Have you ever owned a piece of jewelry that you absolutely loved but couldn't wear? I'm thinking of those of you with family heirlooms that are precious but be heavy, too large or small, or are not comfortable to wear.

A client of mine was interested in a current trend of "rainbow" jewelry - multiple varying colored stones in one piece. In her case she was looking for a ring but couldn't find one with the shape and colors she was seeking. We sat down and discussed what might go in to the ring.

A few months ago I was honored to be asked to speak at NAPO, the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals.

As a New Yorker I wear a lot of black. I have an entire drawer in my dresser dedicated to black tops. But I have this one client who has a very different and distinctive style. She loves color more than your average New Yorker. Every time I have met with her she is wearing bold, bright colors. Her uniqueness is apparent from a block away.

One of the things I love the most about living in New York City is that there is always something to do or somewhere to go. It is impossible to be bored here. As a result, the people who live here tend to be very busy and are often pulled in many directions.

Over the course of my career, many of my clients have asked me about the process of creating a piece of custom jewelry. I often tell them there are 8 to 10 steps in the creation of any custom piece, and I thought I'd share them with you today.

This unique bear hug ring was created for my client's wife, his "beschert." He wanted to give her something for a special occasion that you wouldn't find in just any retail store. Since he likes to give his wife stuffed bears he thought that a bear motif would be fun.

I was commissioned to create two unique wedding rings. Most couples will try on different rings to see how they fit before they decide to commission me for a piece.

A good client of mine recently acquired an 18K white gold and black diamond ring. This ring was originally inspired by the Sex and the City movie, where Mr. Big presents Carrie with a black diamond engagement ring. My client loved the diamond, but wasn't really enamored with the style of the setting.

Most of the engagement rings I make are with round brilliant cut diamonds. This is the most popular shape of diamonds. But sometimes I get introduced to a couple who want to put a twist on the classic engagement ring. This is one such story.

As an appraiser I'm invited to many events to learn about different techniques in appraising jewelry as well as art. While I was at one such event, I met a lovely gentleman who mentioned to me that his wife has diamond rings that she inherited that she is no longer enjoying.

A while back, one of my very good customers contacted me in reference to creating this unique necklace for her. One of her sons is in the U.S. Army and she wanted to keep him close.

A very nice woman was here from London for a short period of time. As a gemologist, and someone who has been in the fine jewelry industry, she was used to having all of her jewelry custom made. When we met she wanted to recreate her long pearl necklace that had broken in to a shorter, more elegant design. My goal was to find an unusual clasp that would make the necklace look more contemporary than just a traditional design.

A good friend of mine went on vacation and bought this beautiful tanzanite and diamond ring. She loves this ring, but then realized that she wanted a matching pair of earrings to wear to her brother's wedding.

My client inherited this lovely ring from her grandmother but felt the style was a little dated. As a young woman in the fashion industry she wanted to have something she could wear everyday and that would be a timeless design that can carry her from season to season. We designed a ring and a pair of earrings using all the gold and garnets from her grandmother's ring. Now she can remember her grandmother and look elegant at the same time.

A while back a lovely gentleman had an idea to create a one of a kind ring. He inherited a lot of rings from various members of his family, and wanted to create one special ring to honor them all. He had an idea of creating a ring that looked like the surface of the moon. One crater sized design encrusted with diamonds.

I met with a lovely attorney who has a very successful practice in midtown Manhattan. She told me that a while back she was gifted an emerald and gold bracelet that she disliked and would never, ever wear. She asked me for my design expertise in to how to fashion the bracelet in to a wearable piece of jewelry.

One of the best parts about being a jewelry designer is that I get to help to capture the feelings behind every piece. I was contacted by this wonderful woman who inherited her mother's blue topaz jewelry, which was her birthstone, and she wanted to redesign it to remember her mother.

One nice thing about having a monthly newsletter is that I reconnect with people I haven't spoken to in a while. A perfect example of this is that I was contacted by a wonderful woman who loves colored stone jewelry just as much as I do. For years she had this lime citrine ring. She loved the center gemstone but really didn't like the setting.

My client was gifted a ring from her favorite aunt. The ring was in a platinum setting with two diamonds, one on each side, but with no center gem. She wanted to keep her aunt close so the best design for her was to create a necklace that would be close to her heart.