After being separated by war for 18 months, a family’s reunion in the United States was not just a personal event—it also reflected a broader reality affecting millions. The moment was marked by a custom pendant designed to reflect the family’s journey, created as a custom jewelry piece.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 6 million Ukrainians have fled the country since 2022. Many families were split while traveling across international borders. The journey of Mykhailo, his wife Natalie, and their son Alex represents thousands of families who were forced to leave their homes due to the war. Their journey was defined by urgency, displacement, and long-distance connection.

Natalie, Mykhailo's wife, left Ukraine on March 1, 2022, with her three-year-old son and her mother, Halyna. In a matter of hours, she made the decision to flee. Due to time constraints, she packed a small amount of clothing and important papers. The destination was unknown. Mykhailo stayed behind because he was prevented from leaving the country during wartime.

Slovakia was their initial place of refuge, which was one of the main refugee entry points for those fleeing Ukraine. Upon arriving in Slovakia, they experienced temporary housing options, volunteer-run support services, and other logistical issues associated with the immediate aftermath of displacement. Over the following months, they relocated again, this time to Canada, which accepted hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians through emergency travel and resettlement programs. Despite improvements to their living situation, the family remained separated.

Mykhailo continued his daily routine while physically apart from his family. Each day his interactions with his family took place via video call. His son began to connect the presence of his father with the video screen - a phenomenon occurring among numerous families affected by conflict.

After more than a year and a half apart, Mykhailo finally received authorization to depart Ukraine and join his family in the United States. He arrived in New Hampshire, and several days later his wife Natalie, their son Alex, and Halyna joined him there to complete the lengthy and difficult journey. What followed was not just a reunion—but an attempt to define what that reunion meant.

As the reunion approached, Mykhailo was confronted with a dilemma that many families experiencing extended periods of separation face - how can you honor a moment shaped by time, distance and uncertainty? Traditional ways of honoring this type of moment seemed inadequate to Mykhailo. His family had been separated by time, milestones and technology. Therefore, no traditional gift felt adequate. He decided to create something that would carry meaning beyond the moment.

“Even though we spoke every day by phone and video, 18 months of separation is a long time for a family—long enough to lose your sense of normal life,” Mykhailo said. “I wanted to mark our reunion with something meaningful—something that reflects what we went through. I’m grateful to the designers at Olertis for understanding our story and turning it into something tangible.”

This decision led Mykhailo to collaborate with Olertis, a U.S.-based custom jewelry company specializing in personalized designs. Rather than choosing one of Olertis' existing designs, Mykhailo provided Olertis with a narrative about himself and his family.

Specifically, Mykhailo described the theme of distance, time, separation and enduring love as well as the experience of a family experiencing prolonged separation (including a child growing up away from his parent).

Olertis did not view this project as simply creating decorative items - but as interpreting personal experiences.

The resulting custom pendant was crafted from 18K white and yellow gold that communicated through form rather than description.

Its vertical composition immediately establishes a feeling of distance and motion.

The top portion features a group of six small clear Marquise-cut diamonds arranged in a manner that resembles a flowering element or explosion of light -- subtle yet visible. The top area introduces the pendant with continuity or origin.

The central aspect is a large blue topaz situated within sculpted hands. These hands are not purely ornamental; they create a clear visual gesture—holding, protecting, and preserving. The stone serves as the focal point of the piece.

Located below the central element is a hanging citrine heart. Unlike the center stone, this element is not set into the structural framework but hangs lower and provides both physical and visual distance between the two stones.

Connecting them is a solitary diamond — positioned as the sole point of contact.

Symbolism exists throughout the structure:

• Two heart-shaped structures represent two individuals

• Physical and emotional distance between them is represented by their vertical positioning

• The diamond that connects them signifies continuation despite the physical/emotional space separating them

• The sculptured hands signify active effort — holding on vs. letting go

• The elongated structure represents time and motion

• The combination of blue and yellow colors indirectly alludes to Ukraine without stating so directly

The design does not explicitly describe a story, but it allows it to be interpreted through spatial relationships.

In this collaborative process between client and designer, Olertis translated abstract experience into physical form.

The pendant was completed before Mykhailo arrived in the U.S. and shipped to him upon his arrival in New Hampshire.

Upon the family's reunion, the custom pendant was not given as a typical gift but rather was an integral component of the overall experience — symbolizing a period of time they had shared.

For Natalie, the significance of the pendant lay not solely in materials but in recognition -- specifically recognizing aspects of their forced separation.

Stories like this are increasingly part of a larger pattern. Globally, more than 120 million people are currently displaced against their will — dramatically changing how individuals conceptualize memory, identity and significant events in their lives. Families migrating across national borders and rebuilding their lives will increasingly create physical representations of their lived experiences.

Custom jewelry, particularly pieces such as pendants, has become one of the key ways families express these stories.

Within this emerging landscape, companies like Olertis operate at the crossroads of craft and storytelling — working with clients seeking to translate their experiences into custom-made pieces. The work performed by companies such as Olertis transcends traditional manufacturing processes and translates individual experiences into tangible artifacts.

Ultimately, this example demonstrates another shift in how people document and memorialize personal experiences influenced by displacement.

It is a story about one family being separated by war, traveling across multiple countries, and ultimately developing a means to commemorate their reunion by designing something that reflects what they experienced collectively.

While numerous families continue to be displaced around the world today — such examples represent more than individual circumstances. They demonstrate shifts occurring in how people document and express pivotal moments within their lives.