“When I was young and spirited in my 20's, I happened to drop by a jewellery shop in Bangkok. While observing some professional gem buyers at the back of the store, I was fascinated by them and thought to myself, "One day, I would like to understand gems and be able to design beautiful jewellery with them." Wishing to create high quality work, not only design but also understanding the many characteristics of the gems themselves, I started studying gemology at the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) in Tokyo.

I later joined the Tokyo headquarter of Cartier, where I was involved in establishing a Japanese office for Piaget, the Swiss luxury watch and jewellery brand, a sister company of Cartier. Around this time, my then fiancee and I started looking for an engagement ring. We looked in many jewellery shops, both international brands and domestic shops, but were unable to find my “my dream ring”. A friend then suggested we visit a made-to-order jewellery shop in Yokohama called “Samsara”. The owner is renowned as a connoisseur of gem stones as well as a great craftsman. There, we finally found a great quality loose diamond. I used this “fortune diamond” as the basis for designing my own engagement ring - it was the beginning of my life as a jewellery designer!

Now, a business tie-up with Samsara enables me to offer the combination of my designs made-up using high quality materials and craftsmanship, together with meticulous service. In 2002, Samsara was voted one of the top 60 ranked jewellery shops in Japan alongside such some luxury brands such as Cartier and Tiffany, out of 25,000 shops in Japan.

My design philosophy is to create jewellery consistent with a stone‘s angles, proportion and balance, while keeping practicality in mind so the piece can be safely worn during the everyday life of a busy wife or mother. 　My goal is to offer jewellery and related services which can be appreciated from the bottom of your heart, and to share the joy of quality jewellery with you. "Special jewellery on a special day for somebody special"
--- please let me help you create the jewellery of your dreams.”

Makiko Stewart