Lyndia K. Jewelry
When twenty-somethings Kirby and Lauren Krausgrill go to a club or hang out with their girlfriends, you can bet at some point they’ll sell jewelry off their ears and necks.
Mom makes their accessories, and they’re proud of it. While celebrating the New Year at chic Clift Hotel in San Francisco, Lauren sold her mother’s pearl-crystal tiara to a stranger in the elevator.
Lyndia Krausgrill’s Swarovski-encrusted creations were cool enough to catch the attention of In Style magazine. Two of her pieces are featured in the February issue: The gold-filled hoop earrings with Swarovski crystals that go for $90, and the drop style, which runs $88.
Krausgrill, 51, owns Lyndia K. Jewelry. She sells online at LyndiaK.com and exclusively in Bella at The Marketplace. She’s also sold her work in Laguna Beach and Oxnard.
Bella owner Heidi Sullivan was thrilled to see her store’s name mentioned in the In Style feature.
“When we travel and go to markets to buy for the store, we see similar jewelry to Lyndia’s, but hers has a little more unique twist,” she said.
The jeweler is enjoying a few recent turns in the limelight. Thanks to the magazine feature, she’s received at least six earring orders. Her designs were also featured in Women’s Wear Daily magazine.
Her daughters offered her jewelry to Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls, “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks, Lauren Conrad from “The Hills” and other stars at a celebrity gifting spree during October’s 102.7 KIIS FM Homecoming Concert for Gwen Stefani in Anaheim.
“There was one celebrity, she’s a singer, she said, ‘Your mom’s jewelry is really dope,’” Lauren said. “It was pretty cute.”
A kitchen cabinet designer for the family business, Pacific Cabinet and Millworks, the artist got her start in 2001 when Lauren needed jewelry for her purple strapless prom dress, which Mom designed. Krausgrill made a large purple pearl cluster necklace with a matching bracelet.
Krausgrill has a room dedicated to beads in her Seven Oaks home. She started crafting when her children were teenagers.
“To be really honest with you, my children were quite a handful … ,” she said.
“They were really good kids, but it was kind of an escape for me. So I could go into my own little world and go, ‘OK, I want to remove myself from this right now.’”
Lauren and Kirby also model their mother’s work on her Web site. Lauren, 24, has racks of her mother’s jewelry. The Cal State Bakersfield student loves anything gold and sparkly, and often shows new outfits to her mother so she can create matching accessories.
Lauren’s college friend works for a Los Angeles public relations company and is helping to market Lyndia K. Jewelry. She helped Krausgrill get the jewelry to In Style and the staff liked it, Krausgrill said.
She uses silver, semi-precious stones, gold-filled material, Swarovski crystals and cultured pearls for her necklaces, earrings and belts, purchasing materials from the Internet and bead shows. Prices range from $30 to $1,200.
Her favorite piece is her Swarovski crystal belt. Inspiration comes not from other designers, but colors and forms she sees while out shopping.
“Say I’m in a dress store, in Bella’s, and I see they’ve put two colors together,” she said. “I sit down at bench and I add from there. It’s all in my head, a natural thing.”
Kirby, an aesthetician, sold two $78 necklaces, silver with purple pendants, at work.
“My old boss went crazy for it and so I sold it off myself, and two days later, her mom wanted one,” she said. “It’s just insane.”