Echo Park based jewelry designer Kristen Levy got her first taste of design while learning Native American beadwork at the age of 10. Exploring the jewelry boxes of her mother and grandmother, she would rework broken jewelry into pieces for herself. This passion carried through into adulthood where she began designing jewelry out of found and forgotten materials. Mostly self-taught, she eventually evolved into making fine jewelry. Her current collection, Kristen Elspeth launched in 2005. Kristen lives in Echo Park in Los Angeles with her fiancé David and their miniature dachshund Ira.

Kristen’s designs embody simplicity and elegance, allowing focus on the natural beauty of the person wearing them. While re-interpreting her own work over time, pieces have been reduced to their most basic forms and elements. Circles and lines are most prevalent because of their inherent human characteristics. Circles representing the grace of life’s natural perfection, while the line is the human perception of perfection expressed. The paradox of human nature; the battle of heart vs. mind, fate vs. will. Kristen uses circles in many forms, representations, and segmentation, each with variations in weight and emphases. Similarly, the line can be needle fine or weighted like heavy bar. Dimension is also a variable in form- something simple viewed straight on takes on another shape when viewed from a different angle. With this simplification of form comes purity. Kristen works in fine metals, 14k gold and sterling silver being her preference. Living in California, the lifestyle, weather, landscape and light inspire this simplicity and purity within her work. Kristen’s minimalist and modern designs remain elegant and classic allowing a forever quality to her jewelry, with the intent for her pieces to be worn every day. Hand made in Los Angeles, each piece has its own unique and recognizable signature as a Kristen Elspeth work.