Who is ExVoto?
ExVoto
A Testament of Gratitude
Quotes are taken from an interview from the podcast Business Solutionaries by Kat and Ashleigh episode 113: Jewelry with a Purpose.
About Elizabeth Adams
Elizabeth Adams, founder and designer of ExVoto, comes from a strong background in the arts. Both of her parents are artists who met at the University of Georgia’s art program and later became art instructors. Elizabeth grew up in a creatively encouraging household where art supplies were always at hand. Elizabeth says, "My sister and I grew up in what I call a 'Long Format Art Class.’ My mother would say, 'You make your own pictures. Your imagination has more range than coloring books.' Using your imagination was always promoted."
Throughout her childhood, she was encouraged to use her time to be creatively productive. Whether she was drawing, painting, or rearranging her bedroom, Elizabeth was always doing something creative with her hands. "The mantra in my family was you need to be doing something either creative or productive." Elizabeth still practices her family’s mantra in her day-to-day life.
How ExVoto Started
"In 2007 I had three little children. My youngest was three. At the beginning of the year, I think around January 6 or 7th, my youngest, Madeline was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor... Everything in our lives came to a screeching halt. Everything gets split into before she got sick and after she passed away." This was the most challenging year for the Adamses.
"After she passed away, eventually my husband went back to work and my children went back to school, and I didn't have an outlet anymore. I was left with a lot of free time... it was horrible... If I had too much open time my head would take me to a pity party, and I love a party but a pity party is one you want to leave early. The longer you stay, the harder it is to leave. And I would spiral into a pit. But if I was doing something with my hands… my head would shut up."
Elizabeth subconsciously remembered what her parents instilled in her: always be doing something creative or productive with your hands. She began to step back into art and process her thoughts and emotions on the canvas. "I cleared out a room and put up my easel and began painting again. You must have time and space to be creative because it makes a mess. You can't turn it on and turn it off. You need to be able to walk into it while it’s flowing and be able to walk away and come back to it in an hour or two when you have a solution."
Through her art, Elizabeth began to feel alive again and rediscover herself as an artist. "I was making paintings, and it was texture and layers. It was different than the paintings I was making before because it was more abstract and all about making marks in texture.” These textures and marks were a reflection of herself. Each mark held a deeper meaning than just a scratch on the surface. Elizabeth began to venture further into textures and mixed media by adding jewelry. She says, “Then I started taking broken bits of jewelry. I would be at an estate sale or flea market and I was always attracted to the broken jewelry. And I would embed it into these abstract pieces I was creating."
The Creation of ExVoto Jewelry…
Elizabeth began creating wearable pieces of art with the vintage pendants she was finding, “I was making pendants out of them too and would just put them on a chain I already had. And one gallery (that was carrying Elizabeth’s art at the time) asked what I was wearing. I told her I made it, and she asked if I could get her more of them." This was during the 2008 housing market crash, so high-priced art wasn’t being sold consistently at art galleries. Handmade jewelry became easier to sell than art due to its lower price range as well as the personal and inspiring touch for people during hard times. The jewelry in the galleries was also often purchased as a gift.
“Next thing I know I am creating more pieces for her and was like ‘I guess now I am a jewelry designer? Where did this come from?’”
As her handmade jewelry was taking off at the gallery, Elizabeth wanted to take her art one step further and attempt to get her jewelry into retailers. "I reached out to a family friend who had been in the retail business for years, she was a veteran wholesale rep. I was asking her about getting into retail and she cut me off and told me this is the worst time to get into retail... But she let me email her photos of the jewelry and her response was, ‘This is niche, this could work.’ She told me it would be hard. I am one of those people that if you tell me it will be hard, or challenge me to try it, I am going to try it."
Elizabeth wasn’t sure what would come of her jewelry, but she knew that there was a deeper meaning to her pieces that people were drawn to. She took the step and reached out to retailers.
"For my first jewelry showing to a boutique, I didn't have anything to put my necklaces into. But I had these old trunks, leather train cases. It fit. I was building a brand even though I didn't know what I was doing."
Elizabeth’s first jewelry showing was a success. People were drawn to her pieces and immediately felt a connection with them. "It was selling before they could even get it into their (the retailers’) systems. It was really wild."
How ExVoto Got Its Name
As Elizabeth prepared for her first retailer showing, she realized she didn’t have a name for her jewelry line. "I didn't want to name the line, Elizabeth Adams, and make it too personal. I needed something that sort of separated me from it a little bit... I had my jewelry laid out on the table and I had a few minutes to get the name and everything together... I had been researching an ex voto, which I had seen in a magazine article. An interior designer was collecting ex votos, and I am a sucker for anything handmade.”
