By Rita Thiel
“You Me Us,” the jewelry shop at Oscar’s House B&B, reflects a lot of love–the love Robin Macek, proprietor and jewelry artist, has for her work and the love she and Chad, her partner in life and business as the new owners of the B&B, have for each other.
The name reminds the couple of the ever-present support they have in each other, no matter how tough times might get.
“There’s only you, me and us, we say to each other, when we feel overwhelmed in life,” Macek said. “It seemed like the perfect name for the shop, a reminder that Chad and I are always here for each other.”
A self-taught jeweler and accomplished metal worker, Macek crafts the intricate metal filigree settings for a variety of gemstones.
“I am obsessed with stones,” she said. “They’re my passion. I get boxes of them delivered each week.”
Along with having an experienced eye for picking just the right stone for the right piece, Macek is also an accomplished metal worker, crafting the intricate metal filigree settings for her rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.
“I love to see what the stones want me to do with them,” she said. “They speak to me and I craft what they inspire me to do.”
Prior to the B&B purchase, Macek traveled five days a week to jewelry shows around the country. It was a lucrative business that she will continue to fit in when she can.
Being a new innkeeper has kept her busier than usual, but Macek is working to increase selections.
Each of Macek’s unique pieces holds its own essence, personality and beauty.
Her inspiration comes from growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s—hippie-type stuff.
“I’m just an old hippie and I like to be funky,” she said. “I never want to take myself too seriously.”
Her trademark is the unexpected.
“I always try to add a surprise on the back…a shell, starfish…something unexpected; jewelry should be fun,” she said.
The beauty and grace of distant places she traveled as a child in a military family, as well as the North Carolina coast, figure in her creations. Desert reds, browns and golds sit among emerald greens, shades of turquoise and cerulean–that hint at the whisper of the sea embodied in a piece, be it earrings, necklaces, bracelets or rings.
Her high-end glass bead “wrap” bracelets were a big hit with the younger set this summer.
Macek welcomes custom orders, too. She will use stones, shells or other items a customer might request and doesn’t mind working with someone’s own stones or favorite shell.
“When I see a customer smile after putting on just that right piece of jewelry, it makes me feel so good, makes my heart warm,” she said.
The daily shop hours are noon to 5 p.m. year-round; closed Sunday.
