Meet Marketa Hrabêtová. This sixteen-year-old Kladno native was born and raised in the Czech Republic. Her love of jewelry began when she was very young and has blossomed into a passion.

Marketa Hrabêtová, Jewelry Enthusiast

I met Marketa at an English camp. She was in my advanced English class. I first noticed that she had a jewelry fetish when we took a break on our first day of class. She left with the rest of the students to stretch, get a snack, chat with her friends. When she came back, I noticed that she had changed her earrings.

By the end of that first day, she had changed her earrings four times.

She told me that, by the end of the eight-day camp, her earlobes began to bleed because she had changed her earrings so often.

I knew that I had found a kindred spirit in Marketa. After the camp was over, we were able to spend lots of time together. Before I left the Czech Republic, I was able to sit down and have dinner with Marketa at her house. She was kind enough to show me her jewelry collection.

Marketa’s jewelry collection.

Marketa’s older sister lives in Prague. However, a few months prior, she was living in Paris, France. Marketa went to visit her there and discovered a bead shop. After five hours in that shop, she had the materials and tools that she needed to begin making her own earrings.

Even as an amateur, Marketa has a sense of style. She likes big, chunky earrings. She loves the color orange, which is super-hot this season. She likes pieces that play up her youthfulness — she wears bold earrings because she can.

Marketa’s three favorite pieces.

Her three favorite pieces are all orange. She also loves earrings more than necklaces or bracelets (although she owns plenty of those, too). She likes fun jewelry, whimsical accents. She bought the orange/lemon earrings in Prague, and she made the other two pieces with materials that she bought in France.

She taught herself how to make jewelry. There was no one to teach her how to do it, so she figured it out on her own. Because she’s still new to the jewelry-making scene, she hasn’t found any stores in Kladno that can supply her with more materials, but she’s eager to make discoveries.

(By the way, Marketa, if you’re reading this, let me know as soon as you find a store that sells some good Czech glass beads. Joanna at Just Me Jewelry is dying to find out about them!)

Marketa’s “special occasion” earrings.

As many of us do, Marketa has special pieces that she reserves for special occasions. If she were to attend a wedding or other special occasion, she says that she would wear either her black and silver bead earrings or her silver dangly earrings because “they go with everything, and they’re simple.” Despite her love for bold pieces, she knows that, on special occasions, a little goes a long way.

Marketa’s very first necklace.

As for pieces with special significance, she still owns the first necklace she ever received as a gift. Her late father gave it to her when she was only four years old. I’m sure that he didn’t know what he was starting with that gift, but he created a jewelry-loving machine!

I loved meeting Marketa in the Czech Republic. I’m so glad that she was gracious enough to invite me over for tea to see her jewelry collection. And for all you Woobies out there: keep showing your style and we may do a Woobie Profile on you!

Your Kindred Spirit,
Olivia

Ahoj (pronounced “ahoy”) from the Czech Republic!

Olivia is on location in Prague this week, and the jewelry scene in the Czech Republic is hot!

There are jewelry vendors everywhere, selling everything from everyday pieces to traditional Czech jewelry! I counted at least seven vendors on the Charles Bridge alone.

A vendor on the Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic.

Czech Glass Earrings on the Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic.

Traditional Czech Black Glass Jewelry near Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic.

Information about traditional Czech jewelry near Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic.

There was also a plethora of stores selling high-quality Czech (or “Bohemian”) garnets. I counted more than ten in Prague before I finally gave up counting them all.

A jewelry store selling high-quality Czech garnet jewelry in Prague, Czech Republic.

A selection of garnet rings in Prague, Czech Republic.

Even though garnets are the most well-known gemstone in the Czech Republic, many stores also sold beautiful amber pieces, as well.

Amber necklaces at a jewelry store in Prague, Czech Republic.

There are also many more well-known jewelry retailers in Prague, including Swarovski.

The Swarovski store in Prague, Czech Republic.

I’m still considering the pieces I want to bring home with me. I got a tip that Czech garnets are much cheaper in Kladno and other cities that don’t attract as many tourists. Once I make my final purchases, of course I’ll share them with you!

I’ll also be posting about a new friend I made during my stay. Marketa Hrabetova is even crazier about jewelry than I am!

In the meantime, na shledano to you all!

Keeping Things in Czech,
Olivia

If your birthday is in July, then your Zodiac stone is the ruby!

Many people know that the diamond is the hardest substance on earth, but few people are aware that the ruby is the second hardest naturally occurring gemstone.

Rubies range in color from pink to blood red. They get their color from the element chromium. All natural rubies contain imperfections such as color impurities and infractions. There are various ways of cleaning up these imperfections – usually by heating the ruby and then cutting it.

When people think of rubies, the first thing to come to mind is The Wizard of Oz and Dorothy’s ruby slippers. But, much like the film, rubies are just as much for grown-ups as for kids.

Rubies tend to bring drama to a look. A single ruby surrounded by diamonds immediately draws the eye. A blood-red ruby pendant with a classic LBD (little black dress, for those of you whose fashion savvy is limited to jewelry) makes a statement – a classic beauty with a wild side.

Since rubies have such a bold hue, try using them to accent an understated outfit. In addition to a ruby pendant with the LBD, a silver cuff with a ruby inset would be a great complement to a crisp, white suit or a simple shift dress. Ruby earrings are a great way to take a simple black pencil skirt and a classic white blouse from simple to sophisticated. And a ruby brooch shaped like a ladybug would bring some style and character to even the simplest twinset.

You July Rubies out there are true gems! Keep your dramatic flair; keep wearing your hearts on your sleeves – and on your ears and your necks and your fingers.

Dramatically,
Olivia