September 9, 2015
Hello from South East Asia! The journey has begun! I'll be sharing on here and Facebook & Instagram! First stop was #Vietnam! Fast paced and crazy. And motorbikes you have to see to believe!
In South East Asia September 2nd to October 7th
And I'm off! Look forward to bringing back some incredible gems!
Birthday Resolutions/ Leaving for South East Asia!
August 28, 2015
Around my birthday I tend to get reflective. I look at that as a start to a new year, rather than the calendar's. And it is also Liv & Lov's official birthday! So here is my resolution. It's a big one as this one is 27. And 27 has been one of my favorite numbers since I can remember. So obviously it will have to be the best ;). It will be a year of risk for Liv & Lov (for without it there is no reward) and making opportunities. Taking those trips, smelling those roses and NO excuses. So here I am about to depart to South East Asia & working towards living the lifestyle to Liv & Lov!
As above design and quality craftsmanship, Liv & Lov is about a lifestyle. Living your life to the fullest while doing good. We never know how much time we have and no matter what it is always too short to waste it because of insecurities or fear. Liv is an ode to: Confidence in the midst of self doubt & Courage in the midst of fear.
Because honestly the only person that determines your strength is you. As I strive to follow this myself, I look forward to sharing that journey with you this year and hope that reminder will help you in living your life to the fullest & achieving your goals too!
Liv & Lov always!
Dora
Shots- Check! Bags packed and ready for Asia!
Early Spring Photo Shoot
A few of my favorite images from the latest mini Liv & Lov photoshoot by Maria Scaglione.
The late winter/ early spring colors at this hidden RI spot were perfect! As you know, Liv & Lov's colors are yellow and blue (sometimes green too ;) and Maria Scaglione Photography caught the feel I wanted, "A Waking Dream". Capturing those colors perfectly with the beautiful Rhode Island coast line behind! Can't wait to shoot more here!
What do you think?
(Click on Image to Enlarge)
Holiday Open Studio Celebration at Above Elite: Invite + Sneak Peek!
Happy Rainy Day!
Although its dreary outside, it's cozy and inviting at Above Elite and almost time for the Annual Holiday Open Studios Celebration! We're busy preparing for the most magical one yet! AND we would like to cordially invite YOU to join us this Weekend!
Above Elite Studios: 181 Main St, Westerly, RI
Friday, Dec 12th 6:00 to 9:00pm
Saturday, December 13th, 11:00am to 4:00pm
I'm especially excited about this year's Open Studios because I have a Liv & Lov Studio set up here through the Holidays! I'm a guest of resident artists Maria Scaglione & Laura Gaffke. So excited to be part of their beautiful space in Westerly, RI! It also makes my appearance at their Open Studios event extra special this year!
So come, be merry and not only see my newest designs, also see where I'm creating!
On to the Sneak Peeks! :) Here's a preview of the artists & the wonderful Winter Wonderland of a studio we're setting up up!
Click on photo to enlarge and read descriptions :)
Upcoming Shows! Meet the designer
Want to view Liv & Lov jewelry with the designer? Check out these upcoming shows where you can meet Dora Székely, see new work and try pieces on in person! Shows scheduled from July to August 2014!
Show Schedule
July 12 & 13, Haddonfield, New Jersey- 22nd annual Haddonfield Crafts and Fine Art Festival! Voted as one of the 200 Best Shows by Sunshine Artist.
Saturday, July 19th, Tiverton, Rhode Island- Tiverton Four Corners Arts & Artisan Festival! From 10:00am to 4:00pm
July 26 & 27, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY- Artists & Fleas
Saturday, August 2, Stonington Borough, CT- 62nd Annual Stonington Village Fair from 10:00am to 3:00pm
New Design! Enchanted Tree
I'm excited to introduce my newest design! I'd love to hear your thoughts! I'm LOV-ing how it looks and feels on and of course the bright colors!
Plus your choice of colors combination for the pendant and chain! Made of recycled sterling silver and YOUR choice of stones
Pendant Choice:
Green: Green Onyx, Red: Red Chalcedony, Blue: Aqua Chalcedony, White: Freshwater Pearl
Chain:
Chalcedony colors: Golden Yellow, Sky Blue, Deep Blue OR Amethyst, Red Jade or Freshwater Pearls
$250
Fully handcrafted by Dora in USA
Welcome to the NEW Website!
