MEEKER | For Shelby Kracht, jewelry was never just about turquoise and sterling silver. It was about creating a life that fit who she wanted to be.
The owner of Western Drifter Jewelry is now channeling that philosophy into an exclusive collection for the upcoming HopeWest gala, creating pieces inspired by Meeker, the White River Valley and the Western lifestyle that shaped her.
“I always knew I wanted to have my own business, but I wasn’t really sure how that was going to happen,” Kracht said.
Before launching her jewelry business, Kracht spent years working corporate jobs while dreaming of a lifestyle with more freedom, travel and creativity. A few years ago, while navigating personal life changes, she picked up jewelry making as a creative outlet.
“I took on this hobby as a distraction, but just something else to do while I’m working and give me some life,” she said.
What started as experimentation quickly became an obsession.
Kracht taught herself jewelry making through online videos and countless hours of trial and error, investing in tools after reaching out to another jewelry maker for advice.
“I just started doing it every day, and then I got really obsessed with it almost because I was frustrated I wasn’t getting it figured out,” she said. “Then eventually things started clicking.”
As she shared pieces online, friends and followers began asking whether her work was for sale — even before she believed she was ready.
“I didn’t even feel like I was that good, but people liked my work,” Kracht said. “Then I was like, you know what, maybe I should just see where this goes.”
She officially launched Western Drifter Jewelry at the end of 2022. Within two years, Kracht transitioned from balancing another job and jewelry making to supporting herself completely through her business.
Since first picking up jewelry tools four years ago, Kracht estimates she has created hundreds of pieces, each one shaped through repetition, experimentation and practice.
Her workspace reflects that process.
“My bench is where every piece starts,” Kracht said. “I keep the tools I use every day within reach — my torch for soldering, files and sanding tools for shaping and finishing silver, a flex shaft for detailed work and polishing supplies for the final shine.”
Spread across the bench are pieces of sterling silver waiting to be shaped, turquoise stones waiting to be set and sketches for future designs.
“It may look a little chaotic at times, but every tool and material has a purpose in bringing a piece from an idea to something someone can wear,” she said.
Today, Western Drifter Jewelry reflects both her personal style and the lifestyle she wanted to build.
Kracht describes her work as heavily inspired by Southwestern and Old Pawn-style jewelry, drawing influence from Western culture, turquoise pieces and traditions common throughout Colorado and Arizona. Her work often incorporates sterling silver and natural stones, with designs influenced by desert landscapes, rivers, horses and outdoor adventure.
“I’ve always been into Old Pawn Southwestern style jewelry,” she said.
The name itself tells part of that story.
The “drifter” portion comes from Kracht’s love of travel and her desire to avoid being tied to one place too long — something reflected in her plans to spend much of the summer traveling while continuing to create jewelry.
Her summer schedule mirrors the business name. After spending her first month of summer in Meeker, Kracht plans to travel to Bozeman and Kalispell, Montana, through July before returning to Meeker in August. She will then head to Arizona for the fall and winter months.
Her connection to Meeker, however, runs deeper than travel.
Many of Kracht’s earliest influences came during summers spent visiting family in Meeker and admiring the jewelry worn by her grandmother.
“My grandmother used to wear a lot of rings,” Kracht said while showing one piece that belonged to her grandmother. “When I’d come visit her up here in the summers, I’d always look at her rings and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’d be so cool to be able to make something like that.’”
Those memories helped inspire the exclusive White River Collection she is creating for the HopeWest gala.
Kracht said she plans to create collections inspired by the places she visits this summer, and while staying in Meeker she wanted to create something tied specifically to the White River Valley.
The six-piece White River Collection draws inspiration from the area, including trout-themed jewelry and designs reflecting local Western culture and outdoor traditions.
“Anywhere that I’m going to this summer, I’m trying to draw inspiration from that area,” she said. “My goal was to make a little drop while I’m in Meeker, so I named it the White River Collection.”
The collection will be featured during this year’s HopeWest gala on June 13, a full-day fundraising event running from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Meeker Downtown Plaza and Fairfield Center, 200 Main St.
This year’s event, themed “Jesters & Generosity—A Cornhole Joust & King’s Feast,” features a medieval-inspired day of fundraising that includes the annual Meeker Cornhole Tournament, auctions, food and community festivities.
HopeWest provides hospice, palliative care, grief support and support services for patients and families across western Colorado, with fundraising events helping sustain local programs and care.
The opportunity to connect the collection with HopeWest came after conversations with community members who thought the locally inspired designs would fit naturally with the fundraising event.
For Kracht, participating means more than showcasing her work.
“Trying to gather donations for something like that and being able to be a part of that is really special,” she said.
Despite building a successful business in only a few years, Kracht still sees jewelry making as something that requires patience and precision.
“It takes a lot of time, and you’ve got to pay attention to detail because there’s a lot of room for error,” she said.
Then she summarized the process more simply.
“Time and love.”
As Kracht prepares to unveil six pieces inspired by the White River Valley, the business she once started as a distraction has become something much larger — a way to create, travel and leave pieces of her story behind wherever she goes.
Shelby Kracht works at her jewelry bench creating handmade pieces for Western Drifter Jewelry. Kracht’s six-piece White River Collection will be featured at this year’s HopeWest gala. JARED HENDERSON PHOTO
Shelby Kracht holds a piece in progress at her workbench, where she designs and handcrafts jewelry for Western Drifter Jewelry. Each piece is shaped through detailed metalwork and stone setting as part of her creative process, including her new White River Valley collection for the HopeWest gala. JARED HENDERSON PHOTO
