Goodbye, For Real This Time

Three years ago I attempted to end this extraordinary era of Elizabeth Showers jewelry. Now three years later, I have finally - for real this time -- made a decision to say goodbye to my 22-year-old jewelry adventure.

Styles throughout the years, still 
available a little bit longer for special order!

One of the main reasons it has been a challenge for me to move on, is that I enjoy creating for all of you, my customers and friends. It's a bit humorous all of the back-and-forth: in 2015, I decided to leave the jewelry business, and then what I found amidst the chaos of closing was the fun and joy in selling online and connecting with customers. This made it so hard to leave, and as you witnessed, I stayed. I kept thinking I would quit, but time moved forward and I continued to stay, still believing I would soon move on. I then considered how much I had invested into this work, so why not relaunch with a lower-priced collection reminiscent of my vintage collection from all those years ago? As this was happening, I began to know physically, mentally, and spiritually that it was time to move on.

I think many of us do this, stay where we are comfortable and familiar. It has been a good place, and one with so many friends I have made over the years. It's been a challenge (obviously) to say goodbye. I am now not calling it "quitting" -- instead, it's a metamorphosis into a new career (outside the field of precious jewels). The HopeStar will continue to live on in a different way outside of jewelry -- and I will keep you posted on this!

Most importantly, it will continue to live on in the jewelry that all of you are wearing!! You can continue to carry this HopeStar on you, to remind you and those around you of how precious and beautiful you all are.

With this big change and final goodbye, you may now purchase the collections at a fraction of their original prices! The Sale to End All Sales is going on now and once these styles are gone, there really will be no more. Shop the sale here.

And we are donating 5% of all HopeStar jewelry sales to The Elisa Project. As a past Star of Hope recipient, and having recovered in my early 20s from an eating disorder, I am honored to give a little bit back to this amazing organization dedicated to creating awareness of and preventing eating disorders through education, support, and advocacy.

One of The Elisa Project's recent annual luncheon's speakers, 
Nancy Kerrigan in one of our HopeStar necklaces in People Magazine.

I am sad to say goodbye. My plan is that although this is a goodbye from jewelry, it is not goodbye for us. The biggest gift I can give you all is to remember your essential beauty always lies within. 

A Continued Journey of Healing, Health and Life

This month, I celebrate 26 years of not only being recovered from anorexia, but also I celebrate having learned to love myself and my body.  It has been an imperfect process, as is life.  What an adventure it has been and still is.

I hated my body between the ages of 13 and 20.

During those years of my life, I endangered the health to my already-thin body through all kinds of extremely restrictive dieting, all stemming from thinking very little about myself.

The HopeStar is our reminder that Beauty begins Within.  As I have been seeing the first signs of aging in my mid-40s, the HopeStar has become even closer to my heart, the HopeStar has become a beacon to guide me, to remind me of what is most important.

Featured in People Magazine, Nancy Kerrigan in one of our HopeStar necklaces. She told me that she wears it almost daily.

I am honored that the HopeStar is a beacon of light and hope to so many. I recently received a thoughtful note from Nancy Kerrigan about her HopeStar necklace, of which The Elisa Project gifted to her when she told her story during one of their annual events a few years ago.

My wish is to keep inspiring others with the meaning of the HopeStar, especially younger generations like my niece Eliza and stepdaughter Harley.  Their generation (among others) can be challenged by social media's perfected images to distinguish authenticity from fiction.  At age 46, with my 30 years of living beyond Eliza and Harley, I am occasionally still challenged myself to know the difference.

Please remember and help spread the word that Beauty begins Within.

shop our HopeStar styles here

#VivaBibo, a Great Mom

I love this beautiful and precious woman.

I knew her as Bibo when I was a little girl (this photo is me with Bibo in an awesome wing back chair). She was my Great Great Great Aunt and one of my 4 favorite people outside my immediate family.

Her real name was Viva, which can mean a variety of positive things in Spanish around “living” as well as an exclamation of joy, and she brought so much joy to me and many others. What a great role model of kindness and caring she has been and still is in my life! While she never had children, she most certainly was a Great Mom to me. #VivaBibo

Happy Mother’s Day to mothers of all kinds! I think we need to celebrate all mothers every single day.

FUNNY FACT ABOUT BIBO: after her husband died, she drove from California to Hillsboro, Texas (my hometown) to just “visit” my Great Grandmother (Hattie). And she never left Hattie’s home until she passed away many many years later. 

New Things To Come

Here is what's to come at Elizabeth Showers.

