The Jewelry Designer Who Heals Broken Hearts

Some people go to shrinks or to SoulCycle to get through a breakup. Others need a tangible touchstone for dealing with heartbreak. Something they can hold in their hands to remind them it's really going to be okay. That's where Los Angeles-based artist Sage Machado comes in.

She's a healer—and a jewelry designer, and a natural perfumer, beloved by Madonna, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba. And while she's known for infusing her bohemian pieces with love and healing properties, she only recently came into her role as a cool kind of healer when a number of her clients "going through splits needed a remedy for a broken heart."

So Machado now designs necklaces, bracelets, and rings that "address all the emotional aspects of a breakup" from coping with the pain of loss and disappointment to helping inspire new, positive thoughts. She calls them Breakup Sets.

But this is no self-indulgent breakup bling that just makes you feel better because you look prettier. Machado selects stones that carry very specific powers to soothe you. Because she consults with many clients via phone and email, we rang her up to learn more about how she and her jewelry are helping women through the end of a romance. Here's what she said... —Melisse Gelula

As a jewelry designer, what inspired you to start offering healing services? I've been doing gem therapy for myself for years, and I began doing it for clients two years ago. The Breakup Sets are a very recent introduction.

What is a Breakup Set? What is it intended to do exactly? It's part of a bespoke design service where I join color and gem therapy with symbolic meanings to create a token. A token can calm the mind and help healing to begin—it's a continual reminder throughout the day to stay present with those thoughts.

What's your process for creating a Breakup Set? I know you have a consultation first... Yes, first I take in all the emotional aspects of a breakup: emotional wellness, the protection and remedy of a broken heart, as well as the desire to commemorate a love once shared. In a consultation, it's my goal to just bring you what you're looking for, whether that be comfort, healing, peace, and so on.

Can you give me an example of a treatment plan? How do you pick gemstones that help heal? Sure. After a major breakup, a client of mine found herself feeling unbalanced, restless, and sort of out-of-tune with her life. During our consultation we identified images, colors, and concepts that she was drawn to. From there I designed a number of pieces around her wellness stone…from a blue sapphire ring to be worn on a specific finger to a layered necklace set to compliment and enhance the indigo and add further protection.

I'm assuming this helped, but can you explain the use of gems and color therapy elements for a skeptic? I use gemstone healing, which is simply harnessing the known healing properties of crystals, as the core treatment, then I layer in color therapy. Color has an enormous impact on our emotions and moods, and I find that many people are completely disconnected to it. Through my process, I find out which shade really makes them feel good—maybe it's a memory from childhood or the color of the ocean—what I do is hone in on that. Depending on the specific circumstances, I may choose five or six gemstones with specific healing properties in a color that elicits a client's happiness, and design pieces from those.

Are there people this treatment won't work on? Someone who's not open to the power of natural healing. Like anything in this world, if you're closed off to the idea of something, how can you possibly benefit from it?

Private consultations are $500, plus the cost of the Breakup Set pieces (all budgets). For more information, contact sage@thesagelifestyle.com or visit www.thesagelifestyle.com