In Untamed, Gurhan Orhan’s new collection of 24k gold pendants featuring a menagerie of carved gemstone animals, from fierce-looking wolves to soaring birds, jewelry has rarely felt more talismanic. Designed to evoke one of the four classical elements—earth, fire, water, or air—each animal is meant to serve as a personal totem that connects the wearer to her own untamed nature.

“The Untamed collection channels something primal—forces that cannot and should not be tamed,” Orhan tells JCK. “Each animal totem carries elemental essence: the grounding power of earth, the transformative energy of fire, the fluid grace of water, the liberating breath of air.

“I’ve always believed that every piece of jewelry is meant for a particular woman,” he adds. “With Untamed, this feeling is even stronger. These aren’t decorative animals—they’re spiritual guides that remind us of the wild, authentic parts of ourselves. The weight of pure gold, the texture of hand-hammered metal, the energy of each carved stone—these tactile elements ground us in something real and ancient.”

Of all the creatures that appear in Untamed—including wolves, horses, lions, fish and geese—one has proven especially seductive, says Orhan.

“I’m particularly drawn to the horse forms—we have several carved from different materials like blue topaz, mammoth ivory, quartz, and Sleeping Beauty turquoise,” he says. “Each horse carries earth’s grounding energy but also represents freedom and power. The Sleeping Beauty turquoise horse is extraordinary—the stone’s natural matrix patterns look like wind flowing through the mane. Then there’s our fish series, carved from lapis, carnelian, amazonite, even mammoth ivory. Fish represent water’s adaptability and flow, but each material gives the piece a different energy.”

And let’s not forget the precious metal that tops each pendant. At today’s record-breaking prices, gold must be used strategically if a jeweler hopes for it to sell. In Untamed, Orhan has landed on the perfect combination of carved hard stones in statement-making sizes adorned with caps of yellow gold.

“When I receive these carvings, I study each one individually to determine how the 24k gold should embrace it,” he says. “Some pieces, like our butterfly forms, require delicate rose-cut diamonds to accentuate the wings, while power animals like our lion get bold, simple settings that don’t compete with their presence.”

Top: Crown horse pendant necklace in 22k and 24k gold with blue topaz and diamond, $6,310; Gurhan

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