Q&Q With T&L Fine Jewelry

What do you get when you mix fine jewelry with a love for people and planet? T&L Fine Jewelry! Owner Tivonya Stephenson was no stranger to creating beautiful jewelry when she opened her own business in Florence, OR. Giving her purpose and passion in life, Tivonya sets out to create meaningful pieces that contribute to quality of life, both in wear and on our planet. Read on below to learn more about Tivonya’s work, now in Eugene!

Tell us about the T&L Jewelry story! How long have you been in Eugene and where did the T&L Jewelry journey begin?

T&L Fine Jewelry started in January of 2020 when I became frustrated with the health & environmental hazards I had encountered in mainstream fine jewelry & wanted to start my own business being really thoughtful about these issues. We also moved across the country to Florence, OR- a very rural community on the Oregon coast where work in my field was really limited, so I created a job for myself. Even though COVID-19 shut down the store T&L was subletting studio space from for 4 months, the business did well and in 2022 we moved it to Eugene. T&L Fine Jewelry LLC  has been in Eugene for close to a year now.

What led you to this craft? What keeps you going?

I’ve always loved designing and making jewelry- that started when I was a child, though with much less expensive materials! What keeps me going is how much I really enjoy it. It lights me up in a way that nothing else does & it’s a source of endless fascination to learn about and work with such precious materials from the earth.

What are the values that lead your business?

I have a real appreciation for the planet & the lives on it. I want to keep doing what I love in a responsible way that contributes to people’s lives & doesn’t contribute as much to the environmental problems so I use best practices when it comes to sourcing precious metals, diamonds, & gemstones. I source as much recycled material as possible. I buy from small scale, fair trade, & ethically minded suppliers. The decisions made at T&L are centered around a respect for life and the planet we live on.

What is in the future for T & L Jewelry?

Designing & making earth conscious fine jewelry & contributing to the Eugene community in a positive way! T&L plans to continue making & expanding into more stores & galleries while fine-tuning the website & online business for global reach.