West County Mom Lets Her Creativity Shine With Handmade Rings and Necklaces.

When West County resident Amy Krebys left her job as a speech therapist for the Francis Howell School District to raise her two boys, she knew she didn’t want to spend every minute of her every day in mom mode. She had creative muscles that needed flexing and a passion for fashion that she couldn’t ignore. 

So last year, she founded Pure Elegance Jewelry, a line of earrings, necklaces and rings that Krebs makes and designs herself. With a toddler and a 3-year-old to look after, Krebs says that the bulk of her jewelry work has to get done during “nighttime and nap time.”

“Along the way, I kind of lost myself with starting a family. You know, I kind of got the baby blues for some time,” Krebs said. “And now, I’ve come back out of it, and feel so happy. And jewelry has been my passion, kind of what I run to when the kids go down to bed or when they take their naps. That’s what I do I just kind of become creative, and it soothes me and relaxes me.”

Creating original fashion is nothing new for Krebs, an Ursuline and Fontbonne grad, who showed signs of creativity--especially in the area of accessories--at an early age. 

“My mom has always been creative, and she’s really artistic. And she started making jewelry, and I saw the pieces that she made and learned from her,” she said.

In the third grade, Krebs made bracelets at home and was taking them to school to sell for $1 each. And even as an adult, before she had children and started Pure Elegance, Krebs would personally bling out shirts as gifts for family and friends. For instance, she would spell out ‘baby’ in shiny Swarovski flatbacks for a friend who was expecting. 

“It’s fun for me to shop and buy things in large amounts and make a whole multitude of different components combined together and sharing it with other people,” she said. 

Krebs guesses that she has sold about 80 pieces of jewelry since she began the company last year. She brought her wares to her first craft show at Ascension Church in April, where she made her first sale to someone who was a complete stranger. 

“What’s cool is that it seems to be appealing to all ages. (At Ascension) there was a 95-year-old woman with a walker walking by and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, those are beautiful’ and then there were teenagers, like 16-year-old girls, buying stuff.” 

Krebs said she plans on doing more and more craft shows in the summer and into the fall. 

“When I do my jewelry shows I get really excited and can’t wait to share the pieces with other people and talk about what I do,” she said.

Krebs said she hopes to soon have her jewelry more widely available. With the help of her husband, who works in IT, she has begun setting up www.pureelegancejewelry.com and hopes to eventually be able to take orders online and ship her wares across the country. 

Even with young children to take care of, and her business something of a toddler itself, Krebs is still thinking about where she might take Pure Elegance. She said that a boutique somewhere in West County with Pure Elegance on the storefront is something she would definitely like to look into when her children are a little older. When asked which celebrity she would most like to design pieces for, Krebs, like a good business woman, gave a whole range of stars. “Kate Middleton to Katy Perry,” she said. “Opposite ends of the spectrum, Middleton being elegant to Perry being funky.”

Pure Elegance will be on display and for sale June 4 at the Wildwood Farmers Market.