Necklaces

I spent six years in a grading lab, hunched over a microscope until my neck ached, looking at inclusions that most people would never notice. I’ve seen enough “designer” sets to know that most people are being sold a story rather than a stone. You see these curated layering necklaces set with different stones online, … Read more

I was sitting on a granite outcrop near Bergen last autumn, the air tasting of salt and upcoming frost, when I felt that sudden, sickening lightness against my collarbone. I reached up, expecting the familiar weight of my labradorite, but found only an empty chain. It wasn’t some grand, mystical disappearance; it was just a … Read more

I remember sitting in a cramped grading lab in Bergen, staring through a loupe at a strand of labradorite that looked like frozen seawater under the lamp. Just as I was noting the feldspar’s play of light, the silk thread snapped, and a dozen stones scattered across the linoleum like heavy rain. It’s a heartbreaking … Read more

I spent six years in a grading lab, hunched over a microscope until my neck felt like it was made of rusted iron, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that people love to make jewelry more complicated than it needs to be. I see these “style guides” online telling you there is … Read more

I spent six years in a grading lab looking at inclusions through a loupe, so I have a very low tolerance for people selling “magic” that isn’t there. It’s the same with hardware; you’ll see shops trying to upsell you on “premium” heavy-duty links that are really just overpriced steel with a shiny coating. People … Read more

I remember sitting in a grading lab in Bergen, staring through a loupe at a massive, deep-teal sapphire that looked like the North Sea during a storm. It was a magnificent specimen, but the jeweler had tried to force it into a delicate, thin-wire filigree mount that looked like it would snap if you even … Read more