THINKING THROUGH LOSS IN MY CITY OF HOPE

Dealey Plaza, Dallas, this morning

The world has its eye on Dallas today, the 50th anniversary of the death of JFK.  I love my city, and on this day, I'm proud of it.  With all the media coverage and editorial - non stop - on TV and radio, it wouldn't be a wonder if Dallas just buckled.  It's a lot of responsibility to be this city, the one on whose soil Camelot was lost.

And Dallas didn't deliver the perfect day today, no sunshine or warm temps.  Instead, it's raw and intemperate.  Like it's an actor in a play.  Dallas reflected the world's temperature.  

Lee Park, Dallas, this afternoon

On my corner, flags are at half staff.  The leaves have fallen all at once.  

A nest in branches, such a symbol of resilience 

It was a sad day, and yet even in it's winter-ness, there's life, and hope.  

I'm proud of Dallas today.  

"One person can make a difference, and everyone should try."

- JFK

Feel Beautiful,

Elizabeth

MY ARTIST'S HEART AND SAN FRANCISCO

A big part of design, in art of any kind, is the study of the Iconic.  

I've recently been in San Francisco, and while its physical beauty is undeniable, what really hits me this trip is something beyond beauty.  It's this Iconic characteristic -- so elusive, yet as I head into my studio to start the process of designing my next Collection, Iconic is a characteristic I'm thinking lots about.

Iconic is a sense, a feeling - it's something that captures the imagination, once and for all.  San Francisco has snagged the heart and creative soul of so many of my favorite people; they come, they stay!  

As Rudyard Kipling once said: "San Francisco has only one drawback - ’tis hard to leave."

A favorite oil painting of a hilly street looking down at the Marina in San Francisco

My relationship with San Francisco began when I was young.  Almost every summer, my mom put me on a plane to spend time with her close childhood friend, Linda Bacon McBurney.

Mom and Linda shared the artistic muse.  And yet, with that muse, they went very different directions, Mom to Dallas to pursue the rigor of interiors, and Linda - west - to bohemia, to live the painter's life.  

Linda's studio, always so inspiring to me.

It was through Linda's lens that San Francisco came alive for me, from age 9 onward.  I was absorbed into the fabric of her incredible artistic, fun and funky family, and I am sure that her influence is alive in my designs to this day. 

"Might as well smile", oil on linen by Linda Bacon

This trip, I came to San Francisco with my own art, and the privilege of being hosted by Linda, her daughter Starrs, and Marcy, another friend from those old San Francisco summers.  They brought me into their world to show my art, my jewelry.  

What goes around, comes around!  

Feel beautiful!

Elizabeth

With Starrs and Marcy, then and now!

COLOR THERAPY AND A LITTLE GREEN

No matter what collection I'm working on, the real determination of how my designs take shape is Color.  

Color Therapy is increasingly prevalent, with powerful applications in everything from helping children learn to supporting the treatment of mental health disorders and depression.  Indeed, color has an overwhelming effect on our sense of balance and well-being, even on the kinds of choices we make.  We associate with color in truly astounding ways -- think about the favorite color you chose as a child.  I'll bet that color is still one that you gravitate toward, even now.  

What's amazing is that color is largely subjective.  It's simply the way light is reflected or absorbed, then received by the eye and processed by the brain which names it "red" or "blue" or "yellow".  In other words, we make color based on where we are physically, and how we perceive the way light hits us.   No wonder we have favorites - we create what we see! 

Gorgeous Tourmaline 

I'm gravitating toward Green these days, and it's not surprising.  Green occupies more space on the color spectrum than any other shade because of how many attributes it shares with other colors.  Green is the color of the natural world, redolent of life from earth to sky.  Whether its deep forest or sunny lime, Green is considered refreshing and tranquil, it's the color of growth and fruitfulness.  

Glass Trees by Andreas Engesvik

Green is said to have powerful properties for nutrition and wellness, too.  Last weekend at Lucky Pines, Krista and I invented this incredible Green Drink, and I've had it for breakfast every morning since.  It's all natural vitamins and protein, in a deep, minerally green.  
Life in a glass, enjoy! 

Elizabeth & Krista's Green Power Shake 

Serves 2

Blend together these ingredients:

frozen strawberries - 1 c
frozen blueberries - 1 c

unsweetened plain or chocolate almond milk - 1 c

frozen organic spinach, packed - 1 c

frozen kale, if you like - 1/4 c

almond butter - 2 tbsp

wheatgrass - 1 tbsp

spirulina - 1 tsp

flaxseed meal - 1 tsp

ground chia seeds - 1 tbsp

hemp powder, for extra protein - 1 tbsp

cacao nibs - 1 tbsp

a few dried goji berries 

cold water, for consistency

liquid stevia - to taste

Feel beautiful!

Elizabeth

LUCKY PINES

Reset.

Lucky me.  Great friends, an open weekend, and a sanctuary in the woods. 

Every so often, a group of my favorite women gather at Lucky Pines.  It is literally a dream come true for my dear friend Christie, who had pictured her ideal getaway for years and then, made it real.  Six acres and an eccentric, campy cluster of houses in Palestine, Texas, right outside of a town you possibly have heard of, Athens, Texas.  Lucky Pines is tucked deep in the pines, in a part of our great state that most have no idea exists. 

Our timing for Lucky Pines is often spontaneous, but always comes when we need it most.  When each of us needs refueling, in the form of both exercise and rest; chatter and contemplation. 

