A timeless piece of jewelry is such a powerful accessory in one’s fashion arsenal because it can withstand the tests of age, trends and style. Amber Kers, the creator of her eponymous brand Amber Krs Jewelry, has always been a lover of jewelry — and knows just how meaningful jewelry can be for elevating an outfit and building a wearer’s confidence. What began as simply a hobby for Kers has now expanded into a brand that offers handmade signet rings, cuff bracelets, necklaces, earrings and more in a variety of glistening, glimmering stones — including sapphires, black onyx, diamonds and garnets — with no two stones or two pieces looking exactly alike. Since taking her first introduction to soldering course, Kers has received a degree in gemology, and chooses her stones for “quality, beauty and uniqueness,” according to the brand’s e-commerce site.
Kers’ excitement, passion and deep love for the art of jewelry-making and the jewelry industry was abundantly clear throughout our conversation. Accessorized with one of her own black onyx necklaces, Kers shared the lessons she’s learned from creating her pieces by hand, how her knowledge of gemology helps her to be transparent with her customers and the future of Amber Krs Jewelry.
Tell me about your background with jewelry and the accessories industry. Have you always loved jewelry?
I feel like I’ve always liked jewelry — I don’t know exactly who that was inspired by because no women in my family really wear a lot of it. I started off by doing hair, so jewelry wasn’t my first love. I think I always wanted to be in a career that would empower people and make people feel good. When I started doing hair, that was my mission and my goal — you know, everyone feels good when their hair looks good — and I think that translated well into jewelry.
I started with beading, and I’d buy preset cabochons and set stones. Then, I took an introduction to soldering class, and from there it’s just been amazing because I felt like this is what I should be doing. As much as I love doing hair, I felt like I could be doing something else. I took the soldering class just as something to do, and everything else since has been a self-taught endeavor. I feel like jewelry is the only thing I’m really patient with. Over the past 10 years or so, I’ve sort of been able to perfect my craft. I think, too, with doing hair, you’re constantly trying to keep up with what’s in, what looks good and what people are doing. I’ve always liked fashion and magazines and seeing what trends are going on, so I take that and try and put my own spin on it.
How did you introduce yourself to the art of jewelry making?
Like I said, I always liked doing jewelry as more of a hobby. I would go to bead stores and put things together and obviously wear them while I was doing hair, so people would ask [if I made a piece and] if I was selling it. I was always nervous that if I was selling my jewelry, then it would kind of take away the fun that I get from it. But I just started getting requests [for styles] and started doing it for friends. And like I said, I wanted to learn more about how I would be able to put something together on my own instead of having to buy all of the components and then put other people’s things together. So I took the intro to soldering class, and for anyone interested in doing jewelry or any sort of metal work, that’s the best place to start. Once you know how to solder — and if you just take the time and work on your craft — then you can do it. Like I said, other than the basics of metal smithing and soldering, everything I’ve done has been self-taught.
What is your favorite part of the process of making a piece of jewelry by hand?
My favorite part is stone sourcing. When you see a stone that you like and it’s something that speaks to you, everything [that you want to do with a piece] runs through your mind — and sometimes it doesn’t work out. I’m still at a point that I’m not finished with a piece until I’m finished with it. Nothing is done until it’s absolutely done because you can mess it up and have to start all over again. So, that’s where the patience comes in. There’s been so many times when I’ve been like, “I just need to walk away from this.” But stone sourcing is probably my favorite part because of the creativity that starts to come in, where you’re [thinking]. “I’m going to do this, and I’m going to set it with a diamond or make it into a necklace.” That’s always been really fun for me.
Stone sourcing and selling stones to jewelers is actually another aspect of the business that I want to get into. I find some stones and I think, “I love this, but I don’t know if I’ll ever really use it” — so you acquire it just because it’s a beautiful, shiny thing. Another part of doing jewelry that I’ve really found amazing is just how supportive the community is. You know, I find that most people that do jewelry really love jewelry, so if I’m not making it then I’m buying it from other jewelers that I like and support. Stone sourcing is when [the process] is the most pure. It’s so freeing to find a piece that inspires you to create something.
