2026 responsible design Challenge
Cheryl Freund
Cheryl Freund is the owner of Ceejayeff Jewelry in Los Angeles.
What stood out for me in Mara’s story was the sense of grounding and recalibration. I wanted to design a piece that reflected that quiet strength—the idea that life can be uneven and still resolve into balance. I thought the moss agate cabochons represented Mara’s work as a landscape designer, and their triangular shape is representative of a compass or trail markers. I knew they would be the anchor of the piece.
I started sketching a few designs and then sat on them for a bit before taking the ideas to CAD. It wasn’t long before I settled on this chevron ring design. People love rings because they can see them on their own hand, as opposed to a necklace or earrings. I’ve made more rings in my career than anything else. And since rings are smaller than other types of jewelry, there tends to be less metal, which is something I’m conscious of given the current state of metal prices.
The entire structure of the ring is symmetrical except for the layout of the stones, which I think speaks to life. Life isn’t always consistent and even. I like having the moss agates arranged with one pointing up and the other pointing down, mirroring the ups and downs Mara has faced over the past year. It’s a bold design that represents the way Mara has navigated the changes in her life, and this ring is a celebration of the way she’s done so. Although Lena is planning on this being a gift to mark a milestone birthday, I view the ring more as a way to signify the importance of this past year and celebrate Mara’s resilience and ability to achieve balance in this new part of her life.
