The Name
“Gypsy Magda” in no way intends any offense against the Romani people. The word, which comes from a misunderstanding of where the Rom were actually from (“’Gyptians”), is considered derogatory by some. For Magda, it is merely a discriptor for a style of dance she loves.
The Graphics
The graphics on these pages are taken from 19th century Ottoman embroideries. The backgrounds are traditional Turkish tiles. The decorative typeface is Aladdin.
The Ubiquitous Eye
A common sight in Middle Eastern restaurants in America is the Turkish eye. Sometimes found in jewelry, or as wall hangings, this usually glass charm is for protection against the evil eye. Though they can be found in about any color, by far the most common is cobalt blue. Most people think of the evil eye as being deliberate malevolence. In some cases it can be as simple as being envious of what someone else has. Envy is one thing that the eye charms are used for. Although the charms on these pages are Turkish, charms of this sort can be found all over the globe, in ancient cultures and modern.
The Photographer
The main photographer on these pages is Ali Visona (the link will take you to a new page about her). The talented Ms. Visona specializes in portraiture, is available for weddings, and also does photo restoration. She can be contacted via lukeduck@yahoo.com.
The Site Designer
This site and its graphics were designed by Unicorn Design, using Adobe GoLive!® on a Macintosh®. Some of the catalog photos were taken by her. Contact the Webmistress with any broken links or errors.
All of the photos, graphics and text on these pages are copyrighted and may not be used without the written permission of the site owner. Use of them without explicit permission will cause the offender to be reported to his/her ISP and/or local authorities. (And no, having an evil eye charm won’t save you.)
