Established in 2015, Elysian Theory (named after jewelry designer Elyse Tolles) is a small-batch jewelry brand that blurs the line between sophisticated minimalism and soft femininity. Every piece is slow-made by Tolles in her Midtown Sacramento studio, with the core value of intentional craftsmanship is at the forefront.
“Elysian means beautiful, blissful, and ethereal, and also happens to be one possible origin story for my name, Elyse,” writes Tolles on her website, explaining her brand’s name. “In classical mythology, the Elysian Fields were a dreamed about place of ultimate beauty and happiness, and my personal favorite definition of the word is Ancient Greek one that means “to be deeply stirred from joy.”
“All I’ve ever really wanted is to spend my life making and being surrounded by beautiful things,” she notes, adding that this venture has given her the opportunity to be a part of the transformative effect that can happen when a person looks and feels their best.
Made using polymer clay, each of her pieces is individually designed, pigmented, sculpted, and detailed by hand from start to finish – the antithesis to mass-produced, fast fashion items. It also means that no two pieces exactly alike.
“I’m constantly inspired by the nothing-short-of-magical feeling you get from wearing a gorgeous pair of statement earrings, and it’s my greatest honor to be able to pass that along to you,” says Tolles. Other sources of inspiration are contemporary feminine, all things dreamy and ethereal, and the juxtaposition of modern and old-world.
Prepare to fall in love with a pair of earrings:
