KEVIA JEFFREY-WEST
about the designer: Kevia Jeffrey-West's exposure to the world of fashion began at the ripe age of five, a period often spent admiring her mother's clothing sketches and playing with fabric swatches. Over time, she developed an eye for color, contrast, texture and detail: skills she now uses to design her line of jewelry and handbags.
Jeffrey-West began developing jewelry for her personal collection while studying in Zimbabwe as an undergraduate at Lewis & Clark College in 1997 and 1999. She collected locally mined and cut stones, sketched designs, and found local jewelers to make her creations. While completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology and social change, she worked in the fields of urban environmental policy, community outreach, and social justice for eight years. Her community and academic work led to a full ride fellowship in an education research and policy PhD program at the University of California Santa Barbara in 2003.
While living in Santa Barbara, she once again began creating jewelry in her spare time, the designer notes, “The natural beauty of the coastal region is vividly striking and inspiring. My partner and I lived in a two-bedroom apartment; I had a balcony garden but really needed something more substantial to occupy my creative energy.” Only three short months after being approached by a local boutique to develop items for their store, Kevia’s jewelry was being carried in 20 high-end Southern California boutiques including Wendy Foster in Montecito. Kevia decided to officially launch her line in the fall of 2005 using her own namesake, which means “beautiful child.”
The small list of stores carrying her jewelry rapidly grew to over four hundred stores in six hundred locations by 2008. In addition to gracing the shelves of high-end boutiques across several continents, Kevia’s collection has been featured in several renowned publications including InStyle, Lucky and Real Simple.
In constructing her vast collection of ornate handmade and cast jewelry, Kevia’s eye for detail and quality means she utilizes only the finest quality precious and semi-precious stones and sets them in 22K gold vermeil, 18K gold, and sterling silver. Her design focus is meticulous metal work and custom cut gemstones. Influenced by her travels to Africa, Europe, and India as well as her ongoing exploration of mixed media art, the designer’s collections draw both from art history and culturally diverse metal smith techniques. Kevia jewelry is sold in exclusive boutiques and department stores in over 20 countries including Barney’s Japan, Anthropologie, Fred Segal, Sundance Catalog, Nordstrom, BCBG Max Azria, Bloomingdales, Tomorrow Land and Ron Herman. With an incredibly broad assortment and unlimited invention and beauty, Kevia is an essential addition to every woman’s personal collection.
CARE: Kevia's Vermeil is Sterling Silver dipped in 22K Gold with a matte finish. The gold finish will maintain over time, but should periodically be dipped in jewelry cleaner as Sterling Silver will tarnish. To preserve the gold finish, limit exposure to water and soaps.