A lifelong friendship, forged in a jewelry factory.
Some of the most meaningful things in life begin with a small act of kindness.
In the early 1980s, I was working at a jewelry factory in Berkeley, California — fresh off hitchhiking across the country from New York, following my passion wherever it led. That's where I met Tabra. She was a single mother, recently returned from years of living abroad in Spain and Costa Rica, with a background in jewelry and a spirit as bold as her designs. She had come to the factory looking for work.
I watched her struggling with a bracelet she'd been assigned. When the boss wasn't looking, I quietly walked over and showed her how to finish it.
That moment sparked a friendship that has lasted more than four decades — and continues to this day.
Tabra went on to become one of the most distinctive and celebrated jewelry designers in the world. She eventually made her way to Bali, Indonesia, where she established Tabra International — a jewelry house dedicated to the art of handcrafted adornment rooted in ancient traditions, sacred symbolism, and the natural world.
The Tabra collection available at Ritzy Couture is drawn from her Bali line — pieces handcrafted with sterling silver, semi-precious stones, hand-made beads, and ancient materials. Each design carries intention: celestial motifs, goddess figures, protective talismans, and symbols drawn from cultures across the globe. Jaguars. Butterflies. Dragons. The imagery of strength, transformation, and beauty.
Tabra's mission has always been to create jewelry that empowers the women who wear it — not merely to adorn, but to remind each wearer of her own resilience, individuality, and connection to something larger than herself.
Today, Tabra has returned to Costa Rica, where she tends the land she loves alongside her son. She carries with her a vision of building an artist colony and sharing the craft of jewelry-making with local communities — passing on the same generosity of spirit she showed the world through her work.
It is an honor to carry her pieces here at Ritzy Couture. Every bracelet, pendant, and earring is more than jewelry — it is a small piece of a remarkable woman's life's work.
~Esme
