92 SIDELINES AUGUST 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Dani Moritz
Karina Brez wasn’t born in the saddle. In fact, horses entered
her life only three years ago when she became involved with her
friend’s nonprofit organization, Horses Healing Hearts (HHH), as
an ambassador and honorary chair.
She became involved with the organization after her friend was
murdered by her alcoholic husband, leaving her friend’s orphaned
child behind. Little did she know how much the organization would
impact her life.
For Karina, her involvement with HHH meant an opportunity to
make a difference and gave her a chance to interact with horses.
“I always loved horses, I just never had the opportunity to ride
them,” she said. “That’s the reason I moved to Wellington.” And
soon, helping with fundraising and working at the barn on the
weekends became much more than a way to volunteer. It became
her inspiration.
Karina combined her newfound love of horses and her passion
for gemology to create an equine collection as part of her Karina
Brez jewelry line, which debuted in 2010. In return, Karina gives
a percentage of the proceeds from her equestrian pieces back to
HHH. “I’m always trying to raise money for HHH,” she said. “It’s a
great charity and I don’t know where these kids would be without
it.”
While Karina may be relatively new to horses, she has a long
history with jewelry. Actually, she is a third generation jeweler.
Her parents immigrated to the United States from Ukraine in 1989
and her dad started working with Tiffany & Co., doing repairs
and assembling jewelry, later opening his own stores. Her dad
currently owns a store, Alex Jewelry, in Boca Raton, Florida at
the International Jewelers Exchange. Karina worked at her dad’s
store as a young adult and later became a graduate gemologist
through the Gemologist Institute of America.
Today, Karina has created her own jewelry line, which includes
equestrian pieces and other items such as engagement rings,
wedding bands and fashion jewelry.
And while she gets a lot of inspiration from working with horses,
her collections are also inspired by the French countryside – even
though Karina jokes that she’s only been there once. “I just went
there one summer with my mom and I fell in love with the French
countryside,” she said.
Even her logo, a butterfly in a crown, reflects her love for the
romance of France while symbolizing beauty, femininity and
royalty. The crown also represents a special chapter in her life –
being named the 2012 Miss Florida USA.
The concept for the logo came about when Karina was trying
to create a “B” for her last name and stumbled upon the idea of
a butterfly. “In a way, I want my jewelry to represent the stages
of life, like a butterfly goes through,” she said. “I also want my
jewelry to be something that people can keep for a time and then
pass onto their children, so it can become a keepsake for future
generations.”
To create jewelry that people truly value, Karina gives special
attention to each of her pieces. She handpicks stones from all
around the world and is always the last one to approve an item.
When working on her equestrian jewelry, Karina emphasizes the
individuality of horses and expresses horses’ unique personalities
in her equestrian collection.
She also offers the option for customers to send in images of
their horses, so that she can customize pieces with a specific
horse in mind. “I can create a piece of jewelry that they can keep
and remember their horse by for years and years.”
If you are interested in Karina’s jewelry line, you can visit her
website at karinabrez.com or catch her at her booth at next year’s
WEF.
About the writer: Dani Moritz is a graduate of William Woods University with
majors in Equine General Studies and Communications. She is a staff writer for
Sidelines Magazine, freelance journalist and proud owner of a beautiful Paint/
Arabian mare named September. She is also the 2012 American Horse Publications
Student Award winner.
Karina Brez’s
Crowning Achievement
A piece from Karina’s Equestrian Collection.
Karina and Argento at Horses Healing Hearts sponsor barn
Double J.
Photos courtesy of Karina Brez
e
Fashion
Karina’s logo, a butterfly in
a crown, symbolizes beauty,
femininity and royalty.