Sunshine is not a prerequisite.  In fact, the kind of restoration we seek at Lucky Pines is often best achieved as the earth is being restored as well.  What's better than rain on the roof and a fire to cut the chill? 

I've just come home from Lucky Pines, and know that I'm breathing differently.  This trip, our background music was Tara Brach's Guided Meditations (you can take 10 minutes and do one, click right here!)  Tara Brach's latest book, True Refuge, is a beautiful ode to nothing more than Being Present.  We work so hard at making life complicated, and yet how simple it becomes when we just commit to being present.  

Lucky Pines reminds me that it is that simple.  Friends.  Reset.

"Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention.

Be astonished.

Tell about it."

- Mary Oliver

Pearburst pendant, carved white quartz over pyrite.  With butterflies!  

Feel beautiful!

Elizabeth

all photos in this post are courtesy of Ella Ann Alford

THE WARMTH OF THE SOLEIL

The sun, in french, soleil, is a powerful image in art, architecture and design.  A symbol of intention and focus, I am drawn to ways this potent symbol can enhance the art of jewelry making.

Sunbursts of gold have adorned many a Royal through the ages.  Think of the French King Louis XIV and his work of art, Versailles.      

Gilded gate at the Palace of Versailles

It isn't just the metaphor of Sun as King that is so powerful.  The sunburst yields such promise, that with its rays we have clarity, and we grow.  Vincent Van Gogh features the sun in its golden glory in so many of his mid-career works, the period considered his most optimistic.

Van Gogh's Olive Trees with Yellow Sky and Sun, 1889

Soleil has appeared in my Mom's designs for ages.  Her Sunburst mirrors are always fresh and modern, and take different shapes with every collection she launches.   

Sunburst mirrors, all Jan Showers

Indeed, soleil figures as both a design and a jewelry-making technique in my Fall/Winter Collection.  By overlaying intricately carved white or milky quartz on deep-colored gemstones like malachite and pyrite, I've created a unique reflection and depth that looks different in every light.  

Soleil ring in milky quartz over mother of pearl

I love the poems written by 14th century Sufi poet Hafiz, for whom the sun was such a powerful symbol.  Hafiz wrote with whimsy and optimism, and as reviewer Brian Bruya says, "if it is true that a poet is someone who can pour light into a cup, reading Hafiz is like gulping down the sun."  To me, these words of Hafiz are truly like gulping down the sun!

Even after all this time

the sun never says to the earth,

"You owe me".

Look what happens with 

a love like that,

it lights the Whole Sky.

 - From "The Gift" by Hafiz, as translated beautifully by Daniel Landinsky

Feel beautiful!

Elizabeth

WHAT FALL 2013 MEANS TO US!

Announcing our newest collection!  And there's so much to say about it!

As the daughter of an Interior Designer, I've grown up steeped in - surrounded by - absorbing the inspiration and history that's informed the modern aesthetic.  Art Deco design, with its clean lines and structure, and utter accessibility, has deeply influenced my Fall/Winter Collection.   

I think of the great monuments of the Art Deco era.  The Empire State Building (completed in 1931) and the Chrysler Air Flow Sedan (first off the assembly line in 1934), both quintessential icons of the style.  And my favorite, the astrologically ornamented ceiling of New York's Grand Central Station is the perfect marriage of Art Deco symmetry and the mystery of the stars.   

My Fall/Winter Collection is about shape and color.  Deep color shades, that speak to the crushed velvet brocade and twinkling crystal we saw and loved in Baz Luhrman's Great Gatsby.   

I am especially excited about the pieces in Fall/Winter that reflect the accessibility that defined Art Deco.  Check out my entire Collection (in our features section, To You From Elizabeth), and take special note of the ways you can wear Elizabeth Showers at a price that inspires you! 

Audrey in lab-created blue sapphire, $435//Deco in white quartz, $295//Ball Stack rings with white sapphire, $195

Feel Beautiful!

Elizabeth

OUR OWN AUDREY

A jewelry designer's greatest achievement comes in creating a piece that lives long, stays fresh and reflects the beauty of every single person who wears it.  As we bring out a new collection, I always smile that my AUDREY still has such a place of honor.  In a different stone, with a different hue, our Audrey is timeless.  

While I didn't title Audrey for the true Icon who shares her name, I am struck by how alike they are.  

You think Audrey Hepburn and hear tinkling chandeliers -- "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "Roman Holiday".  To me though, there's the simple optimism that was Hepburn's aura.  Beauty, to Audrey Hepburn, is kindness.  Her care for those in dire straits, struggling in war torn nations -- it never tarnished her belief that the most important thing in life is, simply, to be happy.  As she said, "it's all that matters."  

This week, the AUDREY earring is being featured on my great friend Kim Schlegel Whitman's blog.  Kim, much like Audrey Hepburn, has such timeless style, and I am excited to see how she styles our iconic earring throughout the week.  Turquoise with grey, delicious for Fall -- check out Kim's post here and see how she brings our White Quartz over Turquoise Audrey to life.

While life for me, is lived largely in the present, I am drawn to those Icons who've shaped the past and are still alive in spirit today.  Audrey Hepburn speaks to me, and I love that we are able to honor her loveliness with our own Iconic piece.  Here's our AUDREY.  

"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."

- Audrey Hepburn

Feel Beautiful!

Elizabeth

Audrey earrings in Mother of Pearl set in 18kt yellow gold, check it out here. 

Audrey earrings in faceted white quartz over turquoise set in rhodiumed sterling silver, check it out here.

Audrey earrings in white quartz over abalone set in rhodiumed sterling silver, check it out here.