 

A couple of years ago, I found myself searching for something deeper in my work.  My jewelry was still popular and selling well, my personal life was abundantly blessed, and something was missing.  For the first time in 19 years, I decided to take a step back in my career.  I then had our "End of an Era" sale in the Fall of 2015, which was successful and fun, as I personally directly connected with more customers than ever before!

Since then, as I reflect on my career, I see that staying in the world of jewelry is where I want to be.  I have a passion for creativity, love the art of making jewelry, love rocks and gems, and have 22 years of jewelry experience.

 

I am midway through yoga teacher training, and while my original reason for it was to improve my practice, the culture of this particular training has inspired me way more than I expected.  It has re-emphasized my desire to create a culture of giving back in my business.  Not only does this mean financial giving, but also giving through service.

Alongside this training, I have recommitted to daily meditation and inquiry, giving me more inner space for creativity.

My first tagline was "adorn yourself".  A few years later, I uncovered my purpose of "empowering all women to feel beautiful," shortened to "feel beautiful."

As I relaunch my business, "beauty within" is the new evolution for Elizabeth Showers.  My intent is for this message to remind you of your beauty within yourself, that is already present in the here and now, not found in some future plan, nor in a beauty product, not through your significant other, not through any thing, activity or person outside of yourself.

 

The beauty of my jewelry is to serve as a reminder or symbol to help you remember what you have always known:

your beauty is within.

In supporting this message, we will involve more philanthropic projects with our brand.  In the coming months, you will see I am back with so many amazing new things on the horizon.

Thank you all for being a part of my journey.  I look forward to writing this next chapter with you!

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours

 

My Christmas message to you is very simple:

"Feel beautiful" means that my ideal for you is to realize your beauty within yourself, your beauty that is already present in the here and now, not found in some future plan, nor in some beauty product, not through your significant other, basically not through any thing, activity or person outside of yourself.

The beauty of my jewelry cannot make you know you are beautiful.  These beautiful small art objects are here to help you remember what you have deep down always known:

your beauty is within. 

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you!

and here's to your best new year yet!

Elizabeth Showers' 20th Anniversary

Twenty years ago in 1996 at age 24, I started what was then called Elizabeth Showers Studio. 

Read more about my beginnings here.

Y'all have been hearing from me about making big changes after all of these years….part of that was closing out hundreds of adored jewelry styles over the past year with my fun and successful End of an Era Sale.

Blue Topaz Pinwheel Earrings in 18kt Gold

After this sale was over, I continued to hear from so many of you, making requests for certain styles.

While I can’t offer the over 3500 styles that I have designed over these 20 years, I have decided to offer some of my and your favorite jewelry styles from throughout the years for special order.

18kt Gold Marilyn Chandelier Earrings in Turquoise and 3.5 Carats of Diamonds 

Not only are all the prices greatly reduced from the original retails, but also you get to put only half down, (a little like layaway!), then a few weeks later when we finish making your beautiful bauble, and you pay the remaining half, your beloved jewel shows up at your doorstep.

Hope Star Deco Earrings in White Quartz and White Sapphires in Sterling Silver

This delayed gratification feels like you are getting a surprise in the mail!

Mini Bowl Rings stack of 3 in Turquoise, Moonstone, and Cognac Quartz

Here are some of my additional favorites:

Sophia Pendant in Seafoam Chalcedony, White Moonstone, and White Sapphire in Sterling Silver

Deco Traintrack Earrings in Swiss Blue Topaz in Sterling Silver 

Susanna Earrings in Norwegian Moonstone and White Sapphire

18kt Gold Madeleine Ring in Chrysophrase, Turquoise, and Diamonds

18kt Gold Deco Earrings in Blue Topaz

Drew Leaf Pendant in Turquoise and Diamonds in 18kt Gold

Enjoy!  And celebrate our 20 years by letting me know what your favorite Elizabeth Showers' jewel is that you have or that you might be considering.  I would absolutely love to hear from you.  Email me personally at ebeth@elizabethshowers.com.

Hitting The Reset Button

Graphic above and copy below is from the current edition of
EO/Entrepreneurs' Organization's Octane Magazine.

I have had my own jewelry line since my early 20s, when I quit my job to follow my passion. It wound up being one of the best decisions of my life, launching a career that has supported me, introduced me to a wonderful cast of characters and stretched my brain in ways I never could have anticipated. Now, after almost 20 years in the business, I’ve decided to take a bold step and change everything. I’ve decided to hit the reset button by clearing out my inventory and taking a creative sabbatical to figure out what’s next.  

The idea for my business came to me while on a trip to the Bahamas in 1996 while in these beautiful waters.  I returned there this summer during my creative sabbatical to recharge.

