Jewelry

Own a piece of art, a piece of history

Bohemian Jewelry- Beautiful artwork  with a Romantic but tragic history.

Bohemian jewelry represents an elaborate style of vintage costume jewelry that originated from Bohemia, which is now part of Czechoslovakia( or Czech Republic), especially in the town of Gablonz (now Jablonec).In the 1920’s and 1930’s, at the height of the Art Deco Era, Gablonz was the glass center in Europe, where skilled craftsman in several artisan factories were creating graceful glass costume jewelry by hand. Actually, these glass-makers of Gablonz had been perfecting their craft for over 300 years prior.

Gablonz glass beads and glass gemstones were made from long rods of glass.The rods were heated until malleable. Then, molds were pressed into the glass canes to form the beads and gemstones.The individual pieces were embellished with rhinestones and glass which were then shaped, faceted and polished by hand into beads and graceful luminous drops.

The advent of World War II devastated  the Gablonz glass making and jewelry industries. Families fled the area upon the 1938 occupation. Those left were forced to make trinkets for the Nazis. Tragically, many others like the famous Neiger Brothers were killed at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

The Bohemian glass vintage jewelry are characterized by vibrant colors(such as emerald green, sapphire blue, amethyst purple and ruby red) as well as intricate designs. They reflect the underlying romantic background, tragic history and rich culture. “Owning it is to own a piece of rich history as well as a piece of stunning artwork”.