CGD23

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