Sunlight and Stone: The Story Behind This Necklace

The amber beads rest warm against my skin, honey-gold punctuated by diamonds that catch the light like promises.

I bought them after Lviv, after everything I saw there changed me.

In Львівська копальня кави—the Coffee Mining Manufacture—I descended into lamplight and stone. The café sprawls underground, all wooden beams and shadow, smelling of dark roast and history. I sipped coffee thick as memory while above us, the city lived. Resilient. Undimmed.

Later, driving east, I saw the sunflower fields. Endless gold stretching to the horizon, thousands of faces turned stubbornly toward the sun. They didn't ask permission to bloom. They just did.

An older woman at a market stall sold me honey, her hands steady as she wrapped the jar. When I struggled with my Ukrainian, she smiled. "We continue," she said simply, in English. As if it were that easy. As if it were that hard.

The amber reminds me of those flowers—warm, golden, refusing to bow. The diamonds are for the strength I witnessed, the kind that doesn't break under pressure but transforms into something harder, brighter.

I wear it and remember: some people don't just survive. They bloom in the rubble. They brew coffee in the dark. They turn their faces toward light and grow.

The amber glows warm, honey-colored beads catching light between flashes of diamond—bright and unbreakable.

I found inspiration in Lviv, a city that refuses to dim, after the war brought me there to teach what I'd never wanted anyone to need – trauma care.

During a break in the day, we visited Львівська копальня кави, the Coffee Mining Manufacture. The café sprawls underground, all wooden beams and shadow, smelling of dark roast and history. I sipped coffee so strong it felt like courage. Above us, the city carried on. It always does.

Later, driving through the countryside, I saw the sunflower fields. Endless gold stretching to the horizon, thousands of faces turned stubbornly toward the sun. They didn't ask permission to bloom. They just did.

Back home, I designed the necklace—amber for those sunflowers, for the warmth hidden underground, solid gold for the resilience I'd witnessed. Diamonds between them because some things refuse to break, no matter the pressure.

I wear it to remember a people who turn toward light, who brew strength in darkness, who bloom, always, against all odds. Slava Ukraini!

Key Features:

0.75 carat GIE certified lab-created diamond Weight 0.75 c

Cut Round

Color D

Grade VVS1

4mm baltic amber beads, with beautiful natural color variation, hand knotted on silk thread. 14K solid gold setting and findings

Length: 18 inches. Can be customized on request.

Craftsmanship: Completely handmade with meticulous attention to detail