Lepa Jewelry is Refined Design

by ELENA WRYE

UCKED INTO THE BRICK-PAVED STREET OF MARKET House Square lies Lepa Jewelry, a treasure trove of handcrafted jewelry creations made by owner Kimberly Story. Lepa Jewelry, whose name means “beautiful jewelry,” offers one-of-a kind earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings that bring together a classic appeal and modern bohemian aesthetic.

Lepa Jewelry, which originated in Huntsville, Alabama, found its second brick-and-mortar home in downtown Paducah in January 2022. Each piece— hand crafted from materials such as Argentium sterling silver, gold-filled and rose gold-filled wire, and other mixed metals—is created by Story with a certain woman and goal in mind.

“When I make jewelry, I’m generally thinking about busy women,” she notes. “I’m thinking about career women who just need a little something to make themselves feel more confident while achieving their goals.”

A career woman herself, Story spent 25 years in the financial industry before deciding to shift gears and set out on her own artistic path. Story vividly recalls a time when just the right pair of earrings gave her the perfect boost of confidence for an interview—an

The Art of interview that she then landed. She hopes to pass on that same confidence to other women, whatever circumstances they face. the Story “I was about to do a job interview for a position that I was not the most qualified for, but I knew it was for me. I knew that I would The Story of the Art. T nail the job if I could just get the interview right,” she explains. “I was nervous because I had never done a panel interview before. I went and bought a suit, but it wasn’t until I put on the finishing touches—a bold pair of earrings

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that made me feel really put together—that I thought ‘I got this.’ And I did! I nailed it. That’s the person that I think about when I’m making jewelry.”

After many years in her career, changes in her job left Story searching for her next chapter. An unplanned trip to the craft department proved to be serendipitous, and Story left with a pendant and the materials to make a matching chain. As it turned out, those necklace materials would be the token that would turn the page.

This token sat for a while, somehow making its way with Story through numerous life changes and moves across states, until one day it finally beckoned to her (ever a selfproclaimed workaholic) to sit down and take a moment to research the steps needed to make the pendant and chain into what it was meant to be. Numerous classes, tutorials, and pieces of jewelry later, Story knew that she had found her next chapter.

Story’s art has developed over time, but unique, powerhouse pieces are still her niche. For Story, however, attention-grabbing pieces don’t necessarily have to be elaborate in design. Story’s pieces are minimalist in essence, but eye-catching in execution, offering a fun play between structure and fluidity, geometry and freeform, producing a style that’s both on-trend and timeless.

After spending the majority of her working years scaling the corporate latter, Story now enjoys the quiet moments of jewelry making. But it’s the in-person interactions in her shop that Story really treasures.

“It was the downtown area of Paducah that brought me here,” she explains. “My husband was moving for work, and I had just opened a shop in Huntsville and didn’t want to leave. Once I saw how beautiful, quaint, and open this city is, I was hooked. And I just love meeting the different people. They’re always happy and there’s always a story. Paducah has been a wonderful place to watch my business grow.”

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