Lainey’s Stories

This year my birthday falls on Thanksgiving Day and I have much to give thanks for. My health and my family’s health is strong, the Atlanta October show was fabulous, as was the Kaill’s show of my work in Juneau last August! This Fall custom jobs are humming along at various workbenches, and my Green Door Studio is a hive of design.

I’m happy to help my clients shop for the right piece so if you need some guidance, text me anytime at (678) 662-6156. To browse and shop the collection online please visit my website elainadesigns.com. If you’re lucky enough to live in Juneau or Ithaca,  you can shop in person!

Jewelbox

301 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca, NY 14850

(607) 257-4666

Annie Kaill’s

124 Seward St, Juneau, AK 99801

(907) 586-2880

Discovering the Jewelbox, its beautiful showroom and cadre of fine goldsmiths right here in Ithaca, has been a blessing.

Grateful Goodwill for the Holidays to you and yours,  
Lainey

The Elaina Designs jewels are back in my possession after a year long display at Annie Kaill’s Gallery in Juneau, Alaska. Seeing Fareed’s skillful hand in many of these pieces stirs memories of hours spent with him at the bench. I miss him and I’ve struggled to find creative and technically skilled goldsmiths willing to take on my designs. Add the skyrocketing price of gold, and much of the older work cannot be replaced. I invite you to come by, try on, and maybe buy from this special collection set at retro pricing.

Art in the Park 2025 — One Day Sale 

Sunday, October 26, 12PM-5PM

at the home of Erik LaValle & Tom Klein

178 15th St. NE Atlanta, 30305

Please make an appointment for repairs or custom work. I’ll be in Atlanta and available to meet October 19th-25th. Email or call me at lp@elainadesigns.com or (678) 662-6156.

My Yiayia’s rose bush has been transplanted five times over the past 100 years. It now flourishes in Athens, GA on my sister, Maria Artemis’, farm. I pricked my hand trying to inhale its sweetness and my dripping blood is a reminder that beauty and pain coexist.

14K Apricot gold and fine natural color gemstones.

Ellen commissioned this Grandmother’s birthstone bracelet 15 years ago to represent her five kids and their families. Each sibling inherited their family’s orbit upon their Mom’s passing. Ellen’s daughter, Shery,l wanted to create a pendant with her elements from her mothers bracelet. The top orbit represent her parents, the center her nuclear family, and the toggle, their son’s family.

Just like my family’s rosebush, the Grandmother jewelry brings attention to what it means to be human, commemorating both our frailty and the strength of our love.

With Love,
Lainey

On our journey through the Southwest, gems and rocks are constant companions, and the immersion in mountainous splendor is a balm. Rocks do change, but not much in our lifetime, so I appreciate their stability during these times of uncertainty and upheaval.

Similarly my rock-steady, loyal clients who continue to contact me for special projects and recommend me to new clients, have kept my creative spark burning through my travels. I have several custom projects in progress and have refurbished old pieces during this trip.

 
Handwoven 22K mesh bracelet with 18K clasp, in progress.
Paraiba and 18K ring designed 27 years ago, to be resized. 

“Seven Sisters” Valley of Fire, NV.

Star and me, Sedona, AZ.

It has been a wonderful three months on the road and I look forward to being back home in Ithaca towards the end of March.

May the creative networks we build sustain us,
Lainey

David and I are on our annual winter RV journey in pursuit of more light and less moisture. After driving 5000 miles south, then west across the country, we are savoring New Mexico, the “Land of Enchantment.” Spending a little more time in Santa Fe over the new year was a great decision.


2025 feels like a year to kick back, extend a bow of gratitude to old and new clients and gain my bearings after Fareed’s loss. Heartfelt thanks to those who reached out and offered support after he passed away in November.
 
Restyled necklaces: heirloom Diamond with antique chain, natural Emerald crystal with 18K handmade finial caps.

I continue to design on my travels and as the precious stones in my collection find their humans, I am further inspired to create. I plan to attend the Tucson Gem and Mineral show next month. Please let me know if there is a specific mineral, gem, or color that you would like to carry with you through this year.
 
“Celestial Tides” Custom14K rose gold ring. Yellow satin Opal with chatoyant “eye”, found Diamond on NY subway, client’s Turquoise nugget custom cut for ring.

May you find solace in the work that you do, and beauty in its daily creation.
Happy New Year,
Lainey

Forty-four years ago I became the first Artist-In-Residence at “Annie Kaill’s Fine Crafts Gallery” in Juneau, Alaska. It was a heady time — to be a young jewelry artist creating at the edge of the Alaska wilderness in 1979. Hammering and soldering from my jeweler’s bench on the seaside wharf, with Humpback whales and Bald Eagles as my audience was endlessly inspiring, and informed decades of designs to come. I’m thrilled to announce that  my entire jewelry collection has returned to Annie Kaill’s for its grand 50th year celebration, opening date TBA.

Packing up the jewelry and displays was no small feat and when I reached Juneau and handed off my inventory, I promised myself to slow down this season. So far I’ve spent some wonderful time with family and friends. Here are photos of my visit to see my son, Orion who owns Hanson Construction in Skagway and my longtime friend from Emory College, Anni Stokes. My daughter, Alex Van Nostrand will be an Expedition Leader on small National Geographic/Lindblad Cruise ships plying the SE Alaskan fiords next summer!

