Melissa officinalis

Melissence is the line of stillness in the middle. Melissa officinalis — lemon balm — was cultivated in the Byzantine monastery gardens of Iznik (ancient Nicaea) from the twelfth century onward. The plant calmed; the monks named it; the tradition continued under Seljuk and Ottoman administrations without interruption.

Mevlana — the Seljuk-Sufi poet of Konya — wrote of Vuslat: the return to one's own centre. Melissence carries this register. It is the line that does not seek to fix anything — it returns the wearer to herself.

Four pieces at launch.

Care, as a return.