Collaboration: The Lyric Collection

I have always operated by the truth: we are only as good as the sum of our parts.  Thinking over the past 17 years, I’ve been deeply inspired by the ideas of others – like my Mom, for example.  There are hints of her influence in my work and vice versa.

My Meg chandelier earrings with london blue topaz over mother-of-pearl and diamonds.

And I’m inspired by the members of my team and my design partners, who have pushed me to explore new angles, shapes and textures, and have challenged me to see stones and precious metals in very unique ways. 

Chrysocolla bead necklace 18kt yellow gold tree branch station

 Collaboration is central to creativity, and for me, it starts with the message. The Elliott Yeary Gallery in Aspen, Colorado is a great retail partner, largely because of their appreciation for the power of the feel beautiful message at the heart of all that we do at Elizabeth Showers.  On a recent visit to Aspen, this really hit home for me.  Co-Owner, Kelly Wyly O’Donovan, creates artwork like nothing I’ve seen.  She brings together color and light, and in each of her works, she tells a story of empowerment.

"Amazed" by Kelly Wyly O'Donovan

Kelly’s paintings seem to speak out loud; in fact, she calls them “illustrated declarations of her thoughts, memories and emotions”.  Amazed, the piece that caught my eye that day in the Gallery, immediately sparked my creative engine.    

Ammonite

Since that visit, Kelly and I have collaborated to create one-of-a-kind pieces for the Lyric Collection.  We’ve designed a pendant, ring and two different earrings, all set in mixed metals and featuring perfect spirals of prehistoric Ammonite – fossils that themselves speak of the beauty and cycles of life.  Each piece is engraved with messages of empowerment, and as always, the Hope Star, mingled among the words. 

We are only as good as the sum of our parts!  Collaborating is what makes life, and art so enriching.

feel beautiful,

Elizabeth

ICONIC I: Elizabeth Showers' Double Holey Surfer Ring

Iconic. To us, it means classic and timeless.  Fresh, and effortlessly feminine.  Iconic pieces are those that call us back, to wear again and again.  Even after all my years as a jewelry designer, the pieces that become iconic are often a surprise – that was definitely the case with my Double Holey Surfer ring.  

I designed the original Double Holey Surfer ring a year ago as a one-of-a-kind -- and have worn it almost every day since!  The light blue-green of the varascite stone is so unique.  The stones seem to glow, especially set in 18karat yellow gold.  Like Caribbean waves splashing up on a beach, this ring makes me think of the special times with my sister and her family at one of our favorite getaways, Harbour Island in the Bahamas. 

So iconic is this piece that I designed a version that’s at the center of my Spring/Summer Collection this year.  Part of my new, mixed metal collection, the Double Holey Surfer ring is available in green turquoise, blue turquoise, or mother-of-pearl set in 18karat gold, with a rhodiumed sterling silver tree branch shank. The Double Holey Surfer is inspired by my love for sea, and by the grounding peace of the forest.  This piece reminds me to breathe, and appreciate the beauty of life all around me.

  

The Double Holey Surfer ring goes with anything; jeans and a white T, or a jewel-toned jersey knit dress.  It’s on my finger for a yoga class or an elegant event.  It’s got to be wearable to be Iconic!  

feel beautiful - 

Elizabeth

INSPIRATION

“Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us” – Oscar Wilde

Found objects, if they inspire a memory, are art.  Some time ago, I came across the exposed foundation of a 1940’s building while out walking with my Mom through our hometown of Hillsboro, Texas.  The building was torn down in the 90’s, but it had been the original hospital for our area, and actually had been built by my Grandfather and Great Grandfather.  And in 1971, it’s where I was born.  That afternoon on our walk, Mom and I spent some time exploring what remained, and it was there that I found a beautiful fragment of tile, still a vivid, sea foam green.  

front side of the pendant

Standing there looking at it, I remember wondering if we could be near the room of my birth, if the tile could possibly be a remnant of that space and time, so many years ago.  Thanks to my Mom’s memory for detail and her eye for color, she confirmed my intuition.  

back side of the pendant

The tile I found on that day with my Mom is a powerful symbol for me, it’s my inspiration to live my life fully, every day. I set the tile fragment in 18 carat gold, inscribing the back with a a message along with my birth date, and wear it as a pendant almost every day.  Inspiration is in color, it’s in memories and messages.  My being present is what allows it to come to life in my work. 

the inspiration for my variscite ring with
diamonds

Until next time - 

xxoo Elizabeth

My Love Affair With What I do...

