Seeing a gap in the market and knowing there was nothing like what she was creating, Kirsten Dexter filled a need for high quality but affordable jewelry that also tells a beautiful story. Read the blog to see what inspired Kirsten to launch her eponymous fine jewelry line.
WRITTEN BY Bek Mitchell-Kidd
Kirsten Dexter launched her eponymous fine jewelry line in 2009, but inspiration for the company started many years earlier.
“My journey from artist to jewelry designer began on the beaches of South Carolina and Florida. As a young girl, I collected tiny shells and the occasional sand dune sunflower. I fashioned them with fishing line or sewing thread into rustic necklaces, earrings and bracelets,” reflects Kirsten Dexter, founder.
Kirsten has traveled extensively, taking inspiration from both nature and classic architecture. “During my travels to Europe and the Mediterranean, I admired the many classic architectural forms that re-imagined nature—for example, church rose windows patterned after flower petals and sunbursts,” Kirsten shares. “I wanted to create pieces to remind us of the cities and buildings we had visited.”
Kirsten’s friends, with a similar passion for travel, nature and architecture, were instrumental in encouraging her to share her creations. Kirsten resolved to create a lasting memory of cities they had visited by transforming iconic architectural designs into delicate jewelry pieces to wear—wherever you
find yourself at home.
“I hope the stories behind each collection take on new forms. They might encourage you to visit the city that inspired a design you like to wear. Or they might rekindle memories of the romance and adventure you still treasure from your last visit,” says Kirsten.
Refreshingly, Kirsten launches new products as she designs them, sometimes with an eye on current events that spark the imagination. For example, the team plans to launch a new Paris Notre-Dame pendant this summer to coincide with the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics and Cathedral re-opening. The Paris pendant takes inspiration from the iconic rose window in the Cathedral. (The Summer Olympics begin in July and the Notre-Dame Cathedral is scheduled to re-open this fall.)
Despite her love for France, it’s the Italians who have captured Kirsten’s heart; her favorite piece will always be the Sicily—the first piece that she designed—inspired by Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (Church of St. John the Baptist) in the Piazza del Precursore.
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