A onetime attorney and judge from Poland channels her creativity into jewelry design.
Designer Anna Horsecka of Horsecka Jewelry
Headquarters: Warsaw, Poland
Year firm launched: “The company officially launched in 2006, but it wasn’t until October 2011 that we started wholesaling to stores.”
Signature style: “Distinguished, sculptural forms are common for us, as are some flame effects. Collections are prepared according to the current trends in fashion. I am often inspired by current events and express my views in jewelry.”
Training, education, and design process: “My formal education is in law, and I worked as a judge for many years. I have been designing jewelry for seven years—I started making jewelry as a hobby—and have taken some professional courses, but have learned mainly through practice. The more I understood the art of production, the better I was able to express myself through jewelry design. For example, our Prison collection is not a statement about my previous work as a judge but is a message against wearing small jewelry!
“We use cast elements only when it is absolutely necessary—for example, the skulls in the ‘Be Like McQueen’ line. I make all the sample items by myself, and patterns for casting are prepared in our workshop. We don’t use pre-made elements in our projects; we design and manufacture all or our own locks, chains, and all kinds of other different components. All of our jewelry is made in Poland.”
Design awards and accolades: “We have twice been awarded a finalist award in 2007 and 2008 as part of the Polish Jewelry Gem contest organized by Aberif, the International Fair of Amber, Jewellery and Gemstones in Gdansk, Poland, and the Polish Amber Association. Our jewelry was also featured on the Polsat Cafe television station in Poland in a segment about luxury goods.”
Materials of choice: “We work primarily in silver, but sometimes we use other metals like gold and steel if we believe that it will result in a better artistic effect. Pearls and precious stones are a common element in our jewelry, and sometimes they are the focal point of a piece, but metals are the most important material in our designs.”
Starting retail price: “$350 in silver.”
Retailer buy-in: “No minimum.”
Accounts: “We sell in our own showroom in Warsaw, but none elsewhere. We are looking to establish contacts with retailers and galleries that share our values ??and can become our representative in foreign markets.”
Jewelry trade show exhibits: “We exhibited at JCK Las Vegas 2012, our first trade fair, but we will do private sales in Europe for the rest of the year. We were very pleased with the reception of our merchandise in the U.S. We believe that Americans have very modern taste and they appreciate uniqueness. They are open to new ideas, independent in judgment and way of life. Those are the values we also share and we try to include them in our work.”
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