“Ex Voto translates in Latin to 'pertaining to the former vow' and it is a testament of gratitude for answered prayers. An ex voto in the Latin Catholic faith is a very representational art form like a painting, letter, or painting with a letter, and is laid at the altar as a testament of gratitude for a prayer that has been answered. It is left there so that when people come behind them with their desperate prayers, they have hope that a miracle could happen. I loved the concept that you can give someone hope." After losing her youngest daughter, Elizabeth knew the depths of these prayers of desperation, and how even the hope of a miracle can sustain you.”
The more she reflected on what an ex voto is, Elizabeth realized how perfectly it fit with her jewelry designs. "I liked the mystery of ex voto as well. Nobody knew what it meant and at the time I was using a lot of lockets, and there is a mystery to lockets. Whose was it? What is inside? Where did it come from? Somehow they fit together.”
“In hindsight, this was my ex voto. Your life can become purposeful again."
Why Vintage Pendants?
Elizabeth felt a deeper connection to these vintage pieces she was finding in estate sales. There was something special about them that caught her eye, "I was taking these broken things that at one point had been someone's personal jewelry. Jewelry is so personal, whether it was something that had been given to them or was sentimental. It would even sometimes have their personal initials engraved in it. Then someone down the line thought it wasn't worthy or not good enough or broken or it was imperfect and they gave it away. Then I take these broken things and put them back together in a way that helps you see the beauty in it again."
"A lot of my life has been seeking beauty. This is what I was doing with my life, taking this broken thing and uncovering the beauty that is still there. And putting it back together in a way that could be declared useful and could be good again."
The Cure Starts Now
ExVoto gives a portion of sales to The Cure Starts Now Foundation for pediatric brain cancer research.
The Meaning of ExVoto
And its connection to The Cure Starts Now Foundation
Elizabeth sought something deeper than a surface-level business, "When I declared that this (ExVoto) was a business, I knew that I wanted to give a portion of our sales to The Cure Starts Now Foundation for pediatric brain cancer research. The connection started in 2007 when I met the founders, whose daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor, in the halls of St. Jude.” Elizabeth and her husband Pat had been told that they should meet this couple, whose daughter was sick as well, so it was fate when they ran into each other at St. Jude. Elizabeth knew right off the bat that she wanted to be involved in any way she could with The Cure Starts Now, “The way this organization was operating and its vision, I left the first meeting telling my husband that if God allows us to unlock this cancer mystery, the cure starts now will be a part of that."
Elizabeth is passionate about raising awareness and supporting pediatric brain cancer research. Pediatric brain cancer research for years has had little to no funding, but The Cure Starts Now has been changing the narrative. Brain tumors that had no treatment at all in 2007 are now able to have options for treatments, "I remember when they told us, with Madeline in my husband's lap, that her brain tumor was inoperable and that there were no treatments for her. To go from that to where we are now, there really has been a remarkable change that The Cure Starts Now has been part of. I am super happy that we get to be a small part of that change."
Today, as from the beginning, a portion of each ExVoto sale goes to The Cure Starts Now Foundation for pediatric brain cancer research.
ExVoto Throughout the Years:
ExVoto has seen a lot of change and growth over the years. Elizabeth went from sourcing her materials and hand-building all the jewelry pieces herself to hiring a team of builders who could make her visions come to life. ExVoto has gone from trunk shows in private homes, to retailers across the country, to now three brick-and-mortar locations as well as a full online presence. ExVoto has expanded from jewelry alone to carrying female-founded and ethically made artisan clothing brands.
Elizabeth’s response to the question of what it was like going from artist to full-time business owner: "At the time that ExVoto was getting up and going, my husband was also in an executive MBA program in Emory University. It was funny actually, I would ask him questions and he would say that I was actually doing it exactly how they teach them to. But it was really cool to have that happening at the same time and be able to bounce ideas off of each other. We added e-commerce and did in-store pick-up. So when covid came around, we were able to do curbside pick-up. Later, it just transitioned, we already had all the jewelry on the website and some apparel. So we were super fortunate to be able to get the rest of it online."
Elizabeth not only still designs every ExVoto piece of jewelry, but she is hands-on in sourcing the chain. "The vintage chain, I do source myself. I find it all in the raw, some of it is still on its original wooden spoon from the 1930’s or 40’s. So once the chain runs out, it's gone. So we plate it in 18K gold which is a more mellow yellow because that matches the vintage patina from the vintage pieces we find. And we put an additional coat on top of it that is our forever finish, it stabilizes and seals it. All of our plating is done in the States. It's cadmium-free, lead-free, and most is nickel-free as much as we can. It's important to know where and how things are made."
How Elizabeth Runs the Business Today
Elizabeth was asked by Kat and Ashleigh, “How do you navigate in your leadership team as you continue to grow and scale? How do you navigate and communicate the mission and vision?
