As my boss’s last day was fast approaching, what I should get him for a parting gift loomed over my head.

During my time at Tory Burch, Nicholas taught me how to be a better graphic designer who is disciplined with rules and ratios when working on layouts and, on the flip side of the designer coin, how to be a loose and free-flowing creative when brainstorming new ideas. But, more importantly, Nicholas has shown me what it means to be a kind person who practices gratitude daily, a person who will befriend anyone and light up a room with his shameless dancing and heartfelt laugh and someone who will be the biggest advocate for things he believes in. So, for someone like this, who will leave a hole in our team, what do you get?

I wanted whatever I got him to be thoughtful. Over the recent years I have become more sensitive to how much humans consume and waste and I try to refrain from shopping so much, though those sales on ASOS and Anthropologie are always so darn tempting. I toyed with a few different gift ideas but the one that stuck out as the one was a handmade bead necklace.

Nicholas has a collection of colorful beaded necklaces that he likes to rotate through. He would come back from visiting his mom, a gemologist (I hope I am getting that right), with a necklace or two that they handmade together. He always wears them with love and so I wanted to make a piece that he could wear and be reminded of all the good times at Tory Burch.

I popped into Bead Center and walked around the shop looking for beads that were colorful and unusual in texture. I scanned the rows and rows of beads to see which would speak to me.

It sounds crazy but with things like fabric prints and, in this case, beads, those that catch my eye will say “hi” while those that do not appeal to me stare back silently. Well, these beautiful crab fire agate beads, irregularly splashed with hues of turquoise, mints, and purples definitely shouted “hey, girl!”

I picked up purple knotting cord and a small butterfly charm as the critter is symbolic to Nicholas. After watching several YouTube tutorials on how to string beads I got to work, pulling each knot with extra force in fear that the whole necklace will unravel. I went through all my Tory Burch jewelry to see if I could find a branded charm that I could remove and attached to the necklace. Luckily, I found one that was discreet but still noticeable.

I gave the necklace to Nicholas the night before his last day of work and I think he really liked it. Phew! And, I fingers-crossed his mom will find the beads to be of decent quality (the horror if I find out they are fake!) He did mention that good stones will feel heavy and cold to the touch, both of which I observed while stringing the beads. Anyways, all the best to NK – we will miss your laugh, your spirit and your constant preaching of how fabulous Mariah Carey is. “Don’t forget about us.”

Clockwise from the top:
• Nicholas’ necklace collection with the one I made now a part of the family. I was not kidding about his love of necklaces.
• A drawing of me that Nicholas did in his signature “huge smiling head with tiny limbs” style.
• Heart icon he designed in response to the 2016 Orlando shooting to symbolize spreading love, which has turned into a passion project of his.
• Us taking the Q train home after team drinks on the eve of Nicholas’s last day. Bittersweet.
• Rainbow - a term Nicholas coined to commend someone for looking extra fly, inspired by me after I started putting in effort into dressing better.