“DuBar is legacy in gold—and the chance to set the bar higher, every day.”
BY Mimi Shaprio, DuBar Operational Manager
On Christmas Day, 2014, I was handed a little black box. Inside was more than jewelry—it was a doorway into my family’s legacy. What I didn’t realize at the time was that it would also become the foundation for a new kind of story, one that extends far beyond my wrist.
For generations, the women in my family have marked their milestones with a gold bracelet and charms. It began with my grandmother, Sally. At ten years old, each girl was gifted her first bracelet, engraved with her name. From there, every achievement—graduations, weddings, law school—added another tile to their stories. When we clasped our wrists together, mine held a single glimmering charm while theirs were crowded with life’s defining moments. That bracelet became my good-luck charm, one I wore to every major occasion—except in the show ring, where practicality always won out.
But as my own world revolved around horses, I longed for something that could honor my milestones: my first successful 3’ round, my debut at a rated show, the countless “firsts” that only equestrians truly understand.
My mother, Susan, understood. She grew up riding while my grandmother was the consummate horse-show mom—hauling the trailer, pinning numbers, packing coolers, and cheering from the rail. When it was my turn, my mom and I became our own team. We’d load up our trailer together, laugh through our mistakes, and even share one show jacket as we dashed between classes that always seemed to run at the same time. We dreamed of riding at the grand venues— Wellington, Devon—and when we finally made it there, we still looked identical, still swapping that same jacket, still carrying the same dream. Later, when I left for college, my mom returned to the sport with my grandmother at her side. Sally didn’t ride herself, but she was there with the same dedication as always, filming rounds and soaking up the joy of being part of it all. Three generations, woven together through the horse world.
It was my mom who first said it aloud: What if a traditional charm bracelet and a sleek equestrian bangle had a baby? That spark became DuBar—her vision of a luxury jewelry brand where stories are told not just in words, but in tiles. Each interchangeable tile marks a milestone: a victory, a hard-won lesson, a show, or a moment you never want to forget.
From there, she ran with the idea, shaping the brand from the ground up. I was lucky enough to be part of the process—supporting, brainstorming, and helping refine the details. She in Maryland, me in Miami, we spent hours on the phone discussing tile designs and debating mechanics: how the tiles should slide, how the bangle needed to feel effortless in the ring yet polished enough for dinner afterward. For her, DuBar was the realization of a long-held dream; for me, as a college student studying entrepreneurship—and a self-proclaimed “short-term retired adult ammy”—it became a way to stay connected to both the sport and my family. Together, we turned her vision into something tangible.
Each tile tells a piece of our story. The Garter tile pulls me back to pony days, while the “Sally Forth” tile honors my grandmother for her elegant trailer pulls and the countless horse-show moms who’ve backed up a hitch and cheered from the sidelines. But these bracelets aren’t just about us—they’re about every rider. They’re for the crossrail kid who just remembered their course, the junior making their first medal final, the amateur balancing work and the weekend ring, and the professional chasing new heights. They represent not only what we’ve accomplished, but the bars we continue to set.
DuBar is jewelry designed for our world. Elegant enough to shine with a cocktail dress, yet strong enough to ride in. It’s made for the champagne toast after a win—or the reflective cocktail when distances didn’t quite ride the way we hoped. Each tile is a reminder: of where we’ve been, of where we’re going, and of the people who helped us along the way.
Because at its heart, DuBar isn’t just jewelry. It’s legacy. It’s gratitude. It’s the story of equestrians—written not in words, but in gold.
Explore DuBar at www.DuBar.us
