Welcome back to The Velvet Runway, and this exclusive interview with Ele Keats, the owner and founder of Ele Keats Jewelry, the brand that is harnessing the healing power of gemstones, and which you can see dazzling the bodies of Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson, and Selma Blair.
Designer, actress, and business owner Ele Keats founded her jewelry treasure trove shortly after a breakthrough year in 2004, when a trusted mentor advised her that she needed to wear an emerald for its healing and protective qualities.
After searching far and wide, but being unable to find exactly what she had envisioned, she decided to take her search for the perfect emerald necklace into her own hands. She created her signature Divinity Necklace and the Ele Keats Jewelry brand was born.
“In life if you’re supposed to do something it just finds you. I always say jewelry found me. Everything came about with an effortless flow–all the doors opened for me at once and I knew that it was meant to be. ”
Ele Keats
Ele focuses on the healing and supportive aspects of each gem. After many years of working with crystals and gems, she is attuned to the stones, and she considers her pieces “gem medicine”.
With a deep understanding of the intimacy of jewelry, her intention is twofold: to make each piece beautiful, whilst bearing in mind the healing properties of the stone.
She works only with ethical stones and takes every measure to ensure that the process of creating the jewelry from start to finish is done with mindfulness and consideration to the earth and all its beings. Ele’s policy is to only work with kind-hearted people. From buying the gemstones, crystals, and gold to those who make the finished product, her care and involvement in all aspects is all done with love.
A Crystal Shepherd, Ele is a natural treasure hunter of the earth. She follows her inner guidance when choosing crystals and is always grateful to unite the crystals with their human companions.
Ele truly cares about her customers. She values building lasting, meaningful relationships with her clients and cares deeply about how the healing properties of crystals and gemstones can enhance one’s life.
With your purchase, you will receive a crystal card explaining the healing qualities of each crystal and gemstone, and Ele and her team take great care to offer a positive and uplifting experience for all who enter their doors.
Today I am delighted to share Ele’s inspirational story with you as well as her hopes for the future and her advice for other young designers.
Exclusive Interview with Ele Keats
Thank you so much for joining us, Ele! Can you tell us a little more about your ‘backstory’?
I was first introduced to gemstones in India at the tender age of seventeen, where I met my first wholesale gem dealer and was fascinated by the gems. I now understand this powerful meeting was the foreshadowing of what would be my life’s work and passion. These beauties would take me on an adventure of a lifetime.
I later began my jewelry career at thirty-three after a tremendously challenging year. I was guided to seek out an emerald to wear, and upon a deep search, I found something that was truly representative of me. The process of creating this life’s work has developed very organically and beautifully over the past seventeen years.
I have been able to further deepen my relationship with gemstones and crystals through an intuitive knowledge of their healing qualities, as well as experiencing the natural expansion of my jewelry business.
Can you describe your brand to us in a few words?
Simple, timeless, inspiring, and graceful.
How much did your childhood upbringing impact the values you have for your brand today?
Greatly. I was born in Paris, but grew up between New York and Europe, spending a good portion of my life in foreign countries. I often didn’t speak the language and was forced to learn to connect with people and find the commonalities.
Since I’m in an international business and my clients and resources come from all over the world, my early childhood travels and learning these languages have allowed me to connect with greater ease.
I’ve always been able to find the common ground between myself and others, and see the similarities rather than the differences, which have made it seamless in doing business with so many people from all over the world.
Can you take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your product, and share with us some of your favorite pieces from your first collection?
My collection is twofold. I have a large collection of one-of-a-kind pieces and I also have a signature collection.
With the one-of-a-kind pieces, my process is more organic and intuitive. I will often find a piece, either a gemstone or a crystal, and tune into that individual stone, allowing it to guide me on how it wants to be brought to life.
When it comes to the signature collection, there is a need for these to be crafted as reproducible pieces where the stones are calibrated and easily made as multiples. We find it best to allow the clients to let us know what they’re inspired by and that’s where we focus our signature collection.
Can you share with us some of your favorite gemstones and what their properties are? How do you use them in your everyday life?
