When a Fortune Cookie Once Held My Future

It All Began With a Fortune Cookie

It began long before I ever made jewelry.

When I was a child, my parents and I had a favorite place to eat—what I affectionately called the fortune cookie restaurant. I remember playing with the owner’s daughter, sneaking candies into the Buddha statue’s mouth, rubbing his belly for luck, and savoring the moment at the end of every meal when I cracked open my fortune cookie to see what fate had to say.

Those tiny slips of paper mattered to me. I saved them carefully in a small box, rereading my favorites again and again. Even as I grew older, I held onto the fortunes that felt meaningful—messages that arrived at the right moment, offering reassurance, hope, or a quiet nudge forward.

Years later, in 2007, when I stood holding my business cards in one hand and my sales and use tax certificate in the other, I knew I wanted to create something of my own. I started by selling pieces I had made in jewelry class, but my heart kept circling back to those fortunes. I experimented endlessly—silver frames, literal interpretations—until one idea stayed with me: folding a fortune cookie in metal and stamping the message directly into it.

It took weeks of trial and error to figure out how to fold the metal and connect it to a chain. Then one day, it clicked. The fortune cookie necklace was born.

What I didn’t know then was that the cookie itself was only the beginning.

When the Words Became the Point

Over time, something unexpected happened. People began asking for the message without the cookie. The symbolism didn’t resonate with everyone—but the words did.

That’s when I realized this work wasn’t about novelty or prediction. It wasn’t about the future in a playful sense. It was about meaning.

People were choosing words and phrases tied to their deepest intentions, memories, celebrations, and turning points. Messages to hold onto during grief. Words to mark new beginnings. Phrases that remind them of who they are when life feels heavy or uncertain.

Making custom message jewelry became profoundly personal to me.

Each piece represents trust. I’m being invited into someone’s story—often at a tender or meaningful moment in their life. As I hammer each letter into metal, forming a message chosen to remember, memorialize, celebrate, or steady, I work with focus and care, knowing this piece will be worn close, returned to often, and carried forward.

In the process, I come to know you. The metal you choose. The finish. The shape. And, most of all, the message itself—offering a glimpse into what matters in your life right now.

Why Words Matter to Me

This work resonates so deeply because I know, firsthand, the power words can hold.

There have been times in my own life where words helped me stay grounded when everything felt uncertain. During my journey to motherhood—a long, emotional path filled with hope, grief, patience, and resilience—I leaned on language to help me survive the waiting. Certain phrases became anchors. Reminders of who I was beyond the struggle. Quiet companions during moments when I needed strength the most.

Words have a way of meeting us where we are. They don’t fix everything. They don’t rush the process. They offer something steady to return to.

That’s what I see reflected back to me through this work. Again and again, I hear from people who tell me their jewelry has become part of their daily life—not because it’s decorative, but because it carries meaning. Because it reminds them of something they don’t want to forget.

That is the heart of why I make word and phrase jewelry.

Not to predict the future.
Not to follow trends.
But to create something lasting—something that honors where you’ve been, supports where you are, and quietly accompanies you forward.

What began with a childhood fortune has grown into a lifelong practice of listening—paying attention to the words that stay, the messages we return to, and the meaning we carry forward. Each piece I make is part of that ongoing story. A reminder that words are not fleeting when we give them form. They can live with us, evolve alongside us, and offer quiet companionship through all the moments that shape who we are.