Echo Park based jewelry designer Kristen Levy got her first taste of design while learning Native American beadwork at the age of 10. Exploring the jewelry boxes of her mother and grandmother, she would rework broken jewelry into pieces for herself. This passion carried through into adulthood where she began designing jewelry out of found and forgotten materials. Mostly self-taught, she eventually evolved into making fine jewelry. Her current collection, Kristen Elspeth launched in 2005. Kristen lives in Echo Park in Los Angeles with her fiancé David and their miniature dachshund Ira.