About the Designer

Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, Sarkis Gokchenian grew up in a very active Armenian diasporan community. Always involved in cultural initiatives during his formative years at the Vahan Tekeyan School of Beirut and Hovagimian Manougian School for Boys, his love of Armenian letter art and its cultural expressions were engrained in his identity. At a young age, Sarkis learned the craft of fine jewelry design and professional diamond setting during his many apprenticeships. Working exclusively for some of the Middle East and Europe’s largest jewelry design houses such as Nourbel Geneva and Carati Paris Jewelry, Sarkis started his career tenure at Canada’s largest jewelry manufacturer, Corona Jewelry Company, upon his move to Toronto. Certified by the Gemvision Academy in Canada in 2013, Sarkis founded SENU Canada in 2014 as a nod to his heritage. He set out to collaborate with Armenian tradespeople in the  community he grew up to help support them during the Lebanese financial crisis. Sarkis takes immense pride in the fact that all SENU pieces are premium-crafted, designed, molded, set, and assembled by Armenian crafters at every step. In his personal pledge to preserve the Armenian identity and culture, he designed the Aypupen Pins as the inaugural signature collection expertly crafted in the finest sterling silver.

 

Sarkis is currently writing and researching for his book about his personal historic collection of Armenian archival pocket watches and the legacy of Armenian watchmakers dating back to the Ottoman Empire. Sarkis makes Toronto home with his wife and two young children.