Elizabeth’s response was, "I highly recommend hiring someone to do your branding and who can communicate in a clinical way to the whole team the vision. Because when you're in it, it looks like one thing, than when you're 100 feet higher, it looks different. It's not about what you think it is, but about what everyone else thinks it is. Have someone who can help keep the branding fresh. And make sure to get a brand guideline at the end. Our brand guideline talks about our tones, what our values are, and what our mission is. So when a new member comes on, we have our brand guideline for them."
"We have a guideline that covers how we talk to customers and about who we are. It covers how we talk about our vintage elements and the apparel brands that we carry that are female-founded and are committed to ethical working conditions and high-quality construction. There's a lot that we do, and I want people to know where it comes from and about the brand. It's nice to be able to get to know the designer and where it comes from and how it's made to be able to discuss with our customers to explain why one dress is more pricey than another. The way things are made is important."
As ExVoto has expanded to now three locations in three different cities, communication is key. “Mondays we have a conference call to touch base. On Wednesday mornings we have our marketing call. Our marketing call consists of our marketing manager, a few marketing and sales associate hybrid jobs, operations manager, art director, me, and our studio manager. I hope we can always keep it like that, I never want each department to go into their own rooms and never communicate with each other. Because we can't market something that isn't out of production yet, etc... "
ExVoto Classics
ExVoto’s toggle is patented and has become a signature design component in most pieces. "I would say the classic ExVoto look is the toggle with a freshwater pearl at the toggle, vintage chain, and a pendant. In 2010 I was in Scotland for my sister's wedding. I was sourcing vintage pieces, and realized we needed to have our own toggle.” Elizabeth’s first design drawings for the signature ExVoto toggle were made while she was a passenger with her family in a rental car traveling across Scotland. The shape of the toggle is inspired from the head of an antique key she found in Edinburgh, Scotland (pictured above).
“So then we trademarked ExVoto and the shield. The shield comes from an antique locket (pictured above) that I found. I love the concept of the shield - strengthening and protecting."
ExVoto jewelry styles that have endured from the beginning…
A Photo Timeline of ExVoto
2010-2013:
Testimonials:
“This and every shopping experience with Ex Voto has been delightful! You will not find more attentive, caring, and responsive professionals anywhere! Thank You Ex Voto!”
- Kathryn C.
“Ordered online for gift wrap & it was ready in minutes! Great customer service - very unique and pretty bracelet.”
- Elizabeth Y.
2018:
Testimonials:
“I have wanted a silver link necklace for some time and when I saw the Jenny necklace I knew it would be perfect. It's so versatile, wearing the clasp in front or back. It's not too big or too small...charms look great with it. Quick and friendly response from customer service made my purchases very easy.”
- Melinda H.
2019:
Testimonials:
“I've been looking for a charm necklace for a long time and when I saw this I knew it was exactly what I wanted. They were very nice and shortened it for me at no cost. The chain is a beautiful color of gold with their forever finish. The smallest charm hangs one inch including the jump ring, then one and a half inches, and the largest is two inches. Perfect in every way. Thank you Ex Voto Vintage.”
- Melinda
“Beautiful beyond what I expected. Just love my bracelet. Wrapping was a special touch. Love this “new” find!!! Thank you.”
- Patricia G
2020:
Testimonials:
“I absolutely love this necklace. It has become my "go to" necklace for any style dressing, casual or dressed up. The length is perfect and the locket is beautiful. Another wardrobe classic for that finishing touch.”
- Loretta R.
“Sales rep was so sweet and I could have bought the whole shop. Everything is so cute!”
- Susie H.
2021:
Testimonials:
“I saw your advertisement in Victoria magazine and was compelled by your jewelry photograph to look at your website. I found the Liz necklace and bought it for my birthday (solving my husband’s query of what I would like). I had to open it when it arrived quickly and beautifully packaged but have resealed it to wait for my celebration! Thank you for making my birthday so special”
- Beth B.
“I ordered three cuff bracelets with personalized scripture for graduation gifts. They are perfect for girls graduating high school or college! They arrived quickly and wrapped beautifully!!”
- Renee P.
2022:
Testimonials:
“I love the One of One Collection. I think these one-of-a-kind pieces with the antique elements have good juju of the story and the history that make them as interesting as they are beautiful.”
- Ashley S.
“Ordered online for gift wrap & it was ready in minutes! Great customer service - very unique and pretty bracelets.”
- Elizabeth Y.
2023:
Testimonials:
“I am so picky about earrings— so 99% of the time I wear my diamond studs… but not anymore! I am so thrilled with my tiny gold hoops and petite pearl charms! Now I have a wonderful alternative that is great with jeans or dresses!”
- Jenny C.
“Simple, yet elegant. This cuff is such a simple way to elevate the everyday outfit. It is one of my main go-to pieces!!”
- Kristine R.