  

 

Due to my winter travel schedule and the temporary relocation of my inventory, I will not be doing shows in Atlanta or Ithaca this fall. However, I’m happy to facilitate shipment to you or your loved ones from anywhere! Call my cell at (678)662-6156 for help.  My online store shows the entire collection presently for sale. Soon my jewelry will be on Annie Kaill’s website for easy online shopping. Custom orders are welcomed if you are patient. While Fareed and his faithful goldsmiths remain hard at work on the bench, everything takes longer these days. Wearing earth’s bounty and beauty is a restorative act of kindness for yourself and for others and is worth the wait! This custom man’s ring features a step-cut polygon Gem Silica Chrysacolla and Paraiba Tourmaline.

Please take note that the price of gold is rising quickly due to war instability.  My current inventory is based on outdated gold prices when it was $1800/oz. Presently gold spot is $2658/oz, so it’s a good time to invest in the Lainey piece you’ve had your eye on!

Now that my jewelry is in the land of the midnight sun where my heart and my art burgeoned into a resonant song, I’m bursting with gratitude for this opportunity to slow down.

Discover what nourishes you.
With Love,
Lainey

These rainbow spectrum Tourmalines were mined from deposits in the United States, Brazil, Madagascar, and Africa. The rough material is first selected for its pure color & clarity, then meticulously cut and calibrated by a master lapidary. After months of sorting through hundreds of stones and careful digital communication between me, the cutter and my clients, we finally achieved the desired graduation of color in a seamless, parallel strip.

I originally met Richard and Angela in 1994 when they came to my store, Illumina, in Atlanta. They commissioned wedding rings and a special wedding day gift of a rainbow gemstone bracelet for Angela. Sadly, the bracelet was lost and the couple, now living in London, reached out to me to recreate the bracelet to commemorate their 30th anniversary.

“It means a great deal to Richard and to me that you went on this journey with us. We have now told the story a few times, and everyone loved that the same person who made our wedding rings was able to recreate my wedding bracelet.” — Angela

Now that the gems have been selected, the bracelet will be fabricated in 18KY by master goldsmiths. I’ll be sure to update you with photos of the completed bracelet.

Let color invigorate your life,
Lainey

It’s been awhile! I’d love to see you and share what’s been happening in my world. Please drop in this coming Saturday, July 13, 12-5PM. The Green Door Studio is part of the Monthly Second Saturdays Greater Ithaca Art Trail.

Green Door Studio
152 Inlet Valley Way
Ithaca, NY 14850
Call Lainey with questions 678-662-6156

The jewelry gallery and the Gem Resonance Collections await you. No appointments or fee. Just drop in! Open studios are a great time to gift shop, drop off repairs, or begin the process to update your old jewelry.
To see other Art Trail studios that are open this coming Saturday, visit https://arttrail.com/maps-studio-guide/

Here’s a peak at several custom orders recently completed:

 Client’s Diamonds and Lapis set into a timeless 14KY Aegean Link bracelet.

Client’s Opal, Diamond, and Black Star Sapphire unified by my Red Spinels in a modern, sculptural ring.

Replacement gem; a new heart shaped Australian Fire Opal on client’s wedding band for her 20th Anniversary.

14KY Blue Topaz removable jackets with 14KW Huggie Hoops utilizing client’s Diamonds.

I hope to see you this Saturday!
Lainey

Monthly Second Saturdays on the Greater Ithaca Art Trail are a program of the Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County. 

 

Driving through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, David and I exclaimed in wonder at the rock formations. Sarabi and Star were impressed too: towering volcanic hoodoos, red sandstone domes, mushroom caps, spindles, and a massive shipwreck stranded on a vast ocean of pink sand. We found so many shapes and colors in the rock structure: top hats, ziggurats and layered cakes of lemon, cinnamon and saffron.

 
We’d been driving and hiking overland for days then arrived at Antelope Canyon, Navajo Land, Arizona. We entered through a vulva-like opening into the Earth’s womb. This slot canyon is highly protected and portrays a very different and decidedly feminine approach to Time. Quartz, Iron and Manganese cut by wind and water over six million years has created a masterpiece that is beyond absolute description. David and I were left gobsmacked, wordless, transported.

The Paiute called the area Mukuntuweap or “straight canyon” but we know it as Zion. Spanish explorers later named the river that cut this magnificent canyon the Virgin River after the Virgin Mary, though the indigenous name of this pristine river is lost to us. Beside our campsite, I was lucky to study it for a week; the emerald green waters against the purple-pink rocks and its rushing, powerful sound provided inspiration and peace.

If you can, take a moment to acknowledge the Vernal Equinox: Tuesday March 19 at 9:07PM, a time of perfect equilibrium between darkness and light.

With love,
Lainey

Many thanks to each of you who made your holidays more special with a gift from Elaina Designs. February 1st marks Imbolc, the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Vernal Equinox. Days are getting longer but plants are still dormant. But what of us humans? The poet David Whyte asks a potent question that seems apropos: “What shape waits in the seed of you to grow and spread its branches against a future sky?”

For me, adventure beckons and I’m taking a four month sabbatical! My husband invited me to embark upon a great American road trip to the iconic National Parks out West. We are taking our 15 year old cat, Sarabi, and 9 year old dog, Star, to travel with us in our new mini Winnebago RV camper.

I’ll be back at work by the end of May. Until then I’ll be available by text (678) 662-6156, as well as Aalia in Atlanta (404) 216-6870, and Hala in Ithaca (646) 379-9739. My lovely assistants can help ship online orders and clients in need of repairs. Please remember that the online store is continually getting updated and Valentine’s Day is right around the corner!

Happy Imbolc!
Lainey

“In the Belly of the Goddess” necklace. 2.8 icy blue Zircon, large white Opal, sterling. $1400