Peace AND LOVE

BRAND: Elisa Solomon Jewelry

LOCATION: New Jersey

FOUNDER: Elisa Solomon Kaplicer

FOUNDED IN: 2004

HOW DID YOUR BRAND BEGIN? My mom introduced me to artisan jewelry when I was a child. I excelled at art and knew I wanted to pursue a career making something wearable. I attended the University of Michigan and took a metalsmithing class during my first semester. I fell in love and majored in Jewelry and Metalsmithing. I had fantastic summer internships in New York City where I immersed myself in learning the business and public relations side of the jewelry world. As I entered my senior year, fashion designer and retail icon Steven Alan offered to sell my collection at his Tribeca store. The pieces sold to clients such as Ashley Olsen and fashion stylists. After graduating, I worked for two jewelry brands to learn more about design and the many aspects of having a collection. Three years passed and I decided to focus solely on my own business. In 2008, with incredible support from my parents, I did just that! I was truly fortunate to have an amazing response to my collection, landing incredible press, and retail accounts. It was a very magical time.

HOW HAVE YOU GROWN SINCE? My brand has grown as I've grown. When I launched my collection, I lived in Manhattan's Greenwich Village and my jewelry had a very bohemian feel. When I was engaged to my husband, I designed several engagement rings and wedding bands. When I was pregnant with my son, I created my mama collection. After my daughter's birth, I launched my charm collection. In addition to the ways my designs have evolved, I'd say a major example of growth is my web business. I redesigned my website in 2017 and the launch came at the perfect time.

WHICH PIECES ARE IDEAL FOR PASSING DOWN? One of my favorite jewels (that my daughter already requests) is the circle charm necklace. It was my "push present" with my son and I added a circle charm when I had my daughter. Another treasure for passing down is the custom encrusted white diamond name ring. I hand carve each name and it's encrusted in teeny, white diamonds. They are meaningful and timeless.

HOW DO YOU DESIGN NEW PIECES? I am inspired by lots of things! Often my children inspire me and so do their favorite things (I made a polar bear charm based on my daughter's love of them). Sometimes a song inspires me (most often by The Beatles), an animal we are learning about, or a symbol that expresses something we are feeling. My process starts with an idea or a stone I'd like to focus on.

I taught myself how to carve in wax after graduating college, so [that is a] main part of my process. A design can take as little as an hour and up to a week to carve! It's very relaxing to me, almost like a form of meditation!

WHAT IS YOUR BRAND BEST KNOWN FOR? My collection has always had great inspiration from the peace, love, and happiness of the Sixties. The peace sign is my personal favorite symbol so the large multicolor peace sign necklace is a signature piece. The most popular design in my collection is the mini moon which began as a necklace and is now sold as a charm, ring, studs, and bracelet. The moon is special because of the customization options. There are seven stones in each mini moon and the customer can select a center stone and three stones for each side.

WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL EVERYDAY JEWELRY LINE UP? On my ring finger, I wear two custom encrusted white diamond name rings stacked with a mama band. Around my neck, I wear an available-upon-request diamond teeny letter charm necklace that spells ASHER LAYLA, a diamond three letter necklace, and a birthstone circle charm necklace. On my left wrist, I wear two skinny ID bracelets, a dog bone ID bracelet, and a diamond encrusted name bracelet. On my right wrist, I wear a diamond classic cuff bracelet and a white ancient bead bracelet. I have four piercings in each ear and I wear tie dye huggie hoops, charm huggies, mama studs, teeny encrusted letter studs, and a diamond seedling stud.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN THE WORKS? My newest piece is the moon and star charm necklace. I love it because it is weighty! The charm and chain are heavier than most pieces in my collection. There's also a lot of room for customization. I made my mom a whimsical charm necklace for her birthday with lots of sweet, personal charms. I enjoy making custom one-ofa-kind pieces lately, similar to the jewels I made when I launched my brand.