Catholic Family Business Celebrates 5 Years Blending Faith With Fashion

When teenager, Julianna Peterson, and her mom, Kathleen, experienced a fashion dilemma over 5 years ago, nobody could foresee the impact their solution would have on the fashion industry and the Christian community.

In the summer of 2001, Julianna and Kathleen began their search for “cool” Catholic jewelry. Disappointed when they could only find the typical medal with chain or beaded jewelry with pagan or new age themes, they decided to design and craft their own trendy jewelry using Catholic symbols. The first pieces were hemp chokers with Crucifixes and saint medals. After displaying photographs online for Catholic teens and moms, they received a great response with requests to purchase. With prayer and the support of husband and father, Jerry Peterson, they began their business, “Handmaid For The Lord”, naming it after the Blessed Mother. The online shop is located at www.handmaid-jewelry.com.

Over the past five years, their jewelry line has grown to include beaded necklaces and chokers, devotional and rosary bracelets, Catholic earrings, a line for men and young girls, specialty lines for Confirmation, First Holy Communion, and Cursillo, and a rosary shop with heirloom rosaries, chaplets for devotions to many saints, and their original Rosary Clips™.

Since this is truly a family business, each piece is designed and crafted by the Petersons. This insures a quality control that would not be available with out-sourcing, and provides the buyer with the confidence of purchasing an American-made product.

The Peterson’s designs are far from your typical religious jewelry. By monitoring the fashion industry and runways, they blend color and texture trends with Christian symbolism. This blending of faith and fashion results in the most unique designs in religious jewelry available today.

According to Kathleen Peterson, "We want to provide people with a very fashionable, wearable reminder of the Christian faith. Spreading the faith does not necessarily require a spoken word. Our jewelry is the quiet evangelizer. Our plan for success begins with prayer and continues with hard work, strong family values, and the ability to find new methods of marketing that work. This includes an affiliate program, wholesale program, and a “home party” style plan for local prayer and bible study groups.”

“The most important lesson we have learned is to remain focused on our mission and to always be open to the call of the Holy Spirit. Our mission is to bring God to others by offering beautiful and trendy wearable reminders of the Faith. Being faithful to this mission has been the foundation for our success during our first 5 years and it will carry us well into the future – God willing.”