I don’t wear a whole lot of jewelry, but I love tinkering about with baubles and other shiny things. I’ve got a few really beloved pieces which I rotate from event to event, but I’m constantly in search of that rare new set of earrings or charm necklace. The new Lewanowicz

boutique is just one of the new places springing up around Warsaw where the ladies can get together for an espresso and such like, and
to browse some of the sparkly goods. It’s more than a jewelry shop, and so much more than a café – I discovered it during a book launch party: an album of photographs featuring successful career mummies and their offspring. 

Ewa Lewanowicz, the owner of the shop and the eponymous brand, is a pretty successful entrepreneur herself. She started her adult life working as a Pan Am stewardess, traveling all around the world for work and for pleasure. It was during a trip to India when she met a stonemason who introduced her to the world of stones – both precious and semi-precious. Almost two decades later, she’s still in touch with the stonemason, presenting him with her original designs, which he brings to life in a matter of weeks. 

Lewanowicz’s original collection is supplemented with several other designer ranges, including the Ayalabar line from Israel. Every item is different, full of global influences, from the Middle East and Mexico to Poland itself, India and the classic traditions of the West. It’s really a diverse range, but most of all it’s a great deal of fun trying everything on. And the staff is all for it: there’s no pressure to buy, it’s more like getting ready for a dress-up party with friends, trying on this and that. Prices are within reach, ranging from zł. 100 for earrings to zł. 300 plus for bigger, more ornate pieces. 

The place itself is elegant, but comfortable, designed of course by Lewanowicz herself, who’s got the golden touch for design on all levels. This isn’t her first shop – there’s the Złote Tarasy location in Warsaw, along with a shop each in Zakopane and Kraków. There’s no slowing Lewanowicz down – and it’s truly wonderful to stop by this shop in the budding Grzybowska area to get inspired by the great creative energy of this place. (AL)