Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elizabeth Graham. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. Before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the founder of Talismania Jewelry, a brand specializing in unique, nature-inspired designs that seamlessly blend the earthy with the luxurious. Located in Montana, on the edge of Yellowstone National Park, I draw inspiration for most of my pieces, which I affectionately refer to as “inspiration pieces,” from Montana Sapphires. These stones, sourced locally, boast hues that directly mirror the otherworldly landscapes of Montana.

In my design process, I am deeply focused on both color and form, distilling settings and concepts into beautiful pieces intended for everyday wear. The “inspiration pieces” I create are one-of-a-kind, with a select few serving as the nucleus for entire collections. Crafted in silver and vermeil (gold-plated silver), and featuring more affordable stones, I aim to make my designs accessible without compromising quality. While the fine collection is both amazing and fun, my ultimate goal is for people to connect with themselves through my pieces, removing cost as a barrier for those wanting to engage with my brand.

Ethical sourcing and a nature-derived approach guide my materials selection. The use of only natural stones is crucial to me, as it influences the overall vibe of each piece. I believe my creations should be special and treasured with an element of rarity, and utilizing lab-grown or synthetic materials does not align with that philosophy. Further, high quality, natural materials maintain their beauty, integrity, and value for much, much longer, allowing my pieces to be cherished for what I hope will be generations. Montana Sapphires, which have been rising in value over the past decade, are the perfect centerpieces for heirloom-quality jewelry.

Talismania represents a significant shift in my career trajectory. Following over a decade in the corporate world, specializing in data and project management within the tech industry, I realized the creative aspect was missing. Seeking more creative outlets outside of work, such as DJing, organizing small invite-only events, designing my home, and exploring conceptual art, I struggled to connect the dots. It wasn’t until a friend, with a wealth of experience in the jewelry industry, suggested, “Why don’t you do a jewelry line?” that things started falling into place.

Initially hesitant, as I had never been deeply interested in jewelry beyond simple accessorizing, everything changed after a transformative breathwork session. Seeking to solidify the muscle memory of alignment, my North Star, I began working regularly with a breathwork coach after my initial experience in Costa Rica. In a session, a clear vision and mission emerged, beautiful, aligned, and making perfect sense to me. That’s when Talismania was born. The name directly nods to talismanic jewelry but encompasses the feeling of a journey—a daily practice of seeking talismans through life’s adventures.

I dove into designing, bought up a bunch of Montana Sapphires, and collaborated with a talented photographer friend to create a brand image that conveyed my vision. Everything began to flow seamlessly from that point forward.

Elizabeth, can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I actually got laid off and received a comfortable severance package. I was in a role that was becoming less fun by the day, and I’m pretty sure I said out loud more than once, “it would be amazing if this ended in a lay-off with six months severance.” Lo and behold, it did. I am really fortunate in that my monthly expense overhead is pretty lean, and I saw the writing on the wall for a while. I began socking away cash in the months leading into my lay-off, so I was able to create a budget and put a healthy portion of my severance into my business to get things going. It still got scary at times – before my website was up and running, I had more or less no way to sell, and the spigot was tapering for a while before my e-commerce channels were strong. I ended up having a really perfect corporate job more or less fall into my lap at the perfect time in the past few months as well, which has taken some of the pressure off my business, allowing for things to happen in their own timing. This has been really helpful with the creative aspects of the brand. So far, I have been able to juggle both without feeling like any balls are dropping – luckily, I am an introvert, which allows me to make social sacrifices a bit easier than other people. It’s a bit early to say when and how things will ultimately turn out in terms of making Talismania my full-time calling, but it definitely is an exciting future to dream about.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Embarking into the entirely new field of jewelry design, there was a lot of learning to be done. I worked with a master stone cutter to learn lapidary – aka, how to facet gemstones. I also took a course in metalsmithing, learning how to carve wax, cast pieces, and make molds. Polishing, finishing, and soldering were also skills I acquired. There is a lot more to learn, and time will allow me to continue growing my skill and craft – this is something I love so much about this field. I look forward to spending the future working with my hands and experimenting in different ways, falling down rabbit holes.

My line is a combination of pieces I craft and pieces I design and work with partners for fabrication. I also had no experience in manufacturing until embarking on this journey. I had only ever worked in Tech and Finance, abstract fields where the finished product is entirely intangible. I have gotten to meet and partner with stone purveyors, miners and cutters, fabricators, chain specialists, packaging manufacturers, and more. Most of the relationships I have built have been through warm introductions, which is one of the challenges in the jewelry industry – it is hard to break into without a mentor. The best and most trustworthy people are behind closed doors. I did meet a few people through trade shows – some relationships have worked out amazingly, and some less so. Going into each partnership as an experiment with the understanding that it may end up a failed experiment with some funds going to learning instead of product as expected, keeps things from feeling strained and disappointing when things don’t work out. I didn’t start with this mindset – when I first began working with different fabricators, I tried to death grip all parts of the process and got bent out of shape when things did not go perfectly or cost too much or took too long. My whole body would fill with this feeling of helplessness. It was crippling. I had to learn to let go and to appreciate that no harm is being done, just lessons learned. I’ve settled in with a few key partners now and am very happy with these relationships. I’m really lucky to have found such amazing people so early in my journey.

What is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

The tagline of Talismania is “Divine Connection to Self,” a concept that originated from the core of my mission: to celebrate each person’s most aligned version of themselves—a profound and divine experience, in my belief. This alignment is fleeting, inherent in its nature and the nature of life. As long as you are not standing still, new adventures and challenges alter the variables. The goal is to always end up back at alignment, with the muscle memory of that feeling as a guiding light, ensuring you are on the right path.

In the last several years, I’ve embarked on a strange and interesting journey that commenced with a single experience. During New Year’s in Costa Rica, I had the opportunity to participate in a holotropic breathwork session, my first ever. In a phase of unhappiness and unfulfillment in both work and life, I hadn’t found the space or insight to address it. During that breathwork session, I felt myself crack wide open, and a profound sense of clarity and alignment rushed in. In the following days, I found myself on a treasure hunt, encountering symbols – a painting of an eye, for example – and then something amazing would happen, like magic. It filled me with wonder. This experience fundamentally changed who I am and how I perceive the world, introducing a layer of play and exploration that quiets the fear inherent in everyday life. In essence, it helped me connect with my inner power and intuition, trust myself, the divine timing of everything, and live a happier, more fulfilling life.

The pieces I create are intended to be talismanic treasures that feel as if they’ve been stolen from the inner world and brought into the physical realm—a beautiful reminder of the times the wearer experienced true clarity and alignment. While most people associate talismans with symbols like a four-leaf clover or an evil eye, my journey led symbols to present themselves to me. As a result, I craft pieces embracing fresh symbols derived from nature, geometry, and mystic symbology, allowing people to adopt something a little different as their own talisman.

I think my primary mission with my work is to create a space for people to explore themselves, both their inner and outer worlds, and feel empowered and connected to it all. I am convinced that the more people who live these experiences, the more compassion and kindness will prevail in the world, leading to more celebration and innovation for humankind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://talismania.co
• Instagram: @talismania.jewels
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talismania.jewels
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/talismania-jewelry/

Image Credits
Lex Kilgour