09/01/2026
Tomorrow, Shane & her husband will celebrate 25 years of marriage. So... it’s only fitting that we talk jewelry on this week’s episode.
Carin Parcel went from working 80-hour weeks at a Chicago law firm to founding her own fine jewelry line, Carin Susann. In this Great Big Client Conversation, Shane sits down with Carin to talk about her unlikely path into jewelry design, her signature “everyday elegance” aesthetic, and the real differences between natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, and diamond simulants.
Topics covered in this episode:
How Carin got her GIA gemology certification while still working as a lawyer
Why she chose 14 karat gold and platinum over silver and higher-karat gold
Natural diamonds vs. lab-grown diamonds vs. diamond simulants, explained
Why Carin builds her pieces with natural diamonds by default
The emotional process of redesigning heirloom jewelry for clients
Carin’s own engagement ring story, built from her grandmother’s stones
Current jewelry trends: colored stones, black metals, and chunky gold hoops
The 80s and 90s style revival showing up in fashion and jewelry today
If you’re interested in fine jewelry, custom design, heirloom remounts, or how lab-grown diamonds compare to natural stones, this episode breaks it all down.