Jewel Net Worth

What is Jewel's Net Worth?

Jewel is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress, and poet who has a net worth of $14 million. Raised in the Alaskan wilderness on a remote homestead with no indoor plumbing, Jewel was taught to sing and perform by her father, Atz Kilcher, long before she ever set foot on a stage.

After earning a scholarship to the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy, she began performing in coffee shops, street fairs, and small clubs, often living out of her van while trying to make ends meet.

Her breakthrough came after a San Diego coffeehouse residency caught the attention of Atlantic Records in 1994, and her debut album, "Pieces of You," quickly became one of the best-selling debut albums of all time. The record produced hits such as "Who Will Save Your Soul," "Foolish Games," and "You Were Meant for Me," and ultimately sold more than 15 million copies. Over the past three decades, Jewel has released 12 studio albums, appeared in several films and TV projects, published multiple books, and earned more than 20 major awards, all while cultivating a devoted global following.

Early Life

Jewel Kilcher was born on May 23, 1974, in Payson, Utah. Raised primarily in Anchorage and later Homer, Alaska, she grew up in a Mormon household with her parents, Atz and Lenedra, and her brothers Shane Kilcher and Atz Jr. Following her parents' 1981 divorce, the family left the LDS Church, and Jewel was raised by her father on the remote Kilcher homestead. Their home had no indoor plumbing, and Jewel often performed with Atz in local taverns and hotels. Her father taught her harmony, stage presence, and yodeling—skills that shaped her early musicianship.

Jewel earned a partial scholarship to the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where she studied operatic voice and guitar. After graduating, she moved to San Diego and lived out of her car while performing at coffeehouses and bars. During these years she developed the intimate, lyrical songwriting style that would later make her a breakout star.

Career

In 1993, while performing at The Inner Change coffee shop in San Diego, Jewel was discovered by Inga Vainshtein, who became her manager. Vainshtein brought her to Danny Goldberg of Atlantic Records, who funded a demo and ultimately signed her to the label. Her debut album, "Pieces of You," was released in 1995 and went on to become certified 12-times platinum in the U.S., cementing Jewel as one of the most successful debut artists in history.

She followed her breakout success with the albums "Spirit" (1998), "This Way" (2001), "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland" (2006), "Perfectly Clear" (2008), "Sweet and Wild" (2010), and "Picking Up the Pieces" (2015). Her catalog has exceeded 30 million album sales, and her work has earned her American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, ASCAP honors, and an Audie Award.

Jewel's career has also extended beyond music. She published the bestselling poetry collection "A Night Without Armor" in 1998, followed by the memoir "Chasing Down the Dawn" in 2000 and the 2015 autobiography "Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story." She made her acting debut in Ang Lee's "Ride with the Devil" (1999) and later appeared in "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" (2007) and the June Carter Cash biopic "Ring of Fire" (2013). On television, she judged "Nashville Star" from 2007 to 2008 and starred in Hallmark Channel's popular "Fixer Upper Mystery" series from 2017 to 2018. Her additional credits include guest roles in "7th Heaven," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," and appearances on high-profile specials such as the "Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe."

(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Charity Work

Philanthropy has been a major part of Jewel's public life since early in her career. In 1999, she co-founded Higher Ground for Humanity with her mother and brother to support clean-water initiatives and worldwide humanitarian efforts. She later participated in Lifetime's "Stop Breast Cancer for Life" campaign in 2006 and served as honorary chairperson of Washington, D.C.'s Help the Homeless Walk. Jewel has regularly raised funds and awareness for housing initiatives, including serving as an ambassador for ReThink: Why Housing Matters in 2013. Her community involvement has ranged from public service announcements to fundraising auctions of handwritten lyrics.

Personal Life

Jewel briefly dated Sean Penn in 1995 after he saw her perform on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and asked her to write a song for his film "The Crossing Guard." She later married rodeo champion Ty Murray on August 7, 2008, after nearly a decade together. Their son, Kase Townes Murray, was born on July 11, 2011. Jewel and Murray divorced in 2014 but have remained committed co-parents.

Jewel comes from one of Alaska's most well-known frontier families. She is the daughter of Atz Kilcher and Lenedra Carroll and was largely raised by Atz on the remote Kilcher Homestead outside Homer. Her brother Shane Kilcher and her younger brother Atz Lee Kilcher both appear on the Discovery Channel series "Alaska: The Last Frontier," as do her uncles Otto Kilcher and several cousins, including Eivin Kilcher. Jane Kilcher, who was married to Atz Lee, is Jewel's former sister-in-law. The extended Kilcher family remains deeply rooted in homestead life, and Jewel has appeared on the series multiple times to visit her father and relatives.

Although her mother, Lenedra, once served as her business manager, Jewel became estranged from her in 2003 after discovering significant financial misconduct. She has been open about the emotional and financial fallout from this experience and has discussed it in interviews and in her 2015 memoir "Never Broken."

Carlo Allegri/Getty Images

Awards and Honors

Over her career, Jewel has earned numerous awards, including San Diego Music Awards, a 1997 American Music Award for Favorite New Artist, a Billboard Music Award, multiple ASCAP Pop Music Awards, and an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video. She also won a Governor's Songwriting Award, a BMI Pop Award, an Audie Award for Best Spoken Word Album, a Radio Music Award, and several additional honors for songwriting and performance.

Real Estate

In 2009, Jewel and Ty Murray sold their 1,781-square-foot home in the Hollywood Hills for $1.4 million. They also owned a 2,200-acre cattle ranch in Stephenville, Texas, purchased in 2007; the property was sold for $335,000 in 2016 following their divorce. After the sale, Jewel purchased a home in Nashville, Tennessee, for approximately $1.3 million.

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