“Jewelry has power. There is no other form of adornment filled with such personal meaning. We wear it close to our skin with an intimacy that becomes a part of us - our story and our legacy.”
– Kathleen Sleigh, founder and designer of Darśana
The first necklace I designed was a gift for my oldest daughter, Lucy. At the time I was captivated by a description of a walking meditation wearing a “mirror medallion” as a way to receive and reflect God’s love and beauty.
I loved the idea of Lucy and her sisters, Sophie and Vivi, each wearing their very own “mirror medallions” made with fragments of silvered mirror set in gold, scattered with diamonds and engraved with a hidden “all-seeing eye”. The simple desire to give my daughters a meaningful pendant necklace eventually led me to create an entire collection of jewelry symbolizing a beautiful message about faith and love.
At its heart, Darśana is an expression of my belief that everyone has a priceless inner beauty seen by God, the ultimate Eye of the Beholder. It's a beauty born of God and reflected in the good we bring to the world – the things we create, the people we love, the wounds we heal and the sacrifices we make. When we are beheld in God's love, we become like mirrors reflecting God's love and beauty to the world.
I hope your piece of Darśana will be a deeply personal talisman reminding you of the way you were always meant to see and be seen.
Darśana's mission is to be a creative enterprise contributing to a more just and beautiful world. We are committed to producing fine jewelry that is socially responsible, upholding ethical manufacturing practices. A portion of our profits are contributed to organizations in support of residential care and restorative programs for Chicago area survivors of sex trafficking.