Helping Hands: Lionheart Jewelry Designer Gives Back to Equine Rehabilitation Center

Just about an hour and a half north of Manhattan is an equine rescue center called 13 Hands, where you can often find Lionheart Jewelry designer, Joy Haugaard, caring for horses healing from trauma. Haugaard travels frequently between the city and the suburbs, always dedicating time to her passions, whether that be designing new natural diamond collections or caring for the horses in need at 13 Hands. 

Haugaard’s love of animals is clear when you walk into her showroom. Her dogs, Pachino and Columbo are there to greet you at the door before you can take in all of the glittering natural diamond designs. Lionheart is run by Haugaard and her sister, Sarah Mahsa, who plays a huge role in the company as head of Operations; their passion for Lionheart Jewelry and its values is apparent. As teenagers, the sisters moved to New York City from Denmark and fell in love with all the city had to offer, especially 47th Street, the heart of New York City’s diamond district. They had several jewelry influences growing up as their family is full of artists. Their grandmother, who is an inspiration to Haugaard in her jewelry designs, was a seamstress, and Haugaard described her as a “true maximalist when it came to jewelry.” She gifted Haugaard and Mahsa unique vintage jewels, which they said was opposite to Denmark’s minimalistic style, especially when it came to jewelry. 

Lionheart specializes in versatile statement pieces such as interchangeable charms, layering essentials including various gold chains, and unique natural diamond designs, like her latest collection, “Legacy.” “You should always start with a solid chain, and continuously be able to add things (charms) on or more chains for layering,” Haugaard tells Only Natural Diamonds. In terms of natural diamonds, “Every jewelry lover or collector needs to have a diamond tennis necklace or diamond tennis bracelet. It’s elegant and timeless,” she explains. 

The Legacy collection was born from Haugaard’s love of horses and passion for jewelry. “This is my way of giving back.” She adds, “In a materialistic world, this [jewelry] is a luxury, and I wanted [this collection] to have some sort of connection with this majestic animal and create meaning behind these pieces and share a piece of these horses’ stories.” She continues, “This is something I plan to continue doing in my collections, give back in some way.” The Legacy collection features a special piece with all proceeds of sales going to 13 Hands Equine Rescue Center. This horse head pendant comes in both 14K gold for $850 and sterling silver for $250. 

Haugaard instantly connected with Marylou Tortorello, the founder of 13 Hands, who has dedicated her life to caring for these animals. “When Marylou realized I kept coming back and was serious about being involved with 13 Hands, she was incredibly welcoming and allowed me to spend such quality time with the horses.” 13 Hands goes beyond rehabilitating horses and serves as a place for veterans to heal with horse therapy. “This is very important to me,” Haugaard said, adding “My brother is a vet in Denmark, so there are all these connections, and it just made sense.” She continues, “I want to do as much as I can with this non-profit, whether it’s through this collection or privately.” 

Having such a strong love for and connection to horses herself, Haugaard wondered how well it would be received by a wider clientele. “I realized when I traveled throughout the US, and I visited several ranches that serve as rehabilitation centers for horses, that people were excited about this horse-inspired jewelry and eager to purchase these pieces,” she said. A woman who Haugaard met in Montana would not let her leave without purchasing one of the pieces she was wearing. This affirmed Haugaard, saying “Someone will get it. There are a lot of people that have this connection also.” Haugaard connected horses with the energy of a natural diamond, saying “There is a special energy,” adding “And that’s why we love them.”