When Kirsty Papadopulos lost her job 18 months ago, she didn’t get discouraged. Though the Montana native had given more than six years of her life to the pharmaceutical industry, she was now free to pursue a lifelong passion: professional jewelry making.

“I was having my second child [when I got laid off], so I decided to take some down time,” she explained. “A jewelry buyer asked about a piece I was wearing, and I told her I made it.”

This chance encounter served as an inspiration to Papadopulos. With a small child at home and another on the way, she realized that designing jewelry from home would allow her to be a businesswoman and a stay-at-home mom at the same time. A year and a half later, her dreams have started to come true as her brand, Lucia K Jewelry, quickly gains popularity among Seattleites.

A self-taught jewelry maker, she claims that her inspirations come from older designs she was exposed to as a young girl. The necklaces, brooches and earrings worn by her mother and grandmother were designed in a classical style that made a lasting impression on her. “I love vintage,” she said.

Her designs are unique in her ability to combine precious stones with fabrics and other metals. “I like the idea of mixing things,” she explained. “I enjoy taking hard and soft and mixing them together.”

The result is a collection of designs that are distinctively hers, yet classically wearable by traditional standards. “I want to make things for when you just need a little something to dress up,” she said. “I hope to make jewelry that women can just add to their staple outfits.”

Papadopulos says the theme for her spring collection is ‘preppy hip urbanite.’ “Right now, I’m really into stripes and aquamarine stones,” she said. “And I also love freshwater pearls, but the ones that are slightly imperfect. It’s true to nature, and to life, that we’re all slightly imperfect, but still beautiful.”

Standout necklaces in her current collection include Czech glass beads infused with a Gros grain ribbon, set on a gunmetal chain; crystal pearls and leaded glass crystals set on gunmetal chain and accompanied by a flower rendered from dupioni silk; pearls and labradorite infused into thai silver, and set onto a silk ribbon chain; and a knitted copper chain, rendered with a flowing effect to resemble a bib.

A diverse collection of earrings is another hallmark of Lucia K. Some designs are minimalist, such as her copper, silver and gold disc sets, while others, like her knotted silver chain and pyrite-infused chain earrings, are more ornate.

The design team for Lucia K is small. “I have two people that work for me part-time,” she says. “They help with jewelry-making, ordering supplies, keeping me organized. My mother-in-law has helped make the linen bags we use to package the jewels, as well.”

Papadopulos says her favorite member of the Lucia K team – and the most encouraging factor throughout the whole process of starting her own jewelry label – is her husband Nick. “[Lucia K] has made our lives a little chaotic, and he has so much patience with this,” she says. “He’s my best jewelry maker.”

These days, she juggles her time between designing jewelry pieces and taking care of her young boys, Riese and Peyton. As Lucia K gains momentum in the city and her collection grows, she hopes to retain the localized, handmade quality that has come to characterize her designs.

Lucia K Jewelry is available online at Amazon and Endless, as well as plumforpolly. Some designs can also be found at far4 Boutique, which is located on 1st Avenue between Madison and Spring Streets. Papadopulos hopes to launch a Lucia K Web site in the near future; for now, she says the company’s Facebook page is the best site to find information about sales, shows and available designs.