Tell me about your background in gemology, crystal structure and formation. How does this knowledge impact how you create a piece?
On this journey, I wanted to learn every facet of the business. When I first started out, I found that certain stones that I would buy wouldn’t be the stones that were being sold. It gets a little frustrating because you want to make sure you’re giving your client what they’re paying for — so if I say [a piece features a] ruby, then it is a legitimate ruby. I went to GIA (Gemological Institute of America) to further my knowledge in gemstones. I just wanted to make sure that if I’m saying “natural gemstones,” then it is not going to be a piece of glass that I bought from someone who was selling it to me as a ruby — because that’s happened!
After that happened a couple times, I was like, “You know, I need to make sure I know what I’m not buying.”Not only has it helped me sourcing my gemstones, but I always like to double check — it’s not necessarily that people are selling things to you under the guise of trying to rip you off or anything like that, but sometimes they just don’t know what they have. I think that in the gemstone business, people still try to be really honest, but then they get taken advantage of. It was always really important to me that if I’m going to make you a piece, then I just want you to know that you’re getting an authentic ruby, a diamond, an emerald or any sort of piece. Or if it’s something like a black onyx, they’re usually dyed and I want you to know that. It’s just transparency.
What are your favorite stones to work with?
Turquoise is probably my favorite gemstone. I love the color, and I think it’s gorgeous. I find too that [I love] working with emerald. Green is my favorite color, so I’m a little biased when it comes to some things. My favorites are probably turquoise and emerald, and I’d love to add a few more of those to my jewelry collection because I don’t really have too much of that at the moment.
What would you say is your all-time favorite piece you have made?
I try to offer timeless pieces that will be good now and 20 years from now, pieces you can wear with your other jewelry. Like I said, I love jewelry — I like wearing it, I like making it and I like supporting other jewelers. I’ve been really going more in the direction of cameos and intaglios, and trying to make those a little bit more modern and, again, timeless. They’re fun and historical, and it’s a conversation piece. Every time I wear one, someone says, “Oh my god, where did you get that?” And luckily I can say I made it! I’ve been trying to go toward creating something that has been a trend in the past to make it trendy again because it is a timeless piece.
Where are your inspirations coming from for your upcoming spring collection?
I actually just did some stone-buying, and I’m really feeling the spring colors as far as pastels go. So a lot of lavender, light pinks and greens — very spring colors, very reminiscent of Easter eggs.
What are some jewelry trends or timeless styles that you are excited to explore with your brand, or some that you are excited to see grow more in mainstream popularity? More simple pieces. I mean, I love gemstones, and I think that a lot of the time, gemstones can potentially get overshadowed just based off of the design. So what I try to think of every time I make a piece is, “Could you wear it with other jewelry that you like?” So it’s not just completely a statement piece, [and instead] is something I can wear anytime — I can dress it up and I can dress it down.
I think too, especially in this day and age, people are looking for more simplicity and something a little easier. You’re getting quality pieces that are simple, timeless and that you can wear with other stuff. Like I said, I like to layer and I like to wear all different kinds of jewelry brands. I think jewelry is an expression of self, just like clothing and hairstyles, so to be able to [have] one piece that you love that compliments every other piece you have is important. That’s how I like to wear my jewelry and I hope that that’s how other people like to wear it as well.
What’s coming up next for Amber Krs?
I’m going to start getting more into refurbishing older pieces. I’ve been seeing a lot of other jewelry brands going in that same direction. I think people are looking at styles from a simpler time — you know, fashion is cyclical. So I feel like with intaglios [for instance,] I’m trying to think of pieces that would be antique that you can wear in a modern setting, so you don’t have to go to an antique store.
Amber Krs Jewelry is available for purchase online at amberkrs.com. Follow along with the brand on Instagram (@amberkrsjewelry) and on Facebook (@amberkrsjewels).
