Ex Voto Vintage
Photo by Olivia Burton.
Ex Voto Vintage 2014
Ex Voto owner and designer Elizabeth Adams finds inspiration in vintage pieces found as far away as New York or Paris.
Timeless, but with a modern twist, Elizabeth Adams’ Ex Voto Vintage jewelry reflects the idea that old, forgotten or imperfect things are perhaps more beautiful because of their imperfections.
Located next to Gilchrist in Mountain Brook Village, the Ex Voto showroom reflects the classic, warm feel of its pieces with rich wood paneling and a stone exterior. Each piece, from simple bracelets of gold chain and pearl to elegant necklaces with cameos and lockets, seems to have a story to tell.
Adams’ story began at her childhood home in Montgomery, just blocks away from the former home of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.
“Growing up, I was always making something,” Adams said. “I was always encouraged not to just sit around and watch TV but to make something and be productive.”
Adams did not always know she wanted to run a jewelry business. She studied mass media and creative writing in an arts magnet program in Montgomery before attending Auburn University and studying architecture, then education.
But after her three-year-old child passed away from an inoperable brain tumor in 2007, Adams needed something to do with her hands.
She started creating mixed media collages using old pieces found at flea markets. As she began adding freshwater pearls and old lace, her collages appeared more and more like jewelry.
Around the time that Adams began making and selling jewelry, she read an article about ex votos, physical expressions of gratitude to saints or divinities that often represent miracles or answered prayers. She thought “Ex Voto” would make a fitting name for her business.
Although Adams said the definition is anything but simple, she usually explains to customers that an ex voto is the symbol of an answered prayer or an offering of thankfulness, a sign that something broken or old has been redeemed.
“A lot of my pieces have been worn, and they’re not shiny anymore and they may have a tooth mark where a baby bit into it at some point,” she said. “But I don’t see any of that as a defect, just added interest to the piece.”
Adams’ designs, inspired by vintage jewelry she finds as far away as New York and Paris, reflect the idea of an ex voto in that she takes old, forgotten pieces of jewelry and reveals their beauty again.
Ex Voto’s patented toggle design, based on the head of an old key, allows wearers to wrap long necklaces, connect necklaces to make new styles or even add a bracelet to a short necklace to make it longer.
The versatility of her pieces allows customers to show off their individuality and wear them with anything from white T-shirts to ball gowns.
Customers can choose their own charms and pendants, from the popular Camille Cross to tassels, lockets and keys. Some objects may be engraved. Ex Voto also offers the One of One collection where each piece is a one-of-a-kind necklace.
Adams will even take family heirlooms and add them to a necklace. “People like to be able to wear things that are special to them,” she said.
The upcoming fall collection will feature new jewelry cast from pieces Adams found in Paris, new cuff bracelets and a deerskin clutch. It will also offer stacking rings based on Victorian wedding bands and a line of 14-carat gold, rose gold and sterling silver everyday necklaces.
A portion of all proceeds from Ex Voto goes to The Cure Starts Now Foundation for pediatric brain cancer research. The Couture to Cure line includes some of Adams’ most valuable and interesting pieces, and all Couture to Cure proceeds go toward the foundation.
