With lush emerald greens, Palomino ultra-suede displays, and a geometric crystal chandelier, the new Karina Brez Jewelry location in Palm Beach, Fla., will serve as a flagship store for the equine-inspired brand as well as an expression of Brez’s personal style.
The shop, which opens Nov. 19, incorporates both Brez’s romantic aesthetic—think velvet drapes and chairs in the consultation area—and her expertise in creating a mood. Her background in set and costume design and her flair for pageants and other special occasions come through in a thoughtful way.
“It’s my dream store,” Brez says. “It’s the smallest store on that street but the mightiest.… It’s under 200 square feet, but jewelry doesn’t have to be in a big retail space. I wanted something that was my style and [where] I could see clients one-on-one.”
Though Brez has previously had pop-up-style storefronts in North Carolina, the Palm Beach location will be her first permanent shop. The store at 240 Worth Ave. is intended to be an oasis for clients but also a way for Brez to introduce people to her two passions: horses and jewelry.
Karina Brez Jewelry seeks to honor the relationship between human and horse, Brez says. Her signature fine jewelry collections are Huggable Hooves and Horse LUV, both of which incorporate the spirit and power of the horse while also highlighting its beauty and athleticism.
Horseshoes serve as a powerful symbol in her jewelry as well, especially as a sign of good luck. With her new Unicorn Horseshoes collection, which is debuting in time for the store opening, Brez turns the horseshoe into a rainbow with colored sapphires, diamonds, and tsavorites set in a channel. It is a tribute to her daughter, who loves rainbows, and anyone who sees rainbows as meaningful in their own lives, Brez says.
She weaves other parts of her life into her designs—a kind of optical illusion or hidden meaning in each piece. For example, her Horse LUV designs are shaped like a heart, but they also look like two horses touching foreheads. There is a trellis on the back of each design, a reminder of Brez’s earlier pop-up locations.
Her brand logo is another optical illusion. It is a butterfly and a crown, a nod to her pageant past. Brez, a first-generation Ukranian American, got her start in jewelry in an unusual way—she was inspired to design her own collection after she won the title of Miss Florida USA in 2012. Her fellow contestants were impressed by the design she created for her own pageant dress, which sparked her creativity into action.
Karina Brez Jewelry will mark the official opening of its Palm Beach store with an invitation-only reception and a Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches ribbon-cutting on Nov. 19.
A portion of the proceeds from each piece sold during the grand opening will be donated to West Palm Beach’s Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation in support of their arts programming.
Top: Karina Brez will open her first permanent retail location in Palm Beach, Fla., to highlight her equestrian jewelry and more. (All photos courtesy of Karina Brez Jewelry)
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