There’s a story behind every piece of jewelry Lisa Maurer designs. The Laura, a 14-karat gold ring with two blue topazes, was inspired by its namesake’s dazzling azure eyes. The Mandy, a delicate golden seashell necklace, reflects the disposition of a dear friend who is as warm as a summer day, explains Maurer, an Arlington-based management consultant whose creative side business is called Sister Sister Jewelry. The Ann, a gold and emerald Celtic knot ring, is named after an Irish matriarch.
And then there’s the Ellen—a thin, gold band named for Maurer’s younger sister, who died by suicide.
Maurer launched Sister Sister Jewelry on Sept. 19, 2020—the date that would have marked Ellen’s 30th birthday. She wanted to celebrate her sister’s life, remembering Ellen’s sense of adventure, her signature stack of rings and the joy she found in giving jewelry to others as gifts.
Teaching herself CAD design with a surprise in mind for Ellen’s friends and loved ones, Maurer “thought of what made each person uniquely them—what traits I loved about them or what stood out about their personality to me.” That was the genesis of her first 10 bespoke rings, which she 3D-printed and gave as keepsakes to members of her sister’s inner circle. From there, a business was born.
Over the past three years, Maurer has continued to design new pieces, expanding the Sister Sister line to honor and celebrate the lives of 46 different women.
In addition to the items in the collection (now available for anyone to purchase), she also takes commissions, working in collaboration with clients to tell their stories—of anniversaries and milestone birthdays, of expanding families and lost pregnancies, of troubles and triumphs—in unique, wearable pieces.
She recently made her first foray into custom wedding bands, designing rings for both brides and grooms.
Maurer says her years of experience as a consultant honed her knack for working with clients. Now she’s using those skills to demystify the jewelry making process while adhering to clients’ budgets and listening to their needs and stories.
“Ellen was the person you could always go to and trust your secrets with,” she reflects. “It is important that I can always tell her story. Everything about my jewelry is telling people’s stories.”
The Sister Sister collection includes gold earrings starting at $120, pendant necklaces ($227 and up) and rings ($173 and up).