My break from the business started with dissolving ties with my brick-and-mortar retailers. Once the lifeblood of my profession, selling in stores has changed so dramatically, it’s as if it has transformed into another type of business altogether. Many Octane readers will know what I mean: the increased competition; the customers’ prerogative to explore endless comparisons; the demands retailers place on you to ensure your inventory sells, all while existing under the unspoken threat of being replaced. And I’ve been one of the lucky ones!

I am still happily selling through Neimans, as they are a marketing machine, and I have found a way that is a win-win (I think ;). I plan to discover/uncover 'win-wins' for working with retailers again in the future.

While severing my brick-and-mortar ties proved challenging, the next steps were more difficult. Over the course of several months, I have rolled out massive sales on practically every piece of jewelry I’ve ever made.

I knew that breaking with the past also meant getting rid of baggage I had been holding on to for too long. I needed to get back to the place where all I had was passion and a purpose. Now, several months later, that is just what I have done, and I’m looking back at all of it with a clear perspective. In the spirit of 20/20 hindsight, here are some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout my journey:

Do something with every single contact you get! I can’t tell you how many business cards I’ve let pile up without ever reaching out. Take action immediately when you meet someone. Send an email, set up a coffee date, write a “thank you” note, etc. My network would be so much larger if I had taken this advice earlier in my career.

In a non-threatening (and hopefully fun) way, shadow

your employees to see how they do their jobs. When I’ve

done this, I’ve discovered efficiency improvements that increased

productivity by as much as 30-40%. Sometimes it’s as simple as

getting a feel for how team members operate and spend their time,

and then making subtle tweaks to their routines.

Establish a daily group huddle, even if it’s just for five

minutes. I realize there’s a growing trend against meetings that

distract employees without increasing output, but I’ve found that

short huddles (instead of drawn-out meetings) can boost morale

and serve as a reminder that everyone is on the same team,

working toward common goals. Plus, it helps everyone—including

myself—to get a daily check-in for the sake of accountability, and

to introduce the potential for collaboration and fresh ideas.

Trust your gut first. It’s important to reach out for help, but it’s

even more important to trust yourself. I’ve spent close to a million

dollars on consultants over the years. Many of them I hired just to

validate what I already knew. Most of the time, I could have just

listened to myself.

Tune in to your financials weekly, if not daily.  An intimate

understanding of the bottom line clarifies every decision you

make. It can be tempting to be a people-pleaser to the detriment

of your financial health; for instance, offering raises you can’t

afford or scrambling to purchase things that employees request

but don’t necessarily need. It’s the same for customers. Early on, I

remember thinking, “No problem, we can absorb this US$25,000

chargeback off the entire sale because we’ll get this incredible

marketing and promotion in the process. We’ll make it up in all

of the future sales we’ll get.” And then I was left with no profit,

clambering to find money to pay the company’s obligations. Being

ever-mindful of the financials makes all the difference in the world

when faced with choices like that one.

When working with investors, be as clear as possible

regarding how you plan to use the investment money

before spending a dime. In fact, I recommend putting it in

writing, with the understanding that the plan is a set of ideas

and intentions, not a strict contract (which should be handled

separately, of course). The idea isn’t to nail you down but to start

these important relationships with as much mutual understanding

and transparency as you can. Cultivating a climate of harmony

with investors is itself an art, one from which every business owner

would benefit.

Let mistakes lead to insights, not fits.  It’s so easy to freak out

in the moment when things go awry, even over little things. But

when you remain calm and absorb the hits as they come, you give

yourself an opportunity to learn. I’ve stopped believing in the words “mistake” and “failure,” as people commonly use them.  Obstacles and unexpected outcomes light the path to truth about your business and where to take it next, and truth about your strengths and where your energy is best focused.

Make room for yourself so you can get into “the zone.”

The workday is packed with opportunities to self-distract and self-destruct. We all struggle with getting out of our own way. When you tune in, you can become aware of the ways you lose focus and prevent yourself from entering the zone. Change your work environment and work style to make it easier to operate distraction free, even if it means leaving the office to get away from your team for a while. I can only go into the zone when I create the space for it. It’s a challenge, but the rewards are huge once I get there.

I could go on and on— about getting enough sleep, listening to your customers, the importance of meditation … about a million other things that occur to me every day. I’m still learning, that’s for sure. The lesson of the moment, however, is a big one:  Learn to let go of those parts of the past that don’t serve you and move forward carrying all of your hard-won knowledge by your side.

Click here for a direct link to this article on EO Octane's blog.