I love what I do.  But I must tell you, I haven't always.  I know it's natural to swing from highs to lows in one's livelihood.  But designing jewelry is an art, it requires conviction and commitment in order for it to be good, and for it to mean something.  I have a strong desire to consistently have a love affair with my work.  

The fashion industry is a tough place to be.  It can be fickle and superficial, and many times sends a message to women that they aren't acceptable unless they conform to its image of "perfection".  My life's purpose of empowering all women to feel great about themselves as they already are seemed so often at odds with the driving ambition of the fashion industry.  At my lowest moment of disillusion, I resigned myself to leave the industry and to leave my jewelry business completely. 

As I think about it, that moment in 2004 turned out to be a great catharsis.  It led me to explore how I could make a difference in the world. As many of you know, I successfully recovered from anorexia in 1992, and the mission closest to my heart was service work with girls and women struggling with eating disorders.  This mission is so in line with why I started designing jewelry in the first place -- to empower women to feel as great as they are.  

In 2004, at this cathartic moment, I decided to escape the "every day," knowing I needed perspective.  It was an adventure, but also a way to find myself.  And in Cape Town, South Africa, far away from Dallas, I met the person who asked me the key questions. A man named Caspar worked with entrepreneurs interested in getting out of their businesses - he was a broker for sales.  But instead of helping me sell mine, he prompted me to think deeper.  What I discovered from our conversation is that rather than being at odds with the fashion industry, I am actually in the perfect place to make a difference.  To create beautiful pieces that will empower all women to feel great about themselves.  

Close contact with an elephant in Botswana, Africa

I visited a village full of children in Zambia, Africa

Thanks to this non-coincidental messenger meeting me in the right place at the right time, it became simple.  The vehicle to live my purpose was right in front of me all along.  I saw that I had been living my life's purpose already, without conscious intent.

The experience in Africa was the beginning of my spiritual journey into a whole new world.  When I realized that I could touch every single woman with my jewelry designs - my customer, employee, vendor, friend, family - simply by being true to the mission of empowering them to feel great about themselves, the possibilities became endless! Every single woman I know (definitely including myself) needs to be reminded to feel beautiful... RIGHT NOW!  Not tomorrow, not when she loses 5 pounds, not when the divorce is final, not when she gets her MBA, not when she gets a raise, not when she gets pregnant, not when the chemo is completed, not when she finds the man of her dreams.  It is now my conscious intent to design jewels that empower all women every day. To feel beautiful.

Sunset photo that I took from the jeep in Botswana

I am touching a rainbow at Victoria Falls in Zambia

The Hope Star has become a symbol of my mission to inspire women to feel beautiful.  You will find a Hope Star wherever I can fit it on my jewelry—on the back of a pendant's bail, inside a ring shank, on the backside of an earring post, often in the least obvious of places.   After my return from Africa, I launched the Hope StarCollection to raise money and awareness for The Elisa Project and the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), both of which are organizations that have named me an ambassador.  

The Hope Star is not just a symbol, and the message to Feel Beautiful is not just a slogan.  They are the compass that guide me as I lead my team at Elizabeth Showers, and as I meet and get to know women all over the world.  It's the compass that empowers me to live in a love affair with my work.

xoxo Elizabeth

Almost Spring Break...

 

I don’t know about you, but I get completely bogged down with the overwhelming number of emails I receive daily and information overload in my life.  It could not have come at a better time when two of my closest friends recently suggested (within 24 hours of each other...coincidence? I think not!) that I read this book, “Getting Things Done” by David Allen.  I had to share it with you - it has really caught my attention. I am getting focused J 

 

Also, I am heading to Colorado this week for my own version of “spring break”!  It will be filled with my version of the three R’s (reading, relaxation, restoration) – I am really looking forward to this trip.  I am very excited to visit two of our favorite stores we sell to while I am out there.  If you know me, you know I am a nature girl at heart and love quaint resort towns; the weather is supposed to be perfect too! Stay tuned for pictures and my book review!!

 

 

By the way, we just got a few new spring pieces in! What do you think?

 



Until next time....
xxoo Elizabeth

I love Dallas!

