The labyrinthine Grand Bazaar can seem like Istanbul's version of a 99-cent store, awash in evil-eye amulets and questionable caviar. But inside Can Antiques, a sense of Ottoman-era grandeur prevails. Owner Íbrahim Uslucan stocks dazzling reproductions of 17th- and 18th-century Russian and Austrian jewelry—emerald-stacked rings, earrings encrusted to their bases with gems— and a select array of originals, such as this late-Ottoman brooch in pink gold set with rose-cut diamonds. They're pricier than the glass eyes sold outside—but, as charms go, infinitely more enduring. Can Antiques, Kürkçüler Cad., Kapaliçarsi; 90-212/520-0397; www.candiamondandjewel.com; from $1,000.
Istanbul
Davies + Starr
Bringing home the treasures of the Ottoman Empire
From April 2006
By Amy Farley

