Sartorial
A
S I LV E R S M I T H
WITH
A
Heart of gold K AY P E A J E W E L R Y
DEFINES
HIGH
By M E G A N
DEMAND
WA L D R E P
P h o to g raphy co ur tesy o f K A Y P E A
JEWELRY
T
he countdown begins. There are only two minutes until Kristin Mein, the silversmith behind the jewelry brand Kaypea (pronounced “KP”), drops her new collection. With her online shop nearly sold out, her buyers’ fingers hover over the refresh button to get the first bite of the new merchandise. The clock strikes, and it’s game on. Minutes after the online shop goes live, Mein posts images on Instagram of pieces that have just been purchased. Sold, sold, sold. Once again, she makes a clean sweep. The lucky owners of the newest Kaypea collection message her their ring sizes, choose band styles, and anxiously wait about ten days for customization and delivery. The cult following of Kaypea Jewelry began in Charleston, South Carolina, and has spread across states and international borders—which makes sense, considering Mein once sold jewelry on the streets of Bocas del Toro, Panama. But let’s start at the beginning. Mein, a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, has made jewelry as a hobby since she was a kid, starting with friendship bracelets and progressing into beading and basic 110 | AUGUST 2020
