Necklaces, bracelets, brooches, earrings and prom and wedding specialties are produced by a number of Czech glassmakers as part of their jewellery production. As is well known, jewellery, a world-famous historical specialty of Jablonec glassmakers, is traditionally made of metal, glass beads and organic materials such as leather, dry fruits, wood or various synthetic materials as a decorative clothing accessory. However, the family-owned company Pachinek Glass has stepped out of the established framework and expanded the regular range to include glass fashion uniques such as the so-called Fire Core and National Pride...
So-called jewellery for patriots is nothing new. Even in the Czech environment, they have a firm place - whether it is a silver brooch with the motif of the Czech Lion, a pendant in the shape of a map of the Czech Republic or a necklace with the Moravian Eagle.
This category of fashion accessories presents a collection of jewellery that sensitively and elegantly expresses national pride and the relationship to home. Inspired by traditional symbols, national colours and cultural heritage, they offer stylish accessories for anyone who wants to express their patriotic sentiments with refinement, taste and respect for tradition.
Pachinko news
Its basis is classic Czech crystal - roughed up and coloured by flames in many variations by the heat of the glass furnace and the artistic vision of the artistic master from the Kunratice manufactory of the above-mentioned company. Their uniqueness, beauty and symbolism surprised the existing producers of glass jewellery, because it is virtually impossible to come up with something new and novel in this sector. But what is it? Renata Pačinková, the company manager, who proudly presents the jewellery and naturally wears it herself, gave us the details. She also actively presents it on social media, where she gives it a personal dimension and an authentic story.
Fire Core
The world-famous glass artist Jiří Pačinek has long been engaged in technically demanding decorative sculptures of plants, animals, marine organisms and birds for both interiors and exteriors, including so-called glass gardens. One of his favourite subjects is the horse. As this year is the Year of the Fire Horse according to the Chinese horoscope, a new collection has been created on this theme. While working on the individual exhibits in the glow of the radiant glass furnace, dominated by the Fire Horse as a symbol of energy, courage, movement and inner strength, another inspiration was born.
The impulse to create Fire Core came from a creative dialogue between the artist and his closest collaborator and life partner Renata, who brought a softer, feminine perspective to the collection. From this natural collaboration, a piece of jewellery was born that carries the glow of fire - a glow that cannot be seen at first glance, but can be felt. And so a unique walnut-sized piece has seen the light of day, which Renata Pačinková says is not just a piece of jewellery for decoration, but above all an amulet of energy - a reminder of courage, passion and life force that is born deep inside. Yes, the liquid shades of fire, gold and red are enclosed in the glass in the shape of a circle, a symbol of wholeness, infinity and inner strength, making the jewellery a carrier of positive energy.
The hand-shaped glass captures the movement of the molten mass when it is still alive, so to speak. Each piece is original, unique, with its own drawing of fire - just like the person who will wear it. Fire Core, as the creators call their fire jewellery, is for those women who are not afraid to live life to the full. For those who know that peace and strength can exist simultaneously. For those who carry the light - and the flame, smiles Renata Pačinková.
Jewellery „National pride“
The second novelty is a project that was created spontaneously - out of the atmosphere of sports fandom during the Winter Olympics in Italy. At that time, the talk in the glassworks was not only about glass, but also about results, goals and medal hopes. It was in this energy that the idea was born to create a small but expressive symbol that would bring the emotions from the stands and the living room into everyday life. The „National Pride“ jewelry is a hand sculpted glass pendant in red, white and blue. The simple, clean shape, approximately 4 cm in diameter, is created directly in the fire of the glass furnace - by layering coloured glass, joining them sensitively and finishing them by hand. Each piece is an original, with subtle variations that are a natural signature of the handmade process. The solid, shiny character of the glass reflects light in the same way that sporting moments reflect emotion.
In the words of Renata Pachinko
„It is not a classic decoration. It's an attitude. It's a reminder of moments when the whole nation comes together for a moment - regardless of age or outcome.“ Czech Television was also interested in the Olympics-inspired initiative, charting how Czech glassworks got carried away by the national colours and sporting atmosphere. This jewellery was also created as an authentic response to the common cheering and pride that cannot be imitated. „It is not gold, silver or bronze. It's a medal for the fans,„ adds Jiří Pačinek, who has a warm relationship with the sport. In his youth, he actively trained and fought on the mat in one of Litomerice's Greco-Roman wrestling clubs. And from his artistic workshop came, for example, sports prizes and trophies. He names a shark figure for the NHL hockey team Saint José Sharks or a sculpture called Boston Bear, a gift for David Pasterniak.
Honour to whom honour is due
The highest award for Jiří Pačink is the feeling of a job well done and customer satisfaction. It is also the appreciation of the general public as well as colleagues from the industry, such as Jiří's long-time colleague and friend Blanka Matragi. She has carried out many of her glass projects in his glassworks. Matragi, a world-famous fashion designer, has long admired Jiří Pačink's work. She considers his glass jewellery, presented in these lines, to be an exceptionally successful affair for emancipated and modern women.
Blanka Matragi, née Kyselová, was born in 1953 in Světlá nad Sázavou. She works in Bejrút and Prague. She is one of the prominent personalities of the Czech fashion industry and is known especially for her models for royalty and wives of oil tycoons from the Persian Gulf region. However, her work is not limited to clothing, but also includes jewellery, cosmetics, glass and porcelain.
Among the many joint ventures with Jiří was, for example, an exhibition of their fragile beauty in Liberec in 2022. The event was the festive culmination of the traditional North Bohemian glass festival - Crystal Valley Week.
The fresh news is that the museum of glass personalities, with whom Jiří Pačinek is personally and professionally connected, is about to open in the Kunratice glass complex. Blanka Matragi also has her own exhibition with examples of her works, unique photographs and text accompaniment. Together with excursions to the glassworks, a visit to the Glass Garden, the Glass Canteen and the Crystal Temple, this will be another tourist magnet and all the more reason to visit the Glass Paradise, as Pachinko is also called.
Ivan Cerny
Czech 
English 
Spanish 
French 
Italian 
Russian 
Chinese 
German