Desert Origins…

There's something about the desert that strips everything down to what matters.

No noise. No clutter. Just light, rock, and sky.

That's the environment where every Lili T. California handmade bronze jewelry piece is made — in 29 Palms, a small community at the edge of Joshua Tree National Park in the high Mojave Desert. It's not the obvious place to run a jewelry studio. Yet here we are.

I mostly work in bronze - one of the oldest materials in human history — worked by hand for thousands of years before machines existed. Now there is a new technique to work in bronze invented by Japanese potters in the 90s. it’s called precious metal clay. In Kintsugi pottery the cracks of broken pieces are filled with a more precious material -gold, silver or bronze - than the original clay. This highlights the Kintsugi philosophy that something mended has more value than something new because it has a history. This bronze clay lends itself not just for mending pottery but it is a valuable organic material on its own. I love how I can sculpt each piece to its own characteristics - even if the pieces are the same design. Each piece is individually handmade, fired and hand-polished right here in Twentynine Palms, California.

The organic designs pair beautifully with the desert palette: warm, earthy, and unpretentious. No flash. Just form. Statement rings, chunky bracelets, stackable necklaces and bolo ties - click through a wide variety of offerings.

Every piece that leaves the studio has been touched dozens of times before it reaches you. No two pieces are exactly alike, even within the same design. That's not a flaw. That's the point.

When you wear a Lili T. piece, you're wearing something made slowly, with attention. In a world of fast everything. I prefer it that way.

Come Find Us

Our jewelry is available online and through select stockists. If you're visiting the Joshua Tree area, reach out — we'd love to connect.

lilitcali@gmail.com  |  (310) 508-0538