The objects that Elizabeth has turned into jewelry. Growing up, Elizabeth Thompson spent a lot of time running around outside, and as a adult, she brought her outdoorsy background to her work, casting found organic objects to serve as the foundation for the pieces in her launch collection for Elizabeth Knight some years back. Now she is more than happy to share the origin story behind each discovery. —lydia woolever Mink jaw“On the South Carolina coast, there’s an area made up of all these little islands, right off the ocean. My mom has property there, on St. Helena’s Island. It gets rough in some areas, and when the tide goes out, all sorts of things are exposed from under the water and beneath the marsh. And that’s really where this all started.” Bird wishbone“When I first saw this wishbone in South Carolina, I wasn’t sure what it was a part of. But after doing some research, I discovered it belonged to a bird. The natural shape seemed really obvious for a necklace.” Stingray tail“This stingray tail, on the other hand—it was pretty recognizable. This was from a few years ago, on a family trip to the Bahamas. I was looking through the little street shacks that carry makeshift jewelry made out of seashells and skeleton pieces and other little odd parts. But the stingray tail caught my eye—the sharp, barbed edges.” Frog“I found this frog on a walk through my mom’s property, and this is one of his vertebras. He was pretty much down to bones by that point. His body became a brooch and also a necklace. I got a lot of mileage out of this little guy.” Seahorse“I found this seahorse on another family vacation in the tropics. It’s kind of crazy how they dry up like this—look at his little spikes. But he’s so sweet.” Elizabeth’s Of a Kind creation has arrived! Score her ultra-polished silver and rose gold earrings—a play on the themes of her sleeker, newer collections—right over here.

Elizabeth Thompson has always had a fascination with the past—with folklore and storytelling, with our beginnings and our roots. “History is something that comforts and empowers us. It brings us back,” says the jewelry designer. “We express this through our style. We use it to remind ourselves who we are and where we come from.” Maybe that’s why, in 2006, she named her coolly antiquated jewelry line Elizabeth Knight after her two grandmothers and why her debut, Ground and Water, was driven by the broken-down bones and organic objects she found on nature walks. The next four offerings drew from bygone cultures: ancient Egypt, the Viking era, Greek mythology, and a retro American South. Six years ago, after graduating from SCAD, Elizabeth uprooted herself from Georgia and headed north to New York City where she opened her own studio-slash-collaborative artist workspace in Brooklyn called FluxWork where she hand-makes all of the jewelry in her line. With five collections under her belt, she’s curious to see where the line will go from here and—of course—to get to the bottom of where it all came from. As she says, “I’m still trying to figure out where inside of me that inspiration is drawn from.” —lydia woolever Head this way to scoop up the amazing (and amazingly versatile) silver and rose gold earrings that Elizabeth created special for us.

Elizabeth taking Savannah by bike. Though Elizabeth Thompson is a relatively new designer, she has an enthusiasm for all that’s old. That passion came in awfully handy when she lived in the historic, mysterious, Southern town of Savannah, Georgia, where she spent her early twenties studying jewelry design at SCAD—and where, she says, “time really moves more slowly.” Here, Elizabeth helps us navigate the cobblestone streets, showing off her 10 fave stops. —lydia woolever The rose gold and silver earrings that Elizabeth made us are suited for Southern ladies and Northerners alike. Check them out right this minute! Oh-so-enticing Tybee Island. Tybee Island“My friends and I would drive out to this beach almost every weekend and on hot summer nights for midnight swims. What I remember the most about our trips was the 20 minute drive—windows rolled down and music turned up, the Gorillaz playing.” (tybeevisit.com) Zia Boutique“Zia, the namesake owner and designer, actually taught me how to run my own business. I worked there when it first opened, and he made everything look effortless. I smile looking back on that now, because there’s a serious amount of work that I didn’t know about going on behind-the-scenes.” (ziaboutique.com) River Street“Like you’d imagine, it’s right along the Savannah River and has lots of fun bars and restaurants. In Savannah, there’s no open container law, so in the evening you can grab a drink from one of these spots and walk along the water.” (riverstreetsavannah.com)The no-nonsense Clary’s signage. Clary’s Café“This spot is amazing—the best brunch in town—and is just down the block from my old apartment on Abercorn Street. It’s a diner setting, open since 1903, with almost anything you could think of on the menu. Definitely get a milkshake. (claryscafe.com) Pinkies Master’s“Pinkies is a dive bar that smells like beer, and what I love about it is that it never changes—which is something I love about Savannah in general. The students keep the town fresh, but she always stays true to her nature.”ShopSCAD“SCAD—Savannah College of Art and Design—makes up a huge part of the town. In the middle of downtown, they have this big gift store that carries art by their students and alumni. My jewelry has been carried there for about three years now.” (shopscad.com) The Jepson Center at The Telfair Academy“It’s this new, modern building, full of paintings, sculptures, and works from local artists. It has a grand staircase and bright, white walls and these huge panes of glass that look out over a park. My friends got married there last year—it was one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever been to.” (telfair.org)Forsyth Park’s fountain, built in 1858.Forsyth Park“This is a great, open place in the heart of downtown, with a beautiful, old fountain and dramatic Spanish moss everywhere. Bring your dogs. Play bocce. Sometimes I’d bring a sketchpad with me to work on new designs.”  Satchel Boutique and Studio“The designer—her name is Elizabeth, too—has been working on Satchel for about as long as I have on Elizabeth Knight. It’s an adorable boutique with a beautiful workshop in the back that I’m jealous of.” (shopsatchel.com) Elizabeth on 37th“They’re known for having a one-of-a-kind Southern menu—pan-seared sea scallops with tuna tartare and almond-crusted coastal grouper. It’s in a gorgeous, historic Georgia mansion. The triple chocolate cake…” (elizabethon37.com) Savannah photos courtesy of Jamie Beck.