Nicole Lasker, the designer of Star of Hope Jewelry, takes us back to where it all started:

"I travelled to the Jewelers Summit in Florida in 2018. After a long day of seminars that had my brain churching, I returned to my room and turned on the TV. The Ken Burns Documentary Mayo was just starting so I started to watch. After watching it, my commitment to create something to express hope was born.

The idea was simply a jewelry item that expresses this hope. I wanted something to express the universal hope that is found in Rochester, where we have one of our jewelry locations, and the universal need for hope for all.

The history

I reflected on what gave me hope and every thought I had returned to nature. From staring at the ocean and the feeling of calm that brings, to the magical sound of nature waking up on a summer morning. Then I thought of my dad and how I always felt closest to him when watching for shooting stars at our lake home. When the summer sun finally sets in Northern Wisconsin the sky darkens and stars appear. At first like scattered freckles in the sky but quickly changing to a sky dense with stars, constellations, the milky way, and planets. In August, those stars start shooting across the sky at a rapid pace. Our family would lie on our dock and stare up at the sky. We would watch for stars and as a shooting star would blaze across the summer sky, he’d shout “Make a wish”. Stars are like diamonds in the sky, so I started sketching various stars.

Growing up in a family business that started from nothing, my grandfather an Ashkanzi Jew, immigrated through Ellis Island in 1920, it has always been part of us to give back to others. My grandfather fought in WW to obtain his US Citizenship. My grandmother always said his most important possession was his citizenship papers he earned for fighting a war for a country he had barely lived in but had become his home. He was a man of few words, rarely speaking of his past, but his warmth drew people to him and he always found a way to help others. Every day he was thankful to be an American. Thankful for his life and good fortune in America. My grandmother was always involved in volunteering in the community. Helping others was her way of working in the family business. Sharing our success with our community through the donation of time and money was part of our business from the very beginning.

My grandfather always felt personal relationships were the key to his success. He wanted others to be able to show their love with jewelry and networked in the community to meet others and build his business from the ground up.

The design

And so, sketches began with a 5 pointed star but it lacked the subtly I wanted and looked trendy. It was also hard to focus on the diamonds with the 5 pointed star. I began doodling 4 pointed stars and played with diamond placement. My first sketch was sent in to have a CAD rendering done. Through various tweaks, we ended up with the first rendition. A 4 pointed star with 4 diamonds sent into the center. I wanted a minimal amount of metal work in order to focus on the diamonds. Toms Shoes had been around for a while and I knew I wanted to give back with every purchase of a Star of Hope diamond pendant. The business model of Toms was something I had been following. I wanted this product to help others. From those wearing it...bringing them hope and to others. I wanted each piece sold to be a connection back to the communities we live in. As a mother and a female business owner, I wanted to positively impact those who may never be in a position to own a piece of jewelry from Lasker's. I also wanted to show our employees that they could impact our communities when they sold a Star of Hope pendant or pair of earrings. Our main concern is always making our customers happy but being able to tie the sale of jewelry to the greater good of our world, became an important touch stone to the Lasker's team."