As well as always creating new designs (sneak peeks on Facebook & Instagram!) I'm continuing to work towards traceable materials; learn about that journey on our Blog, support it through our #ringcampaign or sign up for our mailing list below for updates & our next shows!

Liv & Lov by Dora Szekely

All pieces are designed and handcrafted in the Ocean State by the artist and idealistic doer, Dora Szekely using traditional silver and goldsmithing techniques. Her ongoing love affair with jewelry continues to burn as brightly and curiously as it did when she was given a jeweler's unusual box of materials at age 9.

“Jewelry has always meant more to me than a status symbol or object; it is a story, a relationship, a way to make your love immortal in a piece that will last forever.

My love for jewelry began at age 9 when I began teaching myself by creating simple designs with beads and wire. At 13, I apprenticed with the Silversmith Mary Anne Sherman in Westerly, RI, and my passion for design has grown ever since. The manner in which I create is inspired by people and nature; the designs by nature, world travels, and connections. But above all by beauty, all pieces no matter the inspiration are created to be admired and beautiful.”

Dora began selling her pieces in 2002 at age 14 under Dora Szekely Designs, 10 years later, Liv & Lov was born. Named so by the idealistic doer as a reminder to live your dream and do so with compassion to others and the environment. This philosophy and love of the world and travel led to a degree in Global Studies which informs her choice in a business based on working towards developing ethically sourced materials that showcase the beauty of nature without harming it.

Entering her 20th year of jewelry making, her work has evolved to include material sourcing activism with the goal of creating:

Jewelry with a Beautiful Story from the Earth to your Hand. Because People and the Earth Matter.

A strong advocate for improving jewelry material sourcing, Liv & Lov pieces are made with Fairmined Gold and Sterling Silver when possible and recycled when not. All gems are natural. Many one of a kind and limited edition pieces incorporate gems she has sourced from the country of origin or are traceable.

Liv & Lov is Dora’s personal motto. Liv: Go for it! Follow your dreams & Lov: Do so with compassion for others and the environment. It is a sentiment she strives to follow and encourages others to as well.

With this philosophy, I believe as a silversmith and jeweler I have a particular responsibility towards where my my metal comes from. Did you know metal mining pollutes water, harms the environment and is one of the most dangerous jobs?

There are 25 million artisanal and small scale miners (ASM), with 150 million indirectly dependent. Of that number, 15 million are focused on gold. These numbers are rising with the current metal market.

40% of global Mercury pollution is from ASM and 15% from Large Scale Mining= 55%. Mercury damages the central nervous system. That means irreversible brain damage.

My goal is to help develop ethical and ecological metal mining alternatives that are good from the source, for miners and the environment. Starting by helping with the current Fairtrade and Fairmined gold initiatives while developing silver. Read more on our Blog here and in the recent SO RI magazine article, “Locally Made, Globally Minded Jewelry”