Early Jewelry ( WEBSITE ) line from Kansas was by far my favorite find at the Las Vegas Pool Tradeshow ( WEBSITE ) inside Magic ( WEBSITE ).

Biography from website:

Kylie Earlene Grater’s farm beginnings in Riley, Kansas lend a unique aesthetic to her original pieces. Growing up in the rural Midwest, she was able to look out onto the Plains, their vast horizons, and crops that rotated with the seasons.

The simplicity of rural life, the changing of the weather, and the cycles of planting, and harvesting have all influenced Grater’s approach to creating jewelry. Her close contact with these organic influences, in part, determines her materials: feather, cow bone, and leather, to name a few.

Grater’s later influences stem from substantial time spent studying and working abroad. She studied the professional side of craftmaking in England during college for a year and spent time in Africa, working with an HIV/AIDS project. These cultures, combined with her own upbringing in small-town America, have helped to determine the way that Grater builds her designs.

In addition to creating jewelry out of new materials, Grater invents pieces by reconstructing cast-outs and vintage jewelry. Inspiration for this line of jewelry comes from a dictate out of her rural past: one must make use of every little thing! This reuse results in unique and eclectic pieces that are expressive of both the old and the new.
Grater resides in Lawrence, Kansas where all the pieces are handmade.

Early Jewelry also has a wonderful blog ( WEBSITE )

Here she tells us how she goes about making vintage cuff link rings through pictures…