Now we don't like to play favorites here at Peridot, but when it comes to the perfect summer jewels, we are immediately drawn to the work of Elizabeth Showers -- both her gold and silver lines have been flying out of our stores all summer long. Why? Her pieces are important yet light, chic enough for the Boom Boom Room at the Standard (and let's face it, that's pretty chic), yet something to pass on to your children. She is bold with her rich color choices which makes her line especially fun for the summer.

So we decided to ask Elizabeth a few questions to find out where this Texas-native, blond-bombshell got her inspiration!

Q: How has growing up and working in Texas affected your designs? 

I don’t think I realized this until recently, but I think my life here in Texas has kept me on the path of a constant feminine feel in my designs—even when I have designed “edgier” styles (my Deco collection), a feminine appeal still remains.  My mom, Jan Showers, lives here in Texas too, and I am sure that had I moved away from here, I would not have been as easily inspired by her taste in design.  I see her, if even for just a meal or even a 15 minute conversation, about 2-3 times per month—and that consistent exposure continues to influence me greatly in my design direction.

Elizabeth Showers with Peridot owner, Dawn Hendricks at Peridot Greenwich

Q: What inspired you to become a designer? 

I didn’t like my sales job, and had made a few pieces of jewelry from taking a handful of jewelry classes....and this coupled with a 10-day trip to the Bahamas where I could clear my mind and read the book, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” I was inspired at age 24 to quit my salaried position and wait tables to bring in some money while I used $2000 in savings and a couple of credit cards to finance my new jewelry adventure.  Fortunately, I had no idea what I was getting myself into—otherwise, I doubt that I would have done it because I had some wild challenges...but am now SO happy that I did!

Q: What is your favorite stone? 

It’s a tie between robin’s egg blue turquoise, sky blue topaz and sky blue topaz over mother-of-pearl.  Milky aquamarine is another favorite of mine when I can find a very specific quality and color.  And London blue topaz over mother of pearl is dreamy...so I suppose I don’t truly have a favorite!

Q: What is the must-have piece of your summer collection?

We recently introduced Elizabeth Showers Silver, so from that collection, I would say it’s a toss-up:  our Madeleine Rings in turquoise and chrysoprase stacked with our new skinny white sapphire stacking bands versus our Maltese Cross canopy ring specifically in faceted white quartz over mother of pearl.  In 18kt yellow gold, the Madeleine rings in several stone combinations continue to be popular, and our new small Simone chandeliers on posts in London blue topaz/mother of pearl are probably the must-have earring for the summer. 

This is a tough question because I personally wear and love our new Simone ring from both the silver and the gold collections—and I trade off wearing this ring in different gemstones—it’s my new favorite ring because it’s the sleekest, sexiest ring for my hands and it just simply feels great to wear.

Q: What do you hope women feel when they try on your jewelry? 

I hope they are reminded of how beautiful they always are, both inside and out—no matter what’s going on with them internally and/or externally.  I think it’s so easy for most of us to think, “my life will start when...” and to forget that life is now—we are wonderful and beautiful beings as we are now.  Almost every piece of my collection has a little Hope Star symbol (from my logo) on it to serve as this reminder.

Q: Please tell us about your charity work to help women with eating disorders. 

We offer our Hope Star Collection that raises money for both The Elisa Project (a Dallas-based charity) and the National Eating Disorders Association that both educate communities about healthy eating, healthy body image, and the prevention of and recovery from eating disorders.  For the Hope Star Collection, we just introduced our “feel beautiful” petite dog tag pendant in both silver and gold—available through Peridot.  I am a spokesperson for both The Elisa Project and the National Eating Disorders Association, and sit on the advisory board for The Elisa Project.  I am also heavily involved in mentoring girls and women on recovery from eating disorders (through speaking engagements telling my personal story of recovery and living life as a healthy woman now;  and also through personal direct one-on-one mentorship—this part of my service work is typically unrelated to charity-work).

Q: Your line is all about making women feel beautiful. How do you define beauty? 

Beauty is feeling centered and confident in who we are right now at this moment—it’s not superficial.  I do believe that we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves, and when we don’t, it’s difficult to feel beautiful (speaking from experience).  But it is simple to achieve when we respect and honor ourselves.

Q: What do you love about the summer? 

There is a laid-back feeling to summer...everything slows down a little bit (I don’t have kids yet ;)...it’s a great time for me to reflect on life and business, and enjoy the sun, friends and my dog!  And it’s a great time to take a long vacation away from the Texas heat!  My dog Whitney and I leave the first half of August for a 16 day drive in my little Mini Cooper to visit friends in cooler temperatures both in New Mexico and Colorado.

View Full Elizabeth Showers Collection