The Jewelry I Wear Every Day

For Katie, there’s always more than what meets the eye, a story lurking below the surface. The jewelry she wears is no exception, each piece marking a moment, a place, or a person she loves.

This three-stone ring is perhaps my most sentimental of all. Flanking the middle stone are the sapphire earrings that my husband gave me as a wedding gift. They originally had a diamond halo, and an endearing (i.e., funny) part of that story is that he surprised me with them the morning after our wedding. I was so surprised but also secretly thought, “Well, one day earlier was the idea.” As in, something blue… Nonetheless, they were one of my all-time favorite gifts.

The middle stone is tanzanite and a stone we bought on one of (if not our all-time) favorite trips to Africa—specifically Tanzania and the Singita Sabora Tented Camp. Eventually, not wearing either of the pieces all that often but wanting them incorporated into my everyday, I took them to the brilliant Brent Neale, and she created this piece I rarely take off. Having all of those memories in one piece was exactly what I was hoping for.

The ring to the right is a band my husband gave me when, before we were engaged, he and I had made the deeply thoughtful decision to begin raising his three young children together. I wear it on the same right-hand ring finger as the three-stone piece. Cut that finger off and you’ll hold nearly all of the meaning of my last 13 years.

Bracelets—never too many bracelets. This piece I bought at the end of another magical summer in the Hamptons. Loving a story behind each piece I wear, when I travel I love to find something that will always mark that moment in time—a piece of art, a new perfume, or in this case, a serpent. I wear the sturdy pink enamel cuff below my “push present.” On May 31st, at nearly 10 p.m., she cemented her place as an emerald birthstone by the skin of our teeth.

The emerald and pink enamel ring was my first piece by the incomparable Bell & Bird. This story I smile to recall because it reminds me of many international trips, where in retrospect I should have likely been nervous but only remember the intoxication of novelty. I had traveled alone to Colombia to try to find additional artisans to work with. When I first launched katiekime.com, work in Rwanda with artisans had gotten its claws in me. In Colombia, known for its emeralds, I found this center stone and the makers for a new capsule collection.

This necklace stack is my true everyday—and with plenty of story to boot. The carabiner was my first introduction to Marla Aaron, who I discovered after attending a trunk show at Kick Pleat. Wendi Koletar always knows what’s cool first. The large pendant I discovered via Ellis Hill when popping in to see one of my favorite Big-D’ers (or Dallasites? Or Dallasonians?), Margretta Wikert. They were carrying the line Rare Gems from India, and I fell in love once again, with the enamel. I designed mine to have two K’s on each side and an H in the middle. “When are you going to actually change your name?” I hear my husband asking. Peeking out to find its moment behind the monogram is a small Aquarius symbol that my girlfriends went in on for my 40th birthday. It means so much. Descending further down is a Foundrae piece with the lion pendant, symbolizing strength. This is a piece I bought myself on a work trip to NYC years ago, and a moment in time I can always find my way back to when I see it.

The leopard was actually a bit of an impulse buy because—well, it was pink enamel and emeralds. See a trend, anyone? It’s from Milestones by Ashley… and I love her whole “more is more” vibe.

So far—much to my husband’s chagrin—I see no reason not to find only more settings to tell our stories… The only problem I see so far is how to decipher which each of our girls will get…