Our Story

In Christmas of 2014, I learned how to make some simple earrings to give as gifts for teen girls in my church’s Angel Tree program. God gave me this opportunity to do this, I think, to help me find my way out of the horrible depression I had been battling. I’ve always loved crafting and creating, and the idea of making something that would bless someone else brought such joy to my heart!

From that moment on, I was hooked! I watched videos, read tutorials, and bought jewelry supplies as often as I could, since we were a single income family. Some of the stuff I made when I was first learning was…interesting, but I’m grateful I had so many that loved and had the grace to support me back then, I’ll just say that. 

 

 

But God used my passion to create and to make things that made other people happy to be a blessing. I had found a calling and a purpose on my life, and All for Him Jewelry was born! I began to get friends who saw what I was making and would commission me to make them something one-of-a-kind for them. Two things that still stand out in my mind, were fan-themed charm bracelets I was asked to design for friends. I learned to make custom charms and hand stamp metal, specifically to create something for these ladies. And even though I look back at those early pieces I made and cringe a bit and my skill level at the time, those bracelets meant the world to those friends. That gave me the biggest thrill.

 

 

Early on, I began to split my focus between two completely different styles of jewelry that would, over the next 7 years seem to take me down two different paths at the same time. I would say I made both “pretty stuff” (original and one of a kind Bohemian and gemstone jewelry) and “fandom stuff” (movie, tv, and book themed charm bracelets and accessories). The funny thing is, our name, despite the giant teal cross on our logo, often confused people who assumed we made jewelry just for men!

 

 

We did craft fairs where I sold both styles of jewelry, but also conventions that focused around our themed jewelry. I met so many people and made so many friends who told us our jewelry spoke to them and loved our willingness to work with them to make sure they got something they really loved. We discovered that people especially liked our charm bracelets that we took the time to personalize for each customer.  One of our charm bracelets we became known for on Etsy even got featured in The Huffington Post one year, and the “pretty stuff” I was passionate about creating took a back burner to making the themed things people couldn’t get enough of.

 

 

It became a family business, and I had my husband drilling keychains for me and packaging up orders I prepared whenever he got home from his own job at night. I had my kids earning their own money by making simple beaded bracelets. I even had friends volunteer to help me with craft fairs because we did get so busy. It felt amazing to have so many people willing to support the dream that God had put in my heart. 

 

 

Colossians 3:23-24 became our mission statement, as a business and a family. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” The way I saw it, was my goal was to work as hard as I could, and do my best at anything I did, and in doing that, no matter what jewelry I made, I would honor God.

Over the years, we had many twists and turns. I stopped seeing much success on Etsy and we needed a second income, so I put jewelry making to the back burner for a few years as we walked through new seasons of life including 2 different jobs and COVID-19.. 

But all that time, deep down, my passion to create never fully left me. In late 2021, God began to rekindle the flame that had never died. God began to shape my heart to see what His vision was, and it was different than I had seen before. This time, God showed me that it was never about finding a way to provide for my family that I enjoyed, nor was it about simply “working for God with everything I did.” This time, I recognized that the goal had to be to build women up, to encourage and inspire them. It meant not just making things that made people happy, but intentionally creating beautiful things that would point people to Jesus.

That brings us to today. We chose to rebrand our name to AFH Jewelry, what our business had been known as unofficially for years. Our purpose now, rather than simply doing my best at everything I do, but to be purposeful in creating jewelry with a deeper meaning. 

 

 

Among many other verses that God has given me that have re-centered my focus and made clear our purpose as a business, is this, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

 

-Lissa

AFH Jewelry