The Start of My Blog

I have been very fortunate to have traveled all over the world and I continue to do so.

I love fine art, photography, handmade and fair trade products, estate jewelry, and much more. In the last two years I have expanded my business in these areas, from making jewelry to traveling around the world buying fine items at affordable prices and being able to offer them at my gallery and on-line - which you can visit at http://www.designcenters.com/

Jewelry is something so personal to men and women and it has been used over the centuries for many reasons. When a person finds "the piece" they become one with it. Those are the pieces I strive to find, and those are the pieces I love. For example, my estate pieces are both exquisite and interesting. As I add their pictures to the website I hope you will be able to enjoy their workmanship, time periods and of course their classic looks.

One of the best things about finding new pieces for the gallery has been making great contacts and friends wherever I have gone. This blog will explore not only the areas I’ve been to and the items that I’ve been able to acquire for the gallery, but also the people behind the jewelry, arts and other products.

If you have been to the places I have gone hopefully you will be able to share your love of those cultures with me. If anyone has suggestions of places for me to visit or contacts in areas I could buy around the world let me know. You never know, I might just look you up.

Happy Reading,
Jamie

Prague - 2008

Designcenters.com

Prague

Recently I went to Prague, truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. The city has many jewelry shops lining the streets, but it was hard to differentiate one from the other -- they all looked the same, until I spotted the shop 'Sebastian'.

'Sebastian' is named for the son of Lorenc, who is the shop’s owner and jewelry designer. This family business began in 1856 in Italy, and eventually Lorenc and his family ended up in Prague. He designs one-of-a-kind, beautiful pieces out of unique and interesting pieces of amber and garnet. I brought back a few of his pieces to sell in the gallery -- and of course got one for myself too.

I should also mention that while I was in Prague, I took a creative writing workshop. This was a wonderful experience that I hope will make this blog more interesting and informative. The website for the course is: http://www.creativityworkshop.com.

The instructors were Shelley Berc and Alejandro Fogel. Shelley writes fiction, plays, and essays and her theater pieces have starred many notable actors, such as Patrick Stewart, Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub. Her lists of achievements go on and on and on... And Alejandro is a multimedia artist working in painting, writing, installations and much more. He has exhibited his work in galleries and museums in Argentina, Bulgaria, Cuba, France, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, US and Germany and his list of accomplishments and achievements also goes on and on.

Both instructors were both kind and inspiring. The class was taught in English, and students from six countries were represented. There were about twenty of us attending and we all became good friends. I asked some of my classmates to give me their top five favorite sites in Prague. So in addition to the 'Sebastian' gallery, if you visit Prague, you should consider:

· The Black Dog Motorcycle Police
· Charles Bridge
· Trdlo (fire-roasted pastry)
· Old Town St.
· Breakfast at Cafe Emporio
· Pilsner
· Grand Priory Sq. - Mural of John Lennon
· Jewish Cemetery
· Zesky Krumlov - day trip out of town
· Bone Museum - day trip out of town

My recommended highlights included the museum exhibits by Mucha, Dali and Franz Kafka, the gelato at Cremaria Milano, (it's a must), and the Prague Castle. This is a must see for anyone making their way to Prague. It is a day trip because the castle is more like a compound, with many buildings making up a small town. It's a fun walk from town to the castle but it takes a while and there are some good stairs to climb, so be prepared with proper shoes and a hearty breakfast.

Other great sites to see include the city’s synagogues, the Museum Kampa, and the Lobkowicz Estate.

A tour of the city’s six synagogues is intriguing and moving. You might remember from a history class that Hitler kept Prague intact in order to show artifacts of how the "extinct" Jews lived. Thankfully he did not succeed but Judaic history in Prague was preserved beautifully. The tour is a lot to take in, even over the course of two days.

The Modern Museum, better known as Museum Kampa, was a real treat. The building itself is fascinating. It is located on the Vltava River in a restored and expanded stone mill and dates back to 1393. It overlooks the Charles Bridge. I found the exhibits to run the gamut of fun and whimsical to more serious and introspective.

And lastly, don't forget to check out the Lobkowicz Estate, which dates back to 1623. Under communist rule the house was confiscated around the 1930's and it was not returned to the Lobkowicz family until 1993 – after the fall of communism. It is the only private estate left in that area and is still run by the family. The audio tour comes with your ticket and the son, father, and mother come on the recording and tell you of their family's history. The music room alone holds the original manuscripts of Beethoven's 5th and 6th symphony. In one case Beethoven dedicates the symphony to a relative of this family. Truly one of the best exhibits in the entire city.

So I hope this inspires some of you to visit Prague for the art, the culture, and Lorenc’s beautiful amber and garnet jewelry. And if you can’t visit Prague, you can come to the gallery where I can show you some of his pieces, as well as more pictures from my trip.