Hi! My name is Kristin Costin and I am the owner of The Jeweled Warrior. From a young age I’ve been fascinated with unique jewelry that has a story to tell. In my youth I was fortunate enough to travel to St. John, U.S.V.I. during summers with my family. My mom lived in the Virgin Islands on a sailboat for 20 years, and this is where my parents’ love story began. I grew up hearing tales of my mom’s scuba and sailing adventures, and she influenced my deep appreciation for animals, plants, and untouched nature. It was in St. John’s vibrant shops, with talented artists inspired by the incredible beauty around them, that my love of jewelry was born. Watching my father gleefully purchase handmade jewelry pieces from our favorite local shops for my “protesting” mother established jewelry-gift-giving as a love language early on in my life. Jewelry was my route to connect with others by proudly telling the story of where the piece came from. It was the way I shared my passion for the unique oceanic life, rainforests, and people in St. John with others. As I grew older I realized the more I knew about the piece and who made it, the more meaningful those conversations became. I love collecting the stories of artists, and I honed this passion during my studies of Eastern Religion and Studio Arts at the University of Rochester, NY. It was here that I first learned about sustainability, and became interested in how to be an active participant in doing better for our earth. My love of jewelry and passion for protecting nature combined to spark my interest in sustainable jewelry artists around the world.