Oh, how I love Dallas.... 

There are so many aspects that I draw inspiration from and use in my jewelry; Dallas being one of them.  This city has been my home for 25 years; 17 of which I have been designing jewelry. My work has always been designed around a purpose and has upheld a colorful and youthful spirit, much like Dallas.  Dallas is a dynamic, thriving, multi-cultural city where innovation and design are ever present.

From its classic staples like the Dallas Museum of Art to the thriving, new Klyde Warren Park, Dallas serves as a highly connective space for all to gather.  It is a great city to meet and interact with the people who provide me with the purpose for my jewelry: to empower all women feel beautiful.  

          
 I can tell you...it is the simplest times when I feel most beautiful, like walking my dogs around White Rock Lake or getting sweaty and focused in an Exhale Spa yoga class (Namaste, ya’ll!!). The best part of all this is that I have designed my jewelry to be versatile; and yes, I do wear my pieces to the gym!!



           You can always catch me at forty five ten having lunch at the T Room with friends and colleagues or strolling through West Village on my way to catch a movie at the Magnolia. I am such a fan of dinner and a movie dates with my best friends; Dallas has some great hot spots.

my "yoga" earrings and the perfect color for spring!

True beauty is present in all of Dallas, and let’s be honest, Dallas is known for its beautiful women!  But if you look closely, you will find an inner passion and strength in all of them that comes from living here.  And herein lies the reason for my designs... I have realized that my jewelry has the power to make women feel beautiful in any setting; like in the City Surf Fitness class I am taking this weekend - so excited! 

Anyone who knows a little bit about me can see that I am a proud Texas girl, to the core.  Nature, art, and community make me who I am and what Dallas means to me: it is my home. This year I have been nominated for D Magazine’s Best Fine Jewelry Designer.  It goes without saying that without my loyal customers and steady support system, I wouldn’t have even been nominated.

It would be a great honor to win this category and be featured in D Magazine.  I cannot do this without your votes. It means so much to me just to be nominated, but hey…who doesn’t like to win? ;)

Please click here to vote – you can vote on any and ALL devices EVERYDAY until March 10^th, which will be here Monday!

Thanks to all! Feel Beautiful –

Elizabeth

While Elizabeth is away......

....her sales team will play!  Elizabeth is on a fabulous vacation to the Bahamas with her sister, Susanna. (jealous!)  While she is away she asked us, her sales team, to post this weeks blog! With the last few weeks of this crazy hot summer upon us here is a taste of what we in the office have been wearing this season!  We could not be more obsessed with the white agate, green and blue turquoise, moonstone, and moss agate.

If you know Elizabeth and her brand you will know that she truly sees her designs as more than just pretty jewelry.  "She infuses each of her designs with the conviction that every woman is beautiful and strong."  That conviction is carried over into our office and it makes for a pretty empowering place to work...and super fun!  She truly challenges us to stop sweating the small stuff and remember in that moment what makes us feel powerful and productive...and yes, beautiful.

Karen

At this moment and really every moment since November 23, 2010 what makes me feel happy and beautiful is my daughter, Eva.  Whether a trip to the beach or loving on our dogs, Sophie and Lyla, there is nothing like experiencing and seeing the world through the eyes of child.  Everything is so new and exciting and I get to see it and experience it all over again for the first time with her!

Michelle

I just returned from a vacation to Colorado that included an incredible 3 day bike ride benefitting the Children's Hospital of Denver, Courage Classic.  I road with my cousin Kristen and her husband, Scott Miner.  Nothing is better than a great bike ride benefitting a great cause or a hike to the top of a mountain with your close family.  Fresh air equals a fresh outlook on life!

Whitney

Seeing that Elizabeth’s brand message is to always make women feel good about themselves, she often asks us what it is that makes us feel happy or good about ourselves. There is one thing that always comes to mind for me: Charlie.  Every time I walk through the door he welcomes me with open arms and unconditional love.  Anytime I begin to feel stressed or upset, Charlie is always there to put a smile on my face.

We also want to welcome Whitney to the Elizabeth Showers team!  She just joined us in June and with her excellent taste and enthusiam she is the perfect addition to our group. 

Stay tuned for Elizabeth's posts on all the rest of her summer travels....

Until next time!

Elizabeth Showers Sales Team
Karen, Michelle, and Whitney