My Process
Most of my designs begin with the stone. I’m drawn to gemstones with character—unusual color, pattern, flash, inclusions, or simply something I haven’t seen a hundred times before. I can spend an unreasonable amount of time looking at a stone, turning it in the light, and deciding how I want it to sit before I ever touch the silver.
From there, the piece is built by hand. I measure, saw, file, shape and solder sterling silver to create the setting and the rest of the design. Bezels are fitted to individual stones. Edges are refined. Surfaces are sanded through multiple stages. Details are added by hand, and sometimes I etch or decorate the back of a piece—even though most people will never see it—because I like knowing the detail is there.
And things don't always go according to plan.
Silver moves. Solder occasionally refuses to cooperate. A design that looked perfect in my head may look completely wrong once it's in metal. Sometimes I take something apart and start again. Handmade jewelry isn't created by pressing a button; part of the process is solving dozens of tiny problems until the piece finally feels right.
Once the metalwork is complete, I finish and polish the silver and carefully set the gemstone. That last stage is one of my favorites. After hours of working with separate pieces of metal, suddenly there is a finished piece of jewelry sitting in my hand.
Why I Make Jewelry This Way
I have a full-time career in accounting. Jewelry is what I make after the spreadsheets are closed and the workday is over. At night and on weekends, I trade Excel for a torch, saw and files and make something tangible with my hands.
I don't want Facet & Finish to produce hundreds of identical pieces. I want to make the piece someone spots across a room and asks about.
That's why I gravitate toward unusual gemstones, substantial sterling silver, unexpected details and designs with personality. Many pieces are completely one of a kind because the stone itself is one of a kind.
You may see tiny variations, tool marks or evidence of the hand that made your jewelry. To me, those aren't flaws to disguise. They're part of what separates something handmade from something produced by a machine thousands of times.
One stone. One bench. A surprising number of tools. A lot of late hours. And eventually, one piece of jewelry made for one person to make entirely her own.
Explore our collection
Discover unique pieces for every style
Handpicked selections from our latest arrivals
For the woman who knows what she likes
You don’t need another piece of jewelry that looks like everything else you own. Maybe you’re drawn to a stone because of its color. Maybe you want a ring substantial enough to notice when you move your hand. Maybe you just saw a pendant and thought, That one is mine.
That’s the feeling I design for. I make sterling silver jewelry around stones that catch my attention, with details that give you something new to notice each time you wear it. If a piece makes you stop scrolling and look twice, I hope you’ll take a closer look.