Even before designing handmade jewelry, Chelsey Ray has always been a creative spirit. With a background in wedding and brand photography, she spent years capturing love and brands’ stories through her lens.
During this time, many of the companies she worked with were campervan brands, allowing her to travel and experience cities like Denver. When the pandemic hit though, Ray suddenly found herself uncertain about how she would continue making a living, when she was drawn back to her artistic roots.
“I had an old box of jewelry fly off my shelf—I took that as a sign, started creating, and became obsessed,” she said.
Ray quickly developed a passion for designing handmade jewelry, drawing inspiration from organic textures, colors, and shapes found in nature. After crafting her first few pieces, she was met with overwhelming positive feedback, motivating her to evolve her brand, Earth Fragments.
Specializing in rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings, Ray’s designs range from raw, uncut stones to more minimalistic, refined styles. Above all, her goal is to help others “reflect their inner light and empower healing energy,” she said.
Ray's brand blew up within six months, allowing her to then make the move from Alabama to Denver.
Since establishing her roots in Denver, Ray now has her designs available at local pop-up markets and boutiques. The designer said she’s fallen in love with Denver and its vibrant community. “I've met some of the most amazing people here, I've made the best connections, it’s been a big blessing being in Denver,” she said.
Ray explained that a lot of her pieces are meant to help confidence or reduce stress. “My more extravagant pieces, like the Fringes or Starbursts, are made to empower women, whereas the Portal Nexus designs are to help anxiety,” she said.
Ray explained how she follows her intuition when curating collections for local storefronts, “Lariat is very elegant and classy, but also bold, so I typically bring more of my long, drippy pieces to match that style."
Looking ahead to 2025, Ray is excited to share new designs featuring shells she’s been drawn to—particularly abalone shells, known for their calming feminine energy. Other new pieces will incorporate tiered, layered Capi shells and more water-based influences.