To be more accurate, the question should be "where is Bohemia" since it is one of the states of the Czech Republic. It is the largest of them, the other 2 being Silesia to the north/east and Moravia to the south/east. Prague is situated in Bohemia.
The name comes from a tribe that used to inhabit this area. As legends have it, when "father Cech" came from Asia in probably the 5th century, he encountered Celtic tribes here. The Boias was one of these tribes. Most of them integrated, some moved onto other parts of Europe and today’s Scotland, Ireland and Great Britain. Some stayed and became part of the Czech history.
Especially in the USA, the term "Bohemian" is synonymous with "gypsy like, artistic, somewhat savage or free spirited, not conforming to the rest of society". Nothing could be further from the truth as far as real Bohemians go - meaning the citizens of the state of Bohemia, however. Most Czechs conform just fine, thank you. Some don't and the best of them form the backbone of the Czech artistic society, producing wonderful, world class pieces of art in all mediums. The misnomer apparently comes from a group of Huguenots who in the middle ages in France decided not to join the catholic majority. They were "outside of the society" and were mistaken for people coming from Bohemia. This connection is still being verified. In any case, Bohemian means "being from Bohemia". Our wonderful glass beads are made only in the state of Bohemia, therefore the term "Bohemian beads".
Genuine, Bohemian glass beads:
The Northern part of Bohemia, Jablonec, Zelezny Brod and the Jizera Mountains of the north have been a place of bead making for several hundred of years. Small farms used to produce food during the growing season and devote their winters to making beautiful, glass beads. The genuine, Bohemian or Czech bead has become a sign of superior glass bead quality throughout the world.
Your angel is made by hand by a Bohemian/Czech artist skilled in assembling your angel with only genuine, Bohemian Glass Beads. The beads are made in a small, family owned factory in the Jizera Mountains.
