About VT

   Welcome to Violet Tiger, your online destination to discover handcrafted jewelry designs, inspired by a love of travel, art, history and culture. Violet Tiger features exotic, elegant necklaces, bracelets and more created with semi-precious gemstones, unusual metals, free trade beads, upcycled vintage items and materials sourced from around the world.

Female-owned and operated, Violet Tiger is a California-based handmade jewelry company with designs that are unique, yet timeless: perfect accessories to give to others, and also to gift yourself. Besides enlightened designs, Violet Tiger prides itself on its outstanding customer service. We are happy if you are happy!  

   And a little about the owner & designer, Kelly T as well as how Violet Tiger came to be, because VT used to be known as Messy Jewelry. In the almost 11 years of being in business not only has Kelly grown, so has the brand. Enlightenment and evolution makes the world go round! Read about our history.

Wow, life is messy. Messy Jewelry, now Violet Tiger, came out of nowhere, just like my diagnosis in fall 2013 of MS (Multiple Sclerosis). During my recovery, which is a daily practice and completely unpredictable, I began to create jewelry. Well, the story is a bit longer than that. My then six-year-old son was taking a jewelry-making class and he came home with amazing stuff AND he would not let me wear any of it! So, I said "Fine, I can make my own!"

   During what I call my first generation period, creating jewelry became addictive and helpful when I needed to have downtime to recover from fatigue (a major debilitating symptom of MS), or I could not feel the tips of my fingers and the tops of my hands (darn it hands, you are working!), and/or my brain was foggy (better mental exercise than Wordle). Second generation began when people started complimenting me on the jewelry I was wearing, and one wine-fueled night (yes, a tipple or two is not bad for my MS), my friend suggested I make jewelry, sell, and donate a portion of the proceeds to MS research (MS Hope Foundation). The name Messy Jewelry came about as a rift on MS and the fact that I can be the most impatient, hyperactive, un-crafty person--essentially messy! (That said, I owned a successful Pilates studio for nearly 20 years, (sadly I closed July 2020 due to Covid-19 reasons and restrictions), but that can involve big physical moves, not slipping a tiny bead on a string!).

I source my materials from locations as exotic as downtown Los Angeles, to Colorado, England, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. Yes, those frequent flyer miles are adding up! Well, not quite--fortunately my mobility is in order, but I would be a hot mess if I traveled to Thailand with a feisty teenager!

Kelly and Violet Tiger invite you to explore our website, take an exotic online trip, and leave enlightened and perhaps with a special gemstone souvenir!