Sister Sister didn’t start out as a business idea. It began as a reminder that we are all connected through the ups and downs of life. The idea came to me as I was stumbling through the darkness. I had lost my best friend, my safety net, my sister Ellen. I noticed that when people thought of her, they focused on her end, which made it hard to celebrate her life. It’s not the end that matters, but instead our small moments – full of joy, pain, laughter, tears, and everything in between – that makes life worth living. No one story is full of pure happiness or sadness and focusing on one would dismiss life in its truest form.
So instead of erasing her end, I set out to tell her whole tale and to help those she loved find a way to celebrate and remember her. I thought about the times when she brought me joy, and while there were many, gifting jewelry arose again and again. It was our way of taking time to honor one another. It was this thought that led me to purchase a sketch book. The odds were against me. I never had drawn anything, much less designed jewelry, but that’s the thing about falling to pieces. You get to pick them up and build them back how you want. I started by writing her name in the top left hand corner of the page, ‘The Ellen’, and when I thought of her story, the design leapt out of my head and onto the page.
Ever since, I’ve designed jewelry for women who want to feel seen and cherished. I start each design in the same way, with her name at the top of the page and then before my pencil starts to draw the design I ask about her story. These stories provide me with a sense of connection, which is what led me to start this blog. A customer recently left me the following note: “I would love to read your interviews. They could be a book in themselves.” Upon reflection of her words, I knew that I wasn’t doing enough to share the stories of the women that inspired my designs. So here they are. I’m dedicating this blog to tell their stories. I’ll start in the same place the designs began: with my sister, Ellen.
The Ellen: 14K Gold Classic Band
The inspiration behind the 14k Gold Classic Band is my sister, Ellen. Since she’s not here to answer my cheesy interview questions to draw out her story, I took a shot at a few and then put her best friends, Pia and Katelyn, in the hot seat.
What is the one thing you loved the most about Ellen?
Lisa: Her laughter. She never crept into a room like a mouse, she had a gravitational pull that started with giggles. It was always an octave too high and at the most inappropriate moments. There was the time she stuffed glass Guinness mugs in my jacket pockets after our tour of the Storehouse. When we exited onto the street, they slipped out and shattered all over the cobbles. As I tried to discreetly pick up the shards, she was doubled over bellowing cackles that I’m sure still echo in Dublin’s streets.
Pia: Her laughter. She was laughing all the time.
Katelyn: She always made me laugh. When we used to run x-country and track, she’d cut practices short and find a place for us to hide somewhere.
What is the best advice you received from Ellen?
Lisa: Surround yourself with people that lift you up.
Pia: I always took everything so serious. She’d always say, “Just have fun.” I remember in college [at Penn State University] my grandma [from Peru] gifted me a graduation ring that clearly misspelled the university name: Penis University. Ellen’s reaction was to keep it as is and wear it. Enjoy the moment and have fun. So I did.
Katelyn: It wasn’t any one thing that she said, but she was always there for me.
What was an absurd thing that you loved about her?
Lisa: Ellen was always rescuing cats. She rescued not one, or two, but three cats: Tucker, Ollie, and Lynx. I should have banned her from all wooded areas, pet stores, and anywhere a cat can be found in need. She loved her pack so much that she wore three gold stacking bands with their names engraved on each. These classic bands are the inspiration for The Ellen ring.
Katelyn: She made me more adventurous. She would always find something to do that I would never think of. One time we ended up at a cigar bar. I didn’t even know what kind to buy, but she got the waiter to recommend one and we shared it back and forth. It’s one of my weirdest, most memorable adventures with her.
What is one of your favorite memories of Ellen?
Lisa: The year we lost Grandpa, she started a tradition of buying a Charlie Brown Christmas tree and inviting his nearest and dearest to decorate it at his grave. While everyone else was settling in for Christmas Eve dinner, she’d drag me up and down the grocery store isles grabbing the leftover lights, ornaments, and the most pitiful table-top tree. She was elated when she realized that she was pulling off her grand gesture on sale. She did this year after year until she passed. I loved the way she brought people together to honor and celebrate life. Now that El is buried next to Grandpa, we carry on her tradition and I think of her when I run up and down those isles picking out the decorations that didn’t make everyone else’s cut.
Pia: I have a picture of my wedding day. I was in my dress and had just come out. She was standing next to me with tears in her eyes. I really felt her emotions and looking back she was so present and happy for me.
