How and when you got into the trade?

I was drawn to jewelry and crystals since I was a child. I started a rock collection at a young age and crafted with basically anything I could get my hands on. In college, I rediscovered jewelry-making; it was a way to channel my creativity and support myself in pursuing a psychology degree (or so I thought!). Friends and colleagues continued to show interest in my designs, and it became clear that this was not just a side hustle. The psych degree was put to the side, and I pursued jewelry full force. I launched my first Etsy shop in 2006 and signed up for every curated craft show that I could find in the U.S. This got my name out there and helped me meet so many amazing makers, jewelers, and people in the gemstone industry. Meeting all these creatives inspired me to open up my first shop in 2011, in Philadelphia. I continued to study metalsmithing and learn everything I could about gemstones and diamonds. Within a few years, a favorite customer of mine challenged me to create their engagement ring. This was the most meaningful and treasured project of mine to date. Since then, I’ve been creating one-of-a-kind engagement rings for eight years! And now I’m approaching my 15th year anniversary as a jewelry designer.

What was the most memorable piece that you made?

This past holiday season, I had the honor of making an engagement ring for a couple that had followed my work long before I got into fine jewelry. They wanted me to lead the creative, with just a few requests that I use a Misfit Diamond and include Salt & Pepper diamonds as the accents. That ring is pictured here.