Welcome
Our beautiful, handcrafted pieces tell a story. Made by resilient women overcoming incredible odds, they reflect a heart and a hope for a brighter future.
Esther Sky provides opportunities for women to create, connect, and dream again, all while generating much-needed additional income for their families.
Each unique design is inspired by nature, threshold moments in life, and the beauty found in broken places. We draw inspiration from Japanese “kintsugi” – a method of mending broken pottery with seams of gold. A kintsugi bead is included in each Esther Sky piece as a reminder our scars can be stories of healing and strength.
At Esther Sky, we want to see women flourish. Our inspired designs will encourage you and those around you. May you feel the hope, faith, and resilience of the women who made them.
How We Started
As a young girl on the banks of the Kenai River in Alaska, Esther Sky founder Kristy Stevens tied fishing flies and sold them to local Coho salmon fishermen. She then ventured from the riverbanks to the bead store in town with her earnings and purchased beads to create her own unique beaded designs.
Many years and many trials later, Kristy started a jewelry business to support her family. Named for her beloved daughters Sky and Esther, she wanted to create opportunities for other women escaping difficult circumstances.
“I’m changing the legacy for my daughters. I want them to know that no matter what anyone says or what statistics people try to make them believe … anything is possible.”
Beading groups first began at a residential entrepreneurial training program for at-risk women and children. Kristy brought out her trays of beads and the women and kids poured out of their rooms.
As the women sat together, talking and creating, community and hope began to flourish. Women began to dream together of better lives. Esther Sky was born.
Where We're Going
Esther Sky’s employment opportunities are for women who may otherwise face hiring barriers. Our workspace is rooted in faith, kindness, and creativity.
Resilience is a key value of our business. Eva, a pioneer Esther Sky employee, shares "For me resilience means not letting the harsh circumstances from my past continue to be a part of who I am and at the same time becoming the woman that God designed me to be."
Always hands on with her employees, Kristy speaks life and encouragement as the women work together. Kristy often shares her conviction that we all must face our history – even the ugliest parts. But she reminds us that this is only a reference point to see how far we’ve come. Then, her encouragement is to always face forward with faith and hope.
Kristy has spoken to women’s business groups, church gatherings, incarcerated women, and at fundraising events. Wherever she speaks, she brings a genuine and humble spirit, her strong faith, and messages of hope and achievement. In the future, Kristy plans to expand her speaking engagements and is currently working on her first book.
Our Design Process
Strings of bright beads lay scattered and glimmering across a table. Pairs of hands move swiftly, juxtaposing colors and textures, side by side. A prayer is murmured, under her breath, seeking divine inspiration. A design begins to take shape.
At Esther Sky, the colors and textures, charms and pearls each tell a story. Of dark transitioning to bright. Beauty found in stark contrasts. The gold veined kintsugi bead reminds us that we are strongest and most beautiful in the scars that show our healing.
We chose our beads based on feel, beauty, and quality. Our bracelets feature precious stones and our pearls are always real. In our employee training, we emphasize quality, durability, and workmanship.
All our designs spring from a collaboration with women in transition from life's upheavals to fulfilling restoration.
