Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 6:32PM By: Cynthia Anderson Elizabeth's Elixir
Rock collections, science projects, and power tools do not usually come to mind when admiring the delicate pieces that make up the timelessly elegant Elixir9 collection, but in our conversation with designer/artisan jewelry maker Elizabeth Lass we learned the importance of each in her creative process.
SW: How did you get started in jewelry making?
EL: As a kid I loved to draw and make things, but I think it really started in college. In the program I was in you could chose one of two routes, graphic design or industrial product design. I chose industrial product design because I fell in love with model making. I fell in love with power tools!
SW: Power tools?
EL: Yeah, (laughing) I just loved making things. I spent hours and hours in the shop, getting focused on making my models , and when I had a chance to take a furniture making class that really involved building objects that were very functional and beautiful I was in heaven.
SW: So how to you go from power tools and building to jewelry?
EL: Well after graduation I wasn't really sure what to do with myself, because the product design world was very CAD focused, you don’t need a full shop where you actually build prototypes. So I didn't know where I would fit in. Luckily I had picked up a lot of graphic design skills along the way, and I knew graphic design was a big business in the Bay Area, so I went to work in that field... even though I knew for the long term it wasn't what I wanted to do. Then one night, I happened to see a program about jewelry design on television that showed the artist using really simple tools, just a small torch and a fire brick, and I thought to myself, "Hey I could do that in my kitchen!"
SW: Did you immediately start selling your work?
EL: No, Actually I started just making jewelry for myself, because I had been looking for more sophisticated timeless pieces, and they were all so expensive. It seemed like you had to put down a huge investment just to have a single nice piece. So being a DIY person myself, I decided to make a few pieces. I started with a collection of earrings, I wore them, and got a lot of compliments.
SW: Do you still serve as your own model?
EL: Absolutely I test the prototypes by wearing them. From there I can refine, say if a necklace needs to be longer/shorter, or if the drop on an earring needs to be more dramatic.
SW: So how did you go from making earrings in your kitchen to creating a cohesive line in your own studio?
EL: Well, I started realizing that I needed bigger, better power tools. (Laughing) I had this little teeny torch, that was not going to cut it if I wanted to do more detailed work, which I realized I was starting to want to do. So I decided to enroll in the Revere Academy program, which offered a super condensed 2-month long course in jewelry/decorative arts. At the academy I was able to hone my skills, and use a real torch for the first time! It was great, and I knew I was on the right path.
SW: Following your artistic dream is no easy process in this economy, how did you manage to do it?
EL: Well, a friend told me about the Women's Initiative, a program that helps women in the Bay Area with training and support to start their own business. Through that program I was required to create a business plan, and really think seriously about how this could be done, including initial investment, sales plan, and production. I knew I wanted to make this a business that I could earn a living with and the program helped me develop that.
SW: So you have a business plan, and you have the power tools, Where did you find the inspiration for your pieces?
EL: I see jewelry everywhere. In the joinery of a chair, in a macro shot of a plant, in the pattern of windows on a building... I collect all these sparks of inspiration, but I'm not really interested in translating them literally into jewelry. What excites me is being at my bench and exploring what comes from the process of working with metal itself. I'm just endlessly fascinated by the natural properties of metal as a material. Bending it to find graceful curves and pleasing forms. Hammering it to impart an organic yet consistent texture. So far this has led me in two directions and two collections. For Argentum, it's the ability of the metal to retain this sparkly hammered texture. I grew up near the ocean, and it reminds me of how the sun glints off the ripples out to the horizon. Then the Natrium collection satisfies the science geek in me, working with fossils and interesting semi-precious stones. There I use metal to set them off in a simple yet sculptural way, often reflecting the form of the stone or fossil itself. So really my inspiration for my jewelry comes full-circle, from ideas I absorb from the world around me, through the process of working with metal itself, finally expressed together in the final piece.
SW: Speaking of Natrium, am I seeing a shark tooth on one of your pieces?
EL: Yes, that is a fossilized shark tooth! I found that tooth at the UN Plaza craft fair, and of course I had seen necklaces that used a very small shark tooth wrapped in leather, but I had never really seen one of this size, and I really thought "this has to be piece of jewelry." The weight of it was just amazing. I loved it.
SW: Did the shark tooth lead to the other marine-life pieces?
EL: After I made the first shark tooth necklace I got really into the idea of using fossils. I started attending the gem shows, where I found several pyritized ammonites.
SW: What is a pyritized ammonite?
EL: It's a totally naturally occurring fossil. An ammonite is a small ocean animal similar to the nautilus. During the fossilization process the Pyrite (the mineral sometimes known as fools gold) leaches into the shell and fills the area previously taken by the living animal. These fossils, which are believed to be at least 65 million years old, are dug out of the ground like this. Of course they are cut and polished to get that shiny surface for the jewelry, but the glittering gold effect you are seeing was created by nature.
SW: So nature is a big influence on your work as well?
EL: Definitely, I grew up on the coast of Rhode Island, and I used to collect rocks with my dad. I actually started going to gem shows with my dad when I was a kid. I've always loved rocks. I actually still have my childhood rock collection, and the one that was my dad's childhood rock collections on display in my studio.
SW: From rock collections, to power tools, to two fully actualized lines, what is next for you?
EL: I have been working on getting my name out there, through attending shows like The Mission Statements Meet the Designers event, Habit Forming, IB Crafty, and Fashion Feud. This Thursday, I will be showing at a trunk show called Red Haute and Blue at Rosewood Bar in North Beach. In addition to these shows, my collection is now on facebook, etsy, and I have my own website, where I soon hope to have shopping capabilities.
Reader Comments (5)
LOVE love love the ammonite necklace!
Not biased at all ;), but this is one talented designer. Always knew she would be an artist. Great article!
I enjoyed the inside look of what inspires this great designer. Especially when she talks about the Argentum collection - how the sun glints off the ripples - the perfect description for such beautiful pieces!
Loved the article!
Great that there are so many outlets available to get the word out about what you are doing.
Hope you gets lots of positive feedback & potential customers interested in your work.
(Nice that I was mentioned in the article too!)
One of a kind. Wonderful work and true sign of original artistry. Well done Elizabeth!