Are there items from your past you wish you still carried with you and could wear out of the house?
I remember my first pair of Converse shoes. I wore those with every single outfit, even dresses. It was a fun season in my life. But I literally wore those into the ground.
I remember a dress my step mom bought me that was the most beautiful and perfect dress I had ever had in my entire life. In my mind it was like a miniature version of the wedding dress I wanted except I could wear it anywhere. And I did! Of course it no longer fits me and I had to leave it in my mom’s storage room when I left home to travel. I couldn’t tell you where it ended up now. Maybe Salvation Army. I wish I still had it.
There were these two teddy bears I considered my first born babies. I’m not kidding! They were the first teddy bears I had ever received as a child. One from my dad and one from my mom. I told my mom I would come back for them after I got back from traveling. My heart is still breaking over the fact that when I went through her storage unit after coming home, they were gone. She admitted she sent them to the Salvation Army. If I could have taken them with me everywhere I went I would have. To someone else they were just stuffed animals. But for me, they were so much more.
I can go on about the items I’ve loved and lost. But then there are the rare items I’ve been able to hold on to. Two in particular I have never taken off. Not while in the shower. Not when at work or at the gym. My wedding rings.
My husband in fact does not take his wedding ring off for work either and he works in construction. He’s been warned that with it being a titanium wedding band, if anything were to happen that an ambulance had to take it off, they would have to chop off his whole finger. Yikes!
But that’s how important these jewelry items are to us. I also have an expensive necklace with a pink jewel at the center. It was a gift from my dad and I wear it all the time. It makes me feel like a princess and reminds me that I will always be his princess.
We all have personal items we wish we could take with us everywhere but it’s impractical to do so. When we invest in quality made jewelry with a unique story behind why we wear it- we have an item we can take with us to the grave.
That’s the importance of unique and quality made jewelry items. And it’s the heart behind Shop Lausanne. A jewelry store with finely crafted and affordable luxury jewelry.
Here is jewelry designer and founder Lausanne herself to tell us more about the heart behind her brand of luxury jewelry.
What caused you to start Shop Lausanne?
First and foremost my love of jewelry and frustration in finding exciting unique styles in the quality I wanted. And secondly a perfect storm of events that pushed me into taking the leap of starting my own business.
Before this I was a fashion designer for 15 years with large companies in LA. While I love fashion, I was burnt out from the corporate politics and always held jewelry in the back of my mind as a someday…maybe..kind of dream.
Flash forward a year and a half in and this has been the hardest, scariest thing I’ve ever taken on, but also the most fulfilling (disclaimer: I’m not a mom yet) and I’m so glad I’m in it.
Why would you say there is value in purchasing a uniquely made piece of jewelry?
Longevity and love. When you invest in a piece of quality jewelry that really speaks to you, you will wear it forever.
How many of us can say that about a pair of boots or a favorite dress? I find jewelry to be a more personal form of self expression that is oftentimes really meaningful to us. Maybe it symbolizes an important moment in time, a period of growth, or a special relationship.
Couple that with unique timeless design and the fact that your jewelry will (almost) always fit- these are not trends or sizes you’ll grow out of or over.
What is the cheapest and yet still high quality type of jewelry you make?
Affordable, luxury quality (+ design) is the most important thing behind my jewelry. As an avid consumer myself, I was sick of spending money on jewelry only to have the gold wear off in a matter of weeks or worse, have a bad reaction to it. Or on the flip side, simply not be able to afford fine jewelry prices.
So, to fix both of those, everything I make is composed of precious metals only- gold and silver. All gold is vermeil which is a really heavy layer of gold (2-3x the thickness of standard plating) bonded to sterling silver (as opposed to brass which is commonly used.)
So that gives you truly investment worthy quality minus the cost. And because it’s all gold and silver only, it’s also ideal for sensitive skin and easy to care for.
What are three facts one can expect as proof of quality made jewelry?
One – Your skin will be happy and comfortable in it. (Unless you’re one of the super rare individuals allergic to gold or silver). Typically skin irritations occur with brass and nickel only.
Two – You can see the intricately and finely crafted details in the workmanship. And feel the weight of that solid precious metal. That means a high polish shine finish and smooth surfaces, beautiful dimension, and settings. You can also check for the engraving of 925 on every piece. That indicates the purity of the sterling silver base metal.
Three – It lasts.
How do you hope to impact the lives of women and specifically moms with your jewelry?
I strive to create styles that celebrate the strength in femininity. To me that means embracing the hard and the soft which I represent through lines, shapes and dimension in the styles, everything has an edge to it, and a beauty in balance.
There’s messaging and meaning behind every piece that I hope can serve as encouragement and support to the woman wearing it. A little boost or reminder throughout that day that she is both strong and beautiful, and she’s got this.
And if in the midst of her day while she’s sleep deprived and juggling a million different things, if catching a glimpse of a special piece of meaningful jewelry that she was able to gift herself makes her feel just a little bit special or even a little fabulous, then that’s my hope.
It’s time to make an investment that will hold your unique story within a quality design forever. Go to https://shoplausanne.com now!
