About the Artist

Chetaxu is the namesake of studio jeweler and designer Çiğdem Etker Aksu, whose practice draws on time-honored techniques such as filigree, granulation, and vitreous enamel — infused with a designer’s eye for clean forms and symbolic expression.

Çiğdem’s love for jewelry began in childhood, exploring the treasure-filled boxes of her aunt — a diplomat, painter, and jewelry enthusiast. Years later, she left a first career path in physics to pursue metalsmithing. After formal training, she apprenticed with a master goldsmith and filigree maker in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, where she refined her craft and deepened her connection to heritage techniques.

In 2016, she founded Luft, a line dedicated to modern filigree. The name, meaning air in German, reflects both the lace-like presence of her designs and her education at the Austrian High School in Istanbul. Working from her former studio in Istanbul, she created pieces that blended lightness and strength, geometry and symbolism — always handcrafted, often featuring carefully chosen gemstones.

Her work has been exhibited internationally and published in books, including Artistar Jewels (2018, Milan) and Contemporary Filigree Jewelry by Filipa Oliveira (2023), and featured in magazines such as Hello, Atlas Tarih, and Elle Turkey.

Today, under the umbrella of Chetaxu, she continues to evolve her artistic voice. While Luft remains a signature line celebrating contemporary filigree, Çiğdem also explores new materials, techniques, and themes — all shaped by intuition, symbolism, and a deep respect for the old ways of making.