Grayling brings custom inspiration to weddings

It’s totally natural for Katy Kippen to be making jewelry. Her grandfather was a jeweler and she comes from a family that is always creating. Katy herself remembers making jewelry at the age of 6 or 7. I first saw Katy’s company, Grayling Jewelry, at a Crave Portland event in December and I was really impressed.

Katy and I met up a few weeks ago to chat about jewelry and Grayling’s plans to foray into the wedding market. “With wedding jewelry, I feel like you either end up with really cheap stuff or you spend a fortune,” she said. She’s recently been commissioned to do some bridesmaid jewelry and a jewelry set for a bride, and it makes perfect sense to her that people looking for a custom option would come looking for someone who can craft something totally original.

Grayling’s collections are unique, combining elements from ancient cultures, paleontology and even architecture, which are some of Katy’s interests. Growing up, she lived in Germany and South Korea and both of those experiences opened her mind to a whole range of inspiration that’s a little different than what she usually sees.

Katy is pictured above in her workshop space, which is full of tools and boxes of her grandfather’s old stones, some of which are unique and rare. Her family is proud that she’s giving these stones new life in her jewelry collections.

Grayling takes custom orders and features seasonal collections on Katy’s site (click here). An online shop will be launching sometime in the future.

Thanks, Katy, for being so fun to meet and hang out with. I can’t wait to work with you in the future!