Welcome everyone to Liv & Lov's NEW website! I'm excited to share my work with you in a sleeker, more user friendly space!
The store is beginning with ONE piece that will help support my trip to source silver directly from a locally owned mining cooperative in Peru. The simple silver ring will be made from the first shipment of silver and is also available with a black, oxidized finish (or do both and stack!). Orders will be taken now and delivered when I return! Available for ONLY $24! HERE
If you'd like to see other pieces also available for purchase, check out my Etsy site: www.livandlov.etsy.com
Fairtrade and Fairmined Silver Launches this Month in the UK!
(Originally posted on Liv & Lov's previous blog on February 5th, 2013- as it gives a great background, I thought it necessary to add to the new website :) )
I am sooo THRILLED to share that Fairtrade and Fairmined Silver will launch this month in the UK market!
This is the news I’ve dreamed of for the past six years! I can’t even believe it. I seem to be in shock, stuck between absolute joy and frustration of wanting to know what I can do to help make this global.
After dreaming of the concept before I knew what Fair Trade was and then after discovering it, I told people wouldn’t it be incredible if there was Fair Trade Silver?!? People responded; idealists and activists even, that that model isn’t possible for mining or much more than cocoa and coffee. Then my last year of college, Fairtrade Gold was about to be launched! With it my dream for Silver grew tenfold. I developed a plan to train myself to be helpful in fairly traded and mined silver’s creation and created a proposal for it. After step one- helping create cooperatives, one art co-op in CT, another olive oil farmers’ cooperative in Calabria, Italy, for hands on experience. And step two- interning and researching for the No Dirty Gold campaign, of EARTHWORKS, the extractive industries specialist and mining watchdog NGO, in order to volunteer and learn how to research mines globally. Step three was saving this past year and donating all of my jewelry profits towards allowing research work in Peru. Possibly beginning the journey by volunteering for AMICHOCO and Oro Verde in Colombia to see its feasibility. See my Artist Statement! As I finally reached my financial goal (enough to live modestly in Peru for 6 months (or more if I received grants as well)) and am drafting emails to those who have helped launch Fairtrade gold (see an introduction to it and why it is important from the perspective of one of the activists, Greg Valerio, here), I read today that the first certified fairtrade silver is about to be launched!!! AND from a mine in PERU! A country I personally chose to do research in because of my knowledge of the region through travel and my degree (Global Studies- Regional focus on Latin America) and most importantly as Peru has consistently been a top silver producer as well as has the largest reserves of silver. See the USGS Mineral Commodities Summary 2013 page 147. Not only that, but fairtrade silver will be launched with silver from the very Sotrami mine that I was planning on contacting! (Read an interesting article about the Sotrami mine here.) I could faint.
With all this my first thought was, am I too late to help?
The answer: This has been such an exciting decade for the creation of transparent metal and gemstone markets, but its only just the very beginning!
This past year has been a struggle for me, moving back home to a small RI town that has never quite fit me in order to help reach that financial goal, but I kept reminding myself along the way of it. Fairtrade certified silver now being a reality, allows artisanal mining groups that produce silver the potential to grow at a pivotal time where the price of silver has soared, and to receive the safety, fair price, recognition and fairtrade premium they deserve. This is thrilling! The launch in the UK is just the beginning; so far only the mines that produce already fairtrade certified gold will have fairtrade silver. But there are so many others! Silver is mined as a byproduct almost always, and as I’ve said, if you focus on silver you focus on the WHOLE METAL industry!
I will keep you updated on any news of its growth! Next time hopefully on the ground
Although I am disappointed that as of yet I have not played a role in this, this incredible news reminds me to keep dreaming always! ANYTHING is possible!
Dora
Read more about Fairtrade silver’s launch at:
http://www.mining.com/fairtrade-silver-makes-its-global-debut-in-the-uk-66088/
Same article on: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/01/04/uk-precious-silver-fairtrade-idUKBRE9030H720130104