Shining through: Sabika Jewelry strives to make women feel beautiful inside and out
Katie Dudas walked into Cancer Bridges in Pittsburgh’s Strip District knowing she was getting her hair and makeup done. What she didn’t know was that she’d be invited to model for the spring Sabika Jewelry collection catalog.
Cancer Bridges, formerly Our Clubhouse and Cancer Caring Center, provides free programs and services to those impacted by cancer. Sabika is a company owned by women based in Robinson.
Sabika and Cancer Bridges, located in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, partnered to give a day of beauty and a professional photo session to 20 cancer patients and their loved ones.
“The crew from Sabika asked me if I wanted to model, and I was like, you don’t become a model at this age,” said Dudas, 42, of Crafton Heights. “When you go through cancer treatment you not only lose your hair, you also lose your eyebrows. Cancer takes a toll on your self-esteem and on your body, but it felt so good being in the presence of all those women who were hyping up each other. They were saying, ‘Oh, my God, you look amazing!’ I still can’t believe it.”
Uplifting women has been the mission of Sabika since the first necklace clasp was fastened, the first pair of earrings was hooked and the first bracelet slid around a wrist. The crystals and stones sparkle. When you see a Sabika piece, it has a distinct look.
But for founder Karin Mayr and her daughters — Alexandra Mayr-Gracik, CEO and head designer, and Miriam Mayr, executive director of sales and marketing — the personality of the woman who wears the baubles shines through as well.
“It’s not about the jewelry,” said Karin Mayr, an Upper St. Clair resident who founded the line in 2001. “The jewelry is just the tool. It’s really about creating confidence and joy.”
That philosophy was instilled from Day One, when Karin Mayr decided to start the business in a moment of financial need for her family. She had no investors, just the help of family and friends. She told herself that if it was successful, she would pay it forward.
She has guided it to become a multimillion-dollar company.
Since its inception and together with consultants and corporate donations, the company has raised more than $3 million for local and national charities. Through Sabika Pink Party, Sabika has funded more then 10,000 mammograms.
Their most recent endeavor is to donate $5 from every Electric Spring Collection item sold in April to Girls Inc., an organization that provides mentoring relationships, safe spaces and evidence-based programming for girls. Electric Spring Collection is an exclusive collection of Sabika London chokers, bracelets and earrings in 5 electric colors. Starting April 1, Sabika will have a landing page at www.sabika-jewelry.com/sabika-cares for the partnership.
That philanthropy has been passed down to their daughters, Karin Mayr’s husband, Konrad Mayr, said.
“They provide the beauty for when customers look at themselves they feel more whole and more beautiful,” he said. “They pay meticulous attention to how the jewelry looks on a variety of people with every collection.”
Sabika uses components sourced from vendors across Europe. The jewelry is sold through more than 1,000 consultants, who don’t have to buy inventory like some other companies require.
When the pandemic hit, the business model switched to selling completely online, which was a seamless transition, Mayr-Gracik said. Consultants connect with customers via social media and offer a hybrid of in-person and online events.
“It’s the best of both worlds,” said Mayr-Gracik.
For the newest collection, organic shapes and vintage components played major roles, said Mayr-Gracik, who lives in Mt. Lebanon. Each piece is hand-crafted by female artisans in Austria and Germany.
Sabika is a fusion of the names Sabine and Karin. Sabine’s family owns the manufacturer of the jewelry. She gave Karin Mayr a selection of jewelry to start. As a thank you, Karin Mayr included her in the name.
Sabika collections are created as “stories.” The current one has 10, such as the Lavender Wellness Story and the Celery Juice Story.
The spring collection will be available through April.
Sabika launches full collections each spring, summer, fall and winter, along with two ALMI by Sabika collections, a new sister brand combining the first letters of “Alexandra” and “Miriam.”
Shapes and colors are devised from trend reports researched by Karin Mayr. She said the latest collection complements “the striking monochromatic color trends that you see in all the magazines and storefront windows right now.”
“I hope this collection evokes joy for each of our unique customers who will wear these pieces with pride and pass them across generations like delicate and affordable heirlooms,” Mayr-Gracik said.
When designing, Mayr-Gracik strives to keep the Sabika favorites, and introduce new colors, textures and elements. It’s about keeping the collection fresh, she said.
“It is challening, but I love a challenge,” Mayr-Gracik said. “The more I am challenged, the more creativity comes out. This city has so much creativity here. I love working with vintage components, and love that more and more people are interested in vintage clothing. It’s such a positive impact for the environment. I want to be able to create a collection that has something that appeals to everybody, so they can express themselves.”
Mayr-Gracik and her sister work well together. Miriam Mayr said Sabika, its products and its business opportunity are a “light switch” to a woman’s beauty, but it’s also the spark to something greater.
“We see this amazing internal shift that happens when a woman begins to feel her importance, worth and strength in an entirely new way,” said Miriam Mayr, who lives in the South Hills. “If we can get more women to tap into that strength, we can move mountains.”
With Sabika, it’s about real local women showcasing the collection, Karin Mayr said. This year features women from a multitude of fields such as a respiratory therapist, dentistry resident, digital marketers and mothers, and shows how the jewelry works for a diversity of looks and lifestyles.
“These women bring the collection to life,” Karin Mayr said. “We love utilizing local women to model our jewelry for our catalogs and website.”
Supporting someone such as Dudas feels good, Karin Mayr said.
“You feel alone when you are dealing with cancer,” Dudas said. “The Sabika team are women-owned, and they lift up women. It’s hard to describe, but they made all of us feel beautiful. They made us all feel so good about ourselves, because when you meet other cancer patients, it’s a shared experience. To see my photos with all of the other ladies is amazing.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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