Meet the Makers: Amy Green at Kingdom Crafting

An invitation to meet our sellers...

We have an amazing community of creatives and artists here at Cheerfully Given who love Jesus and are passionate about sharing Him through unique and excellent designs.

So we decided to take the time to introduce them and show off their inspiring products!

Today's #meetthemakermonday is with Amy Green of Kingdom Crafting. The fascinating journey from her (now) husband casting their own engagement ring to building a ethically-sourced jewellery business is a tale we hope you enjoy hearing as much as we did!

It is an absolute joy to chat with you today and find out more about the whys, hows, and whats of Kingdom Crafting! Let's jump in with a bit of an intro: who are you and what does creativity look like for you?

I'm Amy: a British-born, Honduran-raised daughter of missionaries who is blessed to be married to my sweet husband and business partner. Jacob is a furniture maker, and we live in rural Shropshire currently.

Daily, creativity takes a few forms for me, primarily expressed through my jewellery designing and making, watercolour painting often incorporating Bible verses of encouragement and spending time with people in conversation.

We started Kingdom Crafting because we felt God was calling us to a life of self-employment. He gave us total freedom regarding what business we would start and how to use the gifts. He graciously lavished us with them.

Jewellery design and making them soon became a clear contender, as I'd had my first experience when we decided to cast our wedding rings a few years ago. That experience was so inspiring, challenging, and rewarding for me.

As I began to delve into much research on different skills, techniques, and tools, I soon could see that jewellery was a sphere I could throw my heart and soul into for the glory of God.

Since that point, just before the pandemic in 2020, when we both left our full-time coffee-shop jobs, I have learned an IMMENSE amount through self-learning, trial and error, and much practice.

This year, I'm excited to say I made my first commissioned engagement ring, which was a significant milestone in my professional journey as a jeweller - and a true dream come true.

Wow, what a great question.

Provision. God always provides!

He ensures that we have everything we need - when we need it.

Not sooner, not later.

Examples of this are the types of items requested by people. They have been progressively harder to make but ensure that I've learned what I need for that commission.

God’s timing is impeccable.

Another area He has made known is giving us the wisdom to handle difficult situations with grace, love, and professionalism.

Creation provides much of my inspiration, specifically the interplay of light on things like clouds, leaves, hills and landscapes. I love the mild contrast this provides and the gentle curves seen in these aspects of nature.

The beauty of gemstones also inspires me. When I work with finer jewellery design styles, I love the simplicity of good metalwork that accentuates the natural beauty of the stone.

I love how God has created metal to be an element with which we can learn to work.

Then, when it comes to starting a piece, there are two main aspects:

I've begun taking more time, allowing my mind to consider many designs before making something new. This process often looks like sitting in a coffee shop and sketching out all my ideas.

My making process is very hands-on.

I try to do as much of the process as possible, so instead of always purchasing ready-rolled stock such as silver wire and sheet, I often melt silver or gold granules or scrap and then form it through a long process to make my wire and sheet; which I can then use in my designs.

I work predominantly with silver; although I work with gold when requested, especially for wedding rings, I plan to incorporate more gold into my collections soon.

I also work with some gemstones, and I love to try and find gemstone suppliers with personal relationships with the miners and cutters because ethical sourcing is important to me.

I am committed to ensuring that all involved in the production chain are well treated.

I love how our creative expression as humans is a huge part of our reflection of the nature of our God.

When I last read through Exodus, I was so amazed to see how the craftsmen were involved in making the Tabernacle, its furnishings, and the priests' garments.

Through the filling of these men with God's spirit, they were given wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in their skills for the glory of God.

I'm aware that I use who Jesus has made to me in the creative process, and my confidence is that He lives in me and inspires me.

Currently, it would be the 'Courage' ring!

I love the unique hammered faceting, which reminds me of the lines seen in armour, and I also love that the ring is a constant visual reminder of doing the right thing, no matter how hard it is.

Joshua 1:9 was the first Bible verse I ever memorised as a child, and to this day, it's an anchor for me.

My favourite project was a set of wedding rings.

The wedding rings are from heirloom gold, including a wedding ring over 100 years old from the lovely lady's Argentinian grandfather, along with a few grams of 'new' gold.

One of the ring designs was a simple hammered, matte ring, and the other was an unusual 'wave' design, which was fun to figure out how to achieve.

I loved this project so much because it was my dream since we started Kingdom Crafting to do something like this: wedding rings, which have come from old jewellery.

I love the sentiment of incorporating both sides of the family and some 'newness', and the practical processes involved from start to finish were rewarding.