Most jewelry you see online comes from the same handful of factories. Same cuts, same settings, same everything. The "handcrafted" label gets slapped on pieces that were assembled, not made.

I got into gemcutting because I wanted to actually understand what makes a stone beautiful. Turns out, it's not about flawless clarity or perfect symmetry — it's about how light moves through the facets. A stone with character will always outshine a technically perfect bore.

Some things I've learned along the way:

The cut matters more than the carat. A well-cut 1ct sapphire will look more alive than a poorly cut 3ct stone. The geometry of the facets determines how light enters, bounces, and exits. That's what creates the "fire" people talk about.

Settings should serve the stone, not compete with it. I design every setting around the specific stone it holds. The metal, the prong style, the profile — all of it is built to let the gem breathe.

"Bespoke" should mean something. When I make a piece for someone, we start with the stone. They pick it. We talk about what they want it to feel like. Then I build around that.

I'm sharing my work and new drops here on Kitty and Friends. If you're into stones, jewelry, or just want to see how a gem goes from rough to set — come hang.