An Heirloom Diamond Necklace, Reimagined; A Story of Recommitment to Self

After our jewelry designs caught her eye, Megahn Morris Sant'Anna read that Bario Neal was woman-owned and based in Philadelphia, so she decided to do a virtual meeting and seriously consider having us redesign her heirloom diamond jewelry into a diamond cluster ring, much like she had seen on our website. In her meeting, she learned about our clear, thoughtful design process which is well-documented, plus all of our experience working with family heirloom diamonds and gemstones to create custom heirloom jewelry, and that gave her the assurance and peace of mind that we were the right choice for her. Her story is one of transformation - not dissimilar from the transformation of her Nannie's necklace.

Bario Neal: Are you commemorating a milestone or event with your jewelry?

Megahn: It represents a re-commitment to myself and what is important to me. My new ring is a reimagining of a necklace that my maternal grandmother left to me. In the handful of years since she passed the necklace to me, I became happily divorced, met my future husband, found a new home, and made a long-dreamt-of career shift. This ring represents transformation. It's an exploding star. It connects me to the grounding of my past and the constant promise of change.

BN: Can you tell us about the origin of your stones and where they came from? Why have you chosen to use these heirlooms in your design?

Megahn: My stones were gifts from my grandfather to my grandmother during the 1960s to the 1970s, a period of time when they took a big risk to start and grow a new business. I wanted to make these diamonds an integral part of my life, to wear them everyday.

BN: Are there any details you'd like to share regarding the significance of the chosen gemstones or the design inspiration for the jewelry?

I considered what I wanted and collected inspiration for years before finding Bario Neal and embarking on the design and creation process with Ivy and Daniel: and that is when the magic happened. I visited the Brooklyn showroom, tried on pieces that had elements of my ring concept, and Ivy asked me a lot of questions about style and my heirloom stone specifics. With a few waves of her hand, she made slight changes to my original stone configuration and it was magical. The magic stunned me and I asked several more questions about our setting idea, and saw my hand with the “ring on” through good usage of a clear gel case holding the stones in their new constellation. I began to tell Ivy and Daniel about the connection this design made me feel -- to my late grandmother ("Nannie"), to myself, and to the earth itself -- and burst into tears. Ivy teared up too, and I held both of Ivy’s hands and I felt as though she and Daniel were friends helping me to cross a threshold about which I felt a lot of fear, hope, joy and possibility. I am incredibly grateful to Ivy, Daniel and Bario Neal.

We love being a part of this process, and we also love seeing your engagement/wedding/finished product/day to day shots of our pieces so please share them with us! Find us on Instagram. Browse our ring collection or get an estimate to create your own custom designed jewelry with us today!