[my] style files

Several months ago, I stumbled upon my first Kayla Designs necklace - a drop labradorite stone on a sterling silver chain. It’s gorgeous, simple and an easy piece to dress up or down. A few months later, I bought my second piece - a clear crystal quartz briolette on a sterling silver chain separated with SS hoops. I love the fact I can wear it over a turtle neck or with a fancy dress. Based on my lifestyle, these are must haves in my book. So it should come as no surprise that I just had to meet the face behind the jewelry.

Keri Starker of Kayla Designs makes beautiful jewelry. She started making jewelry when she was just 18 years old and continued through college. Keri has always had a loyal following. However, 6 years ago is when her business really took off. Working out of her studio in New York, Keri has access to an incredible clientele. While most of her meetings are face-to-face, Keri also interacts with clients all over the country via phone. She has a keen eye for detail and can meet just about any specification. Customization is the operative word, so Keri designs to your heart’s content.

“What starts as a necklace could turn into a low-slung belt. As I work with someone and learn their taste and style, pieces just evolve and take on a life of their own.”

Keri has been collecting the most extraordinary and opulent beads and stones for over fifteen years … such as vintage glass, exotic and semi-precious stones (tourmaline, rubies, onyx chalcedony, Tibetan agate, amazonite, carnelian, rare quartz), opal, coral, turquoise, and more. Her talent lies in matching your personality and lifestyle to capture your spirit.

What I love about her jewelry … Keri has, what I call, a “delicate” line (which I gravitate toward), a “chunky” line and an “in-between” line. So really, she offers something for everyone. Keri’s best seller is her 54″ sapphire wrap (bottom right-hand picture) that can be worn as a necklace doubled or tripled up or as an 8-strand bracelet. And her earrings are light on the ear. You can find Kayla Designs in select stores, such as Jeffre Scott Apothecary and Benny and Shaw, as well as direct (Keristarker@aol.com). Keri is available for trunk shows around the country. In fact, you can even create your own party - Keri will ship the gems directly to you!

This year, Keri is focusing on connecting her business with spirit and energy. The power of stones sometimes keeps Keri up at night. She goes to sleep thinking about them and wakes up thinking about them. Expect to see the transition of Kayla Designs to her namesake, Keri Starker. Brand is everything. And Keri’s brand is as good as gold!

So, what’s next for Keri? A wedding! She recently got engaged. Congratulations goes out to Keri as she enjoys planning her wedding … of course, everyone is dying to know what spectacular piece she will create for her wedding day!

Stumble it!

This entry was posted on Monday, February 18th, 2008 at 2:35 pm and is filed under beauty, fashion. You can follow responses via my RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your site.