Liza Sonia Wallach
Designer/Founder of LIZASONIA

ABOUT LIZAsONIA

Men's Collection | Women's Collection | Special Thanks

Design Philosophy

LIZASonia's design philosophy is simple: Start with the best quality materials, listen to  its simplest design, then add elements of surprise.

Liza Sonia Wallach started "LIZASonia" in 2003. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Liza always embraced art. Prior to starting her full-time career in fashion design, she held various executive level positions, including Chief Operation Officer of a privately held international company. She had achieved both professional and financial success, but it was not enough to satisfy her passion for creating art.

Leaving Corporate America, she traveled solo around the world. Somewhere between the rustic coastal towns of Thailand and the boutique-filled streets of Argentina , she realized she was interested in working for a passion rather than for money or a prestigious title. "I want to do what I love," she says. "I want to design pieces that  are beautiful and that people like to wear. I want to stretch their idea of what is possible; a design concept that makes them look at things in a new way."

From one trip abroad in 2003, she designed a necklace using local handmade beads. People quickly noticed her flair for design. Three different women stopped her at an event and asked where they could buy the necklace she was wearing. When she said she designed it herself, she received three offers on the spot. They wanted to buy her jewelry literally off her back! Now, wearing her eye-catching designs, people receive this response at parties, at business meetings, and wherever else they wear her accessories.

Liza's passion shows in every piece. She can look at a person or even hear him or her described, and pick out exactly the right design and color he or she would cherish. Highly intuitive, she uses this skill to design from within the materials. Picking up a rare stone, she adds, "I look at a stone and it tells me what it wants to be. The design is hidden, to be discovered along with its owner."

Her extensive travel throughout more than over 45 countries and her multinational family upbringing inspire her unique yet universal designs. Liza speaks two languages and graduated from UC Berkeley in psychology and biology.

Men's Collections

The cufflinks are modern, fresh, and bold. Each design includes either inlayed shells (white mother of pearl, abalone, black mother of pearl and tiger shell) or natural stones such as onyx. Each set is patiently handmade using the best quality materials. The shells and stones are cut individually, and then inlayed one by one into the sterling silver background shape. This laborious process produces nothing short of a unique piece of jewelry-a true piece of art.

The ring collection includes handmade sterling silver rings which have the unique movable "inner ring" center. Each ring is made with attention to detail by skilled craftsmen who share the same passion for quality as Liza does.

The  bracelet collection is handmade with sterling silver designs that echo the past but mirror the clean lines of modern times. These two seemingly opposite traits are balanced in every design. This year's collection focuses on ropes and knots. The bracelets are finished with a handmade "hook clasp" that adds the right touch of masculinity.

See men's collection. You can now buy the Men's Collections at select Nordstrom stores throughout California.

Women's Collections

Fine Silver Collection

This collection focuses on "fine silver" vs. "sterling silver." The difference is that fine silver has at least a 96% percent silver content with the remaining 4% other metals. Sterling silver is made of only 92.5% silver (hence the 925 stamp) and is a harder silver mix because it has 7.5% hard metals (such as tin, copper, aluminum, etc). The drawback of using sterling silver is that it will tarnish sooner than fine silver, as the added metals tarnish first. Mixing art with science . Each piece is handmade using special techniques to work with this more expensive silver. The finished pieces are still as durable as sterling, just softer on the skin. This collection contains bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.

See women's fine silver collection.

Couture (Gemstone Stone Collection)

This was the original LIZASONIA line, and it continues to be the most varied and creative. Each stone and element is hand picked by Liza herself, which makes each piece one-of- a-kind. You can buy these readymade pieces at galleries and boutiques or make an appointment with Liza to have a truly unique experience.

See women's couture collection.

Women's Rings

We wanted to create the ultimate cocktail ring. We think we did it. These conversation pieces are made of genuine stone and/or genuine coin pearls. The ring band is made of sterling silver and adjusts to sizes 5 through 10. Have fun with these  big rings -- they show your confidence.

See women's ring collection.

Women's Pendants and Pins

Pendants are in. To make this collection even more special we had each piece double as both a pendant and pin for maximum versatility. Each design is made of fine silver, and since each one is handmade, all are unique. The craftsmanship is excellent, and the look is fantastic!

See women's pendants and pins collection.

You can now buy these pieces at select Nordstrom stores throughout California.

Charities

We gladly support numerous charities each month and currently give hundreds of dollars to organizations nationwide. We try to accommodate most donation requests when possible.

Based on availability, we either offer jewelry or gift certificates towards a jewelry making class.

This class is valued at $120 and is good for a private lesson with up to three people on “How to make your own earrings” held at the LIZA SONIA studio in San Francisco. More participants can join the class for an additional $40 each. Each participant gets to keep their custom made earrings.

A partial list of past beneficiaries includes:

• The James S. Brady Polo Classic Charity Match
• Second Chance Rescue, "Canine wine and dine"
• Jewish Family and Children's Services, "The 2004 Fammy Awards"
• The Ben-Gurion Society Annual Gala and Silent Auction
• Fashion Business Incorporated, "Chefs without Hats," Annual Fundraising Gala
• Art Span's Annual fundraising silent auction

If you are involved in a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization and would like to receive information on how to obtain a donated piece, please email us at donations@LizaSonia.com.

special thanks

LIZA SONIA would like to recommend and thank the following people: