CGD

Darkness, light and the path between them.

Because Janja Prokić has been nominated for the Czech Grand Design Award a few times in the past, there is no need to stress the fact that her jewelry is a visual affair and that she creates her works based on her own life experiences and dreams. Her work always carries a deeper meaning and symbolism. Apart from legends and fairy tales, it is often also inspired by white magic. But Janja’s finds her greatest muse in nature itself. This is also the case of the Amor Fati collection, where the main motif is the night butterfly – the moth. In Janja’s treatment, it becomes a symbol of searching for the light and for a path, as well as a call to accept one’s own fate.

Unlike her previous collections, which largely worked with oft-used jewelry motifs – like snakes, stars or flowers – Janja deserves respect for her courage to creatively process a not very popular motif. This is similar to her past collection Inéo, whose main theme was found in bones and stones. But the subtext of Amor Fati is all the stronger for it.

The collection’s central theme is the unassuming beauty of the moth, its resilience and ability to move through darkness with confidence and on its own instinct. It reminds us that even at times of uncertainty, when our path is unclear, there exists an inner light which shows us the way. The forest, another key symbol of the Amor Fati collection, represents transformation. It is a space which changes us and where we undergo tests, both spiritual and emotional. In many myths, the forest is a space of traversal between the known and unknown, and the stars become our navigators on the journey. “The moth always flies towards the light, regardless of the danger. It is fascinating that although its movements seem chaotic, it always has a clear goal,” says the jeweler. Our journey can seem similarly chaotic, but in retrospect we often see the sense in it. “Until you raise your head, you will only see shadows,” says Janja. Amor Fati is complex and includes dozens of diverse pieces, offering a personal record of one journey through such a forest, of searching for light in the darkest night. Everyone has found themselves in a state of confusion and doubt, and has searched for answers in the world as well as through introspection.

Janja Prokić has been active on the Czech design scene for over fifteen years and is a very experienced jewelry designer, yet the Amor Fati collection still includes a lot of “firsts”. She uses dark onyx, coats her silver with ruthenium more often, and although her gems of choice are aquamarine and rose quartz, she also uses sagenite. Both aquamarine and rose quartz are associated with spiritual growth and the development of intuition and are said to provide a sense of calm and balance for their wearers. Aquamarine used to be the talisman gem for sailors, who believed it protected them from the dangers of the sea, while rose quartz opens the heart, allowing one to give and accept love, and is often associated with emotional healing.

The collection includes jewelry for daily wear, such as small earrings, chains or rings, but also includes the more expressive seal rings and pendant necklaces. The signature pieces consist of solitaire necklaces and rings; for example, a gold ring studded with diamonds, or a large one with an aquamarine gem with two intergrowing trees whose crowns are full of diamond stars and which are connected by a heart – the seed of their love. The earrings are a completely new feature, and they work both as singles, and can also be variously combined amongst each other, as with the cufflinks. After a long hiatus, Janja has also returned to designing art objects, which she creates without regard for their wearability or marketability. These are silver artefacts studded by pearls and diamonds, where the rose quartz is king – the queen of the magic grove needs it to help guide us through the dark forest by the glow emanating from her heart.

The collection Love thy Fate is about accepting all aspects of life – both good and bad. Everyone can be tried and tested. But our inner strength, the compass of our intuition and love, will bring us back to the right path. Life’s obstacles are not just burdens but also provide opportunity for growth. May the jewelry-amulets of Amor Fati give us the courage to be ourselves!

Danica Kovářová

It seemed only a matter of time before the famous Czech jewelry artist would use the motif of the serpent, a mythical creature. She understands jewelry as talismans which narrate a story, as objects which protect, carry and charge their own symbolic energy. In the past she has worked with the topic of stars, skulls, bones, the heart, hands and fire. But she agrees that the serpent surprisingly never caught her eye. She only came to be interested in it after remembering back to her grandfather who showed her photographs of his visit to Egypt in his panel-house flat in Belgrade, and what tipped her over the edge was her own visit to the Egyptological Neues Museum in Berlin. It was there that she started to understand and become more interested in the animal and its symbolism. She became fascinated by Ouroboros, and became interested in the serpent’s symbolism in medicine, its relationship to death and rebirth, metamorphosis and, perhaps most importantly, its connection to the inner sixth sense.

“The serpent fascinates me because its senses are not very evolved. It perceives only vibration. It’s a being whose life is determined by what it can perceive. It is calm and still most of the time, saving its strength. It carefully weighs every burst of energy, waiting for the proper moment although a similar situation may have occurred before. It knows how to assess the situation. That is why it must be wise and in contact with its inner self. If I were to transfer these characteristics to humans, it’s about drawing power from within. About awakening an ancient force which all of us carry inside ourselves but which we seldom use, as František Drtikol for example writes in my favorite book Všemocná hadí síla (The Serpent Power). It’s about making life choices based on unconscious information, not just in the head. Letting go of what we no longer need without sentiment. The new Orin collection consists of a winding serpent, a symbolic animal which can help us connect to the life source,” explains the artist.

The collection’s name derives from the necklace worn by Atreyu in the film Neverending Story. The amulet of two intertwining serpents helped him gain strength and courage on his crazy quest full of spiritual life challenges.

As is usual in her work, the collection consists of gold, gilded, silver and ruthenium-plated pieces intended for every-day wear, as well as more defined and luxurious models. Janja Prokić has managed to use the motif of a serpent in a fresh new way. Its morphology is lightly stylized, and the serpent head has the shape of a heart which gives the jewelry another layer and takes the classical animal motif further. Working with gems – like turmalin, moon stone, malachite and larimar – is also very important for her and provides yet another level of meaning.

Danica Kovářová