Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine April 2018 | Page 606

empowering and providing them with the
opportunity to be independent and to grow.
Zdenka designed tableware collections that
was sold, at one point, in twenty-two stores
around Caribbean. Tahitian, South Sea, Akoya, Kashy, freshwater,
14 carat gold fill, sterling silver, 18 carat gold
and vermeil from metals. All the stones in
Zdenka West Indies jewelry collection are gem
quality.
In 2006, Zdenka West Indies jewelry collection
was born and in 2009 her first retail gallery was
opened in Bobby’s Marina, Philipsburg. At this
point she was invited by Celebrity cruise line
to exhibit her work on the the ship which was
a huge encouragement and gave her added
enthusiasm for her creative business. The Art Box jewelry collection includes brass,
shells, coconut and palm bark beads and semi-
precious stones. Zdenka says, “there is a certain
freedom, power and skill in being an "artist"
designer or artisan.”
Things slowed down as at 46, Zdenka proudly
gave birth to her first child. She took a step
back from things for the first three years of her
daughter’s life. Then she returned to business
again. In July 2017, a new branch of The Art Box
was opened in Cole Bay with a vision to grow
as a jewelry designer and provide more space
for local art and craft. However, with Hurricane
Irma’s damage to the island in September 2017,
the Philipsburg location is currently closed
but plans are underway to re-open in the near
future.
Zdenka’s ultimate goal is to create unique
pieces that are wearable in different
environments and occasions while still
displaying the spirit of the Caribbean. She
cares, not only for her jewelry’s designs but
also for the message of peace the jewelry
depicts and that each piece represents care.
Ethically sourced materials are a must, and
she takes fair trade and ecological mining very
seriously. Nature and lifestyle, she says, are her
inspiration. She likes organic shapes, row cuts,
and really unusual hard-to-find stones. The
pearls she uses are usually large, hard-to-find
At the moment Zdenka’s work is available only
in Sint Maarten at her gallery in Cole Bay as
many retailers who carry her jewelry on the
other islands are still recovering from Hurricane
Irma’s damage.
In addition to Zdenka’s jewelry, The Art Box
offers art and craft from other Caribbean
artists, including most of the artists on Sint
Maarten.