The first one is emerald. I wear my emerald every day. I love this stone so much for many reasons. It’s a heart healer, it’s the stone of successful love, it’s a protector, specifically against jealousy, and unfortunately, we live in a world of a lot of jealous energy. It’s a beautiful stone to help create a bubble around one’s field.
Kunzite is the stone of communication. It expands one’s heart, awareness, and understanding of what is truly being said. I love this stone greatly and often use it while I meditate. It’s such a special, beautiful, and rare crystal gemstone; I am drawn to its color and the sweetness of its energy.
I also love working with Colombian and Brazilian Lemurian crystals. These stones create pathways to understanding higher spiritual energies and so it’s very helpful with spiritual expansion.
And another favorite is Tanzanite – the stone of compassion & empathy, it is commonly believed to facilitate a higher consciousness and stimulate intuition and perception.
Do you think the industry is gearing to change in a way that allows consumers to buy and invest in more hand-crafted, quality pieces as opposed to so much fast fashion?
I hope that people understand the value of something individual, especially when it comes to jewelry.
When you are wearing something that is fast fashion on your skin, in the jewelry world, you’re actually exposing yourself to potentially unknown and poorly-made metals. One should be very careful about this, especially when it comes to gemstones and crystals.
These beautiful creations are sacred and should be honored. If you’re having a piece of jewelry made, it doesn’t have to contain five million pieces, it can be one special piece that you wear every day.
I urge consumers to be quite careful of exposing themselves to mass-produced jewelry due to the unknown repercussions of how these items are being made. That piece may be with you all of the time; it’s meant to be honored and respected. It’s a big decision and not something to be taken lightly and without care.
What kind of woman is an “Ele Keats Jewelry” customer?
A woman who cares about her health and wellness, a woman who has a certain level of curiosity or interest in transforming, expanding, and enhancing her life with helpful allies in the gem and crystal world.
How do you want women to feel when they are wearing one of your pieces?
I want women to feel beautiful and treasured and like their incredible light is amplified even further. I want them to know how special and exquisite they are.
Ele Keats
I want them to understand the gift of their life force, and I want them to feel supported and loved, and nourished.
I want my customers to live a life of health, vitality, inspiration, ease, and grace, and if my jewelry and gemstones can offer that to them HALLELUJAH – I’m fulfilling my life’s purpose!
Can you tell me a bit more about your favorite piece from your collection?
My divinity necklace. This was the first one – it was the one that started everything. It was the birth and creation of my business.
This series is all about representing and empowering dynamic women everywhere; can you recall a particular moment in the last year that influenced your growth and evolution as a woman?
I was having a team meditation with six of my dearest girlfriends and as a surprise, each of them shared a poem they had either written or found that they felt represented me – The level of love and nourishment and care that I felt as I received their words brought me to tears.
It is so powerful to have your light reflected back and to be seen in such a beautiful way. I found most of my life it has been easier to give than to receive, and to be able to expand and receive so much love is life-altering for me.
That is my prayer as I go into my 50th year, to be able to hold even more love and allow myself to receive and expand every cell of my being in love and light.
Can you share your strategies about how to stay calm and sane during these difficult times? Are there any self-care routines, practices, or treatments that you do to help you stay grounded?
My meditation practice has been key. These times have created potent personal time for growth and awakening.
I’ve gone through a deep personal healing process over this past year and, with the help of an extraordinary healer, it has allowed me to transform. I take these times as an opportunity to go into the depths of my soul, experience deep grieving as needed, and find love and patience for myself.
Some of my personal practices that have helped me are becoming Reiki-certified; doing Reiki has been super helpful as well as taking deep time to connect to the earth. This time has helped me realize I could live in Kauai more.
Planting a garden and connecting deeper into nature and the ocean, and becoming clear on who are my true soul family and the people I want to surround myself with. I’ve found it very important to recognize the preciousness of time and energy and who I want to share my energy with.
I stay grounded through slowing down when I need to, listening. Being willing to humbly let go of the things that I need to. I’ve also expanded my love for cooking and nourishment; I’ve had a plant-based diet for the last twenty years and I’ve learned to get even more creative in the kitchen, which has become super healing for me.
What do you want to be known for in your life and career?
Someone who has made a difference for others.
