All around her, Eliana Liff (12) looks for colorful materials to fuel her creations. From a discarded bottle tumbled into colorful shards or empty conches buried in sandy shores, whatever she finds has the potential to become wearable charms, necklaces, bracelets, or earrings in her next customer’s jewelry box.

“I always have fun picking out pieces like shells and sea glass everywhere I go,” Liff said. “All my friends are always like, ‘Oh I found this piece that I think would be so cute [for your jewelry].’”

Liff began her jewelry business, ElSimone, as a venture to save money by making her own jewelry during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“I’ve always been obsessed with jewelry and fashion,” she said. “During quarantine, I had a lot of free time so I decided instead of buying, why not start making my own?” 

At 14 years old, Liff opened her Etsy shop under the name ElSimone5. She sold paintings, fashion accessories, and other crafts. Soon enough, Liff found her own creative style in her jewelry. 

“My family and I really like to travel so I incorporate different pieces from when I travel,” Liff said. “[I’ve used] shells from Greece, and my jewelry definitely has a more beachy style.”

It wasn’t until she made her first sale outside of her friends and family that Liff started taking her business more seriously.

“I was like, ‘No way this person just bought something from me,’”’ she said. “I thought maybe this is just a fun hobby to do during COVID, but now it’s become something I really enjoy.”

Though Liff has exclusively sold through online sites, she said she’s begun to take interest in in-person markets.

“I sell online [in places] like Instagram and Etsy,” she said. “I’ve done a couple of markets and I’m trying to get into a couple more. I’ve done Kobe’s [Swap Meet] and I’m looking into the Oceanside market.”

According to Liff, being able to see her customers face-to-face at flea markets has been a gratifying experience.

“It’s super fun,” Liff said. “I really like having people choose what piece they think would match their personalities and seeing everyone putting it on saying, ‘Oh my god it’s so cute.’”

Running ElSimone for the last four years has been more of a source of joy than anything else for Liff. 

“I just really love being able to be creative and make all the pieces,” she said. “It’s therapeutic for me. I’m making money off of it, but it’s just something I really enjoy and what I do in my free time to just disconnect from everything else.”

Although Liff runs ElSimone on her own, she’s also gained support from her friends.

“[My friends] are always really supportive, which is sweet,” she said. “They always want to post and wrap my stuff.”

Liff said running her business on top of consistently promoting her products on social media has only been possible by actively putting aside time for it.    

“[In] junior year, when things got really busy, I wasn’t as active because it does take a lot of time and I’ve always tried to make some time for it,” Liff said. “I just dedicate at least an hour and I just sit down and start making pieces. When I have orders, I have a certain amount of time a day that I’ll dedicate to packing them [or] making them.”

From her first sale to her hundredth, Liff said pursuing ElSimone reshaped her views on what work means to her.

“If you really love something, you should dedicate time and make an effort to see it through,” Liff said. “There’s that saying that’s like, ‘You can work every day but if it’s something you don’t love, it’s going to feel like work.’ For me, however many hours, it’s just fun. It doesn’t feel like labor.”