Henley Necklace

Gold filled pendant with CZ stones.

Made in the USA.

Created in collaboration with Sara Lewis.

We were told that Henley had a high chance of having Down Syndrome after receiving the results of an early prenatal screening test called the NIPT. Because of this, we were sent for lots of extra monitoring throughout the pregnancy. During one of these sessions, her Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) was found. At that time, it looked very small and the doctors felt it had a high likelihood of closing on its own.

About 8 weeks before her due date, Henley developed a condition called hydrops. This came with a pretty scary prognosis, however Henley was ready to show us all what she was made of! Over the next few weeks, Henley defied the odds as we started to see slight improvements in her condition, which we were told would never happen.

When she was born, she spent her first 87 days in the NICU and during that time it was discovered that her VSD was larger than they had previously thought. She was now headed for surgery. At two and a half months old, Henley had open heart surgery to repair her VSD and just 12 short days later, she was finally released to come home for the first time and has been capturing the hearts of everyone she meets ever since!

When we thought about a design inspired by Henley, of course there had to be a heart for our little heart warrior! It also symbolizes how incredibly loved she is. The next thing that came mind were diamonds as both a symbol of her strength and resilience and to represent the extra joy and sparkle that she brings to everyone around her. I’m so happy with the way this piece came together. It’s the perfect blend of strength, love and beauty just like Henley.