Someone who brings light and ease and grace and inspiration.
I want to be known for being the woman who brought unique one-of-a-kind crystals into 18k gold fine jewelry because I am.
I want my line of work to continue to show that marrying both crystals and gemstones makes something beautiful that is also healing and transformative.
What are your aspirations for the future? Where would you like to see your brand 5 years from now and are there any imminent plans that you’d like to share?
I’d like to see my brand continue to grow and expand and become an international brand known for all of the wonderful things I shared in the previous question. I want the brand to be synonymous with beauty and joy.
We’re currently working on expanding the brand to include beauty; there are some really fun projects on the horizon, but in the meantime, I am continually working on creating new, fun, and inspiring jewelry and crystal-related ideas for the world.
What words of advice do you have for any young designers trying to get started in the jewelry industry?
Go slow. One step at a time.
I started with one simple piece that became three and grew into an entire signature collection.
I believe it’s extremely important to learn your process, learn about your gems, and learn about gold. Understand the market.
Create beautiful relationships and have mentorship from the people that you work with, and be very careful and wise regarding who you choose to work with, and always follow your intuition.
I hope you enjoyed this exclusive interview with Ele Keats, and finding out more about the healing power of gemstones. Don’t forget to check out our other inspiring women posts.
Photo credits: @cnecessaryphotography and @e.noelle.photo
About Ele Keats: Ele Keats was born in Paris, and raised in Europe, New York and Los Angeles. She is the eldest of two daughters. Her mother, a Ford model, traveled extensively with the girls, introducing them to a variety of cultures, which gave them a broad perspective of the world.
At age 17, she joined her mother and sister on a spiritual trip to India which marked the beginning of her love affair with gemstones. 2004 was a breakthrough year for Ele. She received guidance from a trusted mentor, and she learned that she needed to wear an Emerald for its healing and protective qualities. Searching far and wide, she couldn’t find exactly what she had envisioned, leading her to design her own necklace which she still wears today: The Divinity Emerald, and that was the start of Ele Keats Jewelry collection.
The Jewelry : You can visit the Ele Keats Showroom at 1134 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403, USA.
Website : https://elekeats.com/
Instagram @elekeatsjewelry
I love what she and her work represents Wonderful Cris
http://www.photosbycris.com.au
Thanks Cris! I love her work and what it represents too xo
Such a beautiful and insightful interview. In love with the hidden gem of Virginia City.
Love: Mariann Yip
Thank you so much Mariann x
Great interview. Loved these beautiful pieces of jewelry.
https://www.ninakobi.com
Thanks Nina! So glad you enjoyed the interview xo
It’s always so inspiring to read about interviews of some creators in your blog.
And it was really interesting to learn about the properties of some of the stones she used for jewelry
xx
Margot
Thank you Margot! I found doing this interview so interesting as I learned so much about the properties of crystals and gemstones x
Her jewelry pieces are beautiful!!!
Thanks Rach! I totally agree x
Great interview ^^
Thank you 🙂
Beautiful jewellery and an amazing interview…thanks for sharing dear 🙂
Beauty and Fashion/Rampdiary/Glamansion
Glad you liked the interview x
Such a nice post! Thanks for sharing.
-Nina
http://www.stylingwithnina.com/
Glad you liked it, Nina xo
Interesting
Thanks Christine x
I just love how these can be more than just pretty!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Me too! It was so interesting to find out about the healing properties of the different crystals and gemstones xoxo
She has a cool boho chill kind of vibe. I loved your interview and the questions were great.
Thanks so much Heather. I’m so glad you liked the interview x
Thank you for introducing me to this brand, I love finding out about new jewelers to follow! And all of those emerald pieces are just gorgeous. It’s my birthstone too!
Shauna
http://www.lipglossandlace.net
Thanks for reading Shauna! How cool that emerald is your birthstone xo
What a stunning collection of jewelry! Love every piece you shared here. Emerald is my birthstone so I need to get that divinity necklace!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
It really is a stunning collection, and the emerald divinity is beautiful x
I don’t know about this brand, but the jewelry looks really beautiful. I love esp. those with green stone.
Thanks Angie! The emerald seems to be a real favourite with a lot of people xo