlas Shopping Arcade in Beyo€lu district of Istanbul called "Pulp" where he sells crazy party costumes. Recep Bey has been married ten years but I notice he doesn't wear a wedding ring. "A tailor will not mend his own clothes." he says, "I couldn't find a wedding ring of my taste. If you sell wedding rings, your ring attracts too much attention."
Recep Bey who is now 34, has been working at Grand Bazaar since 1979. When he was a junior high school student, he'd came to Grand Bazaar during summer holidays to keep himself busy. He has remained here ever since. He had such an affection for Grand Bazaar that he soon opened up his own shop. Since he had started his venture in the Grand Bazaar as an apprentice making wedding rings, he decided to continue in the Bazaar as wedding ring tradesman. R A, name of his shop, has two meanings: RA is short for Recep Alyans while being the name of an ancient Egyptian god.
RA was established in 1997. Since then he has followed all new designs in jewellery and has reflected these in the wedding rings he fashions. Though he continually designs new models, "There is no fashion in wedding rings" says Recep Bey. When he first started this profession, there were only 15 to 20 wedding ring models. Today there are more than 2,500 models. "I cared for RA Alyans as a mother would for her child; it paid me back. I established a very good name in the market. I also have excellent staff." His aim now is the international markets. 12 craftsman and sales staff work at his firm.
According to Mr. Erkılıç, the wedding ring symbolises eternal bonds; so it is not just an ordinary ring. It also has spiritual meanings. Recep Erkılıç advises "First of all you must choose a model that you can put on every day at any occasion. Wedding ring is jewellery in its own right. You shouldn't try to match or combine with other jewellery. When choosing your wedding ring, you should try the classical models rather than the models in fashion. Besides, a good wedding ring shouldn't hurt the finger at all. One must'nt feel its weight. I

recommend, a gold ring of minimum 4 or 5 grams and 14 carats."
I ask Recep Bey what he thinks about the wedding rings with diamonds which are very popular with the ladies. "They were not very popular before and were used by only a few people." he says, "Such rings are used on special occasions only."Recently the most popular wedding rings are silver coloured models and the ordinary classical rings. You must be quite surprised to hear this? Ladies prefer thicker models of these rings for their hus bands so that people can see from a distance that 'he' is actually a married man. So, keep in mind: The weight of your wedding ring may be an indication of devotion to your spouse.

RA is one of the largest firms making and marketing wedding rings only. Its owner Recep Erkılıç explains that the couples come together to buy wedding rings, but generally its the ladies to decide which ring to buy. He draws attention to couples that have a tradition of renewing their wedding rings at every anniversary. He adds that younger generations are not very interested in types and models but the wedding ring for them still is of special importance.
In the old days, the couples used to come with their families for their wedding rings, he explains, "But now this is very rare." he says and adds, "When the couples come alone, choosing becomes much easier. When the families of the couple come all together making a decision in the first visit is almost impossible." I wonder if the new trend of couples living together rather than getting married has effected the sales of wedding rings. "There are so many young Turks that it doesn't effect our trade" he says.
Recep Bey explains that there are some famous people who get married several times and always come back to buy their rings from RA, but no matter how much we insist, Recep Bey doesn't give their names. There are also some men who, when their first marriage fails, get the same ring for their next wife. "One such person" he adds with a laughter "was very lucky as the finger size of both his ex and next were exactly the same."
What happens to the wedding rings when the couples get divorced? "Some get mad and throw their rings to the sea, some bring them back to sell" says Recep Bey, but he explains that when these people decide to get married again, they come back to his shop. In such cases the male customers in particular request him to be careful in what he says. He tells that he makes a joke to the firstcomers from time to time, saying, "Hey Mr., I remember you from last year." Hearing this joke he says that the bride-to-bes go crimson.
Recep Bey has witnessed couples part after an argument over which ring to choose. There was also this bridegroom who went to get money for the ring but never came back. But they soon learnt that the poor man couldn't collect his debt and the ensuing argument caused him to end up at a police station.
The Turkish people appearantly love bargaining when they buy wedding rings. But Recep Bey says, "You can't bargain in gold. We don't earn money from the gold, we earn money from our craftsmanship. The customers pay for the craftsmanship and when shaping gold, skill is very important. You can understand if a wedding ring is of good quality or not, only after you wear it. When you first wear it, you must feel as if it does not exist on your finger. The edges of machine made rings are sharp, they would cut into your finger and not let your skin breathe. When you buy your ring from RA, if you loose or gain weight, they readjust your ring to your finger free of charge. You can also design your own model and Recep Alyans will shape it for you.

Recep Bey has a very emotional approach to those rings that people sell back for economic reasons. "We never melt down wedding rings sold back to us. We keep them for years if necessary. For we know that, they have great importance for their owners and whenever they have enough money, they'll come back to buy back their rings." he says.
Let's say in short that you found the man or the woman of your life. Next you want to get married. If all you need to get married is to buy a wedding ring, come to the Grand Bazaar; specicifically to the shop of Recep Erkılıç, Recep Alyans. Believe me: when you see the shop you will wish to get married right away. If you are thinking of getting married just go there.