To file under happy accidents:

When I was learning to set gems I very ambitiously made a ring featuring this lovely cushion cut peach and green sunstone.

Just at the end of the process, as I folded down the prong tips with a bit too much pressure, I heard an agonizing little crack. I had shattered one corner. Not going to lie, I cried my eyes out. The earth had created this amazing gem and I came along and ruined it.

My wonderful friend, Jess, wouldn’t let me despair and reminded me that broken things can be beautiful and deserve love too. It took me a while to decide just how I wanted to approach it (and of course I got sidetracked many times over), but at long last here is a new setting – an idea I may never have had – celebrating the asymmetry instead of mourning it; gently bridging the gap of injury to add strength to the stone without trying to hide it. .