For Guzema’s new capsule collection, founder Valeriya Guzema lovingly re-creates images from her childhood steeped in Ukrainian folklore, with its deep symbolism of justice and resilience, in fine jewelry.

Debuting this month in time for the holidays, the Once Upon a Time capsule uses archetypes that Guzema says people in her home country of Ukraine encounter in their daily life—the enchanted mirror, the magic egg, the bird girl—as well as the sun, the moon, and the stars. Prices range from $480, for the Bird Girl charm ring with diamond-studded star, to $22,250, for a diamond pavé Bird Girl brooch.

Once Upon a Time arrives at an opportune moment, Guzema says, as the world seems to need to find light amid darkness. She’s created a mini version of the collection aimed at children, offering them hope for the future.

“When I was little, books seemed to be a space where the world felt bigger, kinder, and full of possibility,” says the designer. “In Ukraine, folktales are definitely a cultural phenomenon. They’re woven into childhood almost by default: You don’t necessarily ‘discover’ them, you grow up inside them.

“I was raised on them, not only through books but through voices—my grandmother’s stories, family rituals, the everyday magic that was simply part of how we lived,” she adds.

As a symbol of protection, belonging, memory, or identity, jewelry is always tied to the wearer’s story—the tale of why they bought it, why they wear it, and what it says to the world, Guzema notes.

“That’s why storytelling feels essential. It gives a piece of soul and turns an object into something alive. Folklore, in this sense, is a natural part of jewelry,” she says. “Folktales contain the emotional DNA of a culture. They carry our archetypes, humor, wisdom…so using them as inspiration doesn’t feel like an artistic decision. It’s more like honoring something we all carry inside.”

Once Upon a Time’s motifs seemed to select themselves, according to Guzema. When she and her team started thinking about Ukrainian folktales for the collection, certain images stood out as artistic on their own. They also appear as symbols across different regions, like a shared visual language.

“The bird felt especially important,” she says. “In our folklore, birds often act as messengers, protectors, or guides. They carry wisdom, bring news, help the hero transform or find their way back home. There is something profoundly tender and universal about that.”

Thus, the bird is one of the collection’s central characters. It’s charming, but it’s also symbolic: a reminder of freedom, intuition, and the lightness we sometimes lose as adults. The Bird Girl brooch is Guzema’s favorite piece because it rests on your body like a tiny guardian, she says.

“Potya, the bird girl from Ukrainian folklore, represents transformation, loyalty, and inner wisdom,” says Guzema. “When we worked on this piece, I wanted it to carry that softness and strength at the same time. The moment I pinned the first sample onto my shoulder, it immediately felt like a companion—light and poetic.”

Inspired by a mid-19th-century tale from Ukraine’s Podolia region, Guzema depicts the enchanted mirror in a pair of drop earrings, with diamond-covered oval pendants evoking the mirror’s shimmering surface—and a small bird atop the “mirror” as if guarding a portal into the unseen.

Another folkloric entity, the magic egg (drawn from an 1869 tale of the Uman region) has become a locket necklace. As in the tale, the egg opens to hold something meaningful—a memory, a picture, a personal amulet. Sitting on the locket is a pair of larks, the king of birds in the story.

In connection with the Once Upon a Time capsule, Guzema put together a book titled The Skyward Tree, which is offered as a gift with purchase of an item from the main or mini collection. The book,  published by Kyiv-based Osnovy, contains 12 traditional Ukrainian folktales, preserving them in their original spirit, says Guzema.

“For us, this book is as meaningful as the pieces themselves,” she says. “It anchors the collection in real cultural heritage and allows people to engage with the original tales, not just their visual interpretations.”

Top: The bird girl from Ukrainian folklore appears in Guzema’s Enchanted Mirror earrings, a pendant necklace, and a ring with one of two birds accented in diamonds. (Photos courtesy of Guzema)

• Subscribe to the JCK News Daily
• Subscribe to the JCK Special Report
• Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
• Follow JCK on X: @jckmagazine
• Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine