I had no idea where this would take me. 

It started with pretty stones.

I didn't exactly take the traditional route into jewelry.

I came from tech, where I spent years building a career in an industry that had very little to do with the things I loved creating.

But I've always loved jewelry. I used to buy stones simply because I found them beautiful, sometimes without having any particular plan for what I would do with them.

Eventually, just admiring them wasn't enough. I wanted to make things.

I had ideas about what jewelry could look like, how everyday pieces could be a little more interesting, and how something so small could carry so much meaning.

And that's how Zaerine began.

A lot of ideas. Not a single jeweler in sight.

I had no background in jewelry, no family history in the industry, and no established connections with jewelers or suppliers.

Getting started wasn't easy. When you're new to an industry where relationships, experience, and reputation matter, getting people to take you seriously can be a challenge.

I was building everything from scratch, reaching out to people who had no idea who I was, learning about materials, stones, settings, production, and all the little details that go into making a piece of jewelry.

I didn't have all the answers. I still don't.

But I was curious, determined, and perhaps a little too excited about making pretty things to let that stop me.

From questionable sketches to actual jewelry.

The more I got into jewelry, the more I realized that what excites me most isn't just the finished piece. It's everything that happens before it exists.

I love playing with shapes, colors, and proportions, or looking at an ordinary object and wondering what it might look like in gold.

I wish I could say my designs begin with beautiful, detailed drawings. They don't. My sketches are usually a collection of questionable lines that make perfect sense to me and require a little imagination from everyone else.

Thankfully, I work with talented jewelers who help bring those ideas to life. And more often than not, that's where things get complicated.

A stone won't sit quite right. The proportions need adjusting. Something that makes perfect sense in my head doesn't necessarily work in real life.

So we keep playing with it. There are sketches, CAD renderings, revisions, and plenty of back-and-forth until we find a way to make it work.

And that's the part I love most: seeing an idea that once existed only in my head become something I can actually hold.

A little idea here. A jeweler somewhere else.

Today, I work with jewelers, stone specialists, and makers in New York and across the world to bring my designs to life.

What starts as a sketch or an idea often turns into a conversation with someone halfway across the world about stone sizes, proportions, settings, or how to make a particular detail work.

Every person brings their own expertise to the process. I've learned so much from the people I work with, and their knowledge and craftsmanship are an essential part of bringing my ideas to life.

Some designs come together more easily than others. Many go through multiple versions before they're ready.

But that's the beauty of it. There is so much more behind a small piece of jewelry than most people ever get to see.

I don't think jewelry has to be just one thing.

Some days, I'm working on a complicated design that takes weeks to get right. Other days, I'm thinking about making a little gold bear. And sometimes, all I want is a beautiful gold chain.

At Zaerine, there's room for all of it. From unusual, made-to-order designs and playful pieces to simple, everyday jewelry in solid gold and sterling silver.

Some pieces have a story behind them. Others I simply wanted to make because I liked them.