Former Miss Florida USA, Karina Brez, recently launched her eponymous store, Karina Brez Jewelry, in Palm Beach on November 19 of this year with a grand opening reception. The Ukrainian-American beauty held a festive ribbon cutting ceremony along with the Chamber of Commerce in front of her first brick-and-mortar store located on tony Worth Avenue. Afterwards, family, friends and VIP clients were invited to celebrate with the designer at Karina Brez Jewelry. A portion of the proceeds from each piece sold during the grand opening was donated to West Palm Beach’s Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation.
A force to be reckoned with, Karina is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America, a certified Gemologist and a third-generation jeweler. Ever since she was a child, she wanted to be an accessories designer. When asked what led her down the path of becoming an entrepreneur, Karina shared a story from her childhood of how she began digging up worms and selling them to fishermen who were going to the beach or the pier. The six-year-old soon realized that by cutting the worms in half, she could double her profits. Eventually, the young entrepreneur ran her own jewelry appraisal company while competing for the Miss Florida USA title. After being crowned Miss Florida USA in 2012, Karina was inspired to design her own collection of equestrian-inspired jewels as her fellow contestants were so impressed with the jewelry she created for her pageant gown. A year after competing, she launched her very first pop-up shop at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida.
Named one of the top three Equestrian jewelers alongside Gucci by Equestrian Living Magazine, Karina Brez Jewelry is made with the exquisite jewelry connoisseur in mind who appreciates magnificent horses. A true aficionado of all things equine, Karina sought to honor the relationship between human and horse when she created her jewelry collection. Her signature fine jewelry collections, Huggable Hooves and Horse LUV, both incorporate the spirit and power of the horse while also highlighting its beauty and athleticism. Her Horse LUV designs are shaped like a heart but they also look like two horses touching foreheads. Her new Unicorn Horseshoe line was created as a tribute to her daughter who loves rainbows. The delicate pieces come in rainbow hues of colored sapphires, diamonds and tsavorites in a channel setting. Each gem selected is hand-picked by Ms. Brez and she designs the handcrafted pieces in the family studio. She also features a curated selection of other fine jewelry.
As kind as she is beautiful, Ms. Brez advocates for charities such as Horses Healing Hearts that utilize horses to help heal people. The charity provides equine therapy for children and families who have been adversely affected by the impact of substance abuse.
