“Having grown up in Jamaica, I watched as entire communities lived without access to good medical care. They suffered from poverty, a shortage of doctors and modern medical equipment,” admits Anna Ruth Henriques. “My great-uncle Ken, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, worked at the Kingston Public Hospital where he told me of people lying in the hallways for days (not enough beds), awaiting care. Years on, another uncle who was also a doctor invited American interns to gain their hands-on experience with him, creating in effect a mini, unofficial 'Doctors Without Borders’. The interns occasionally came to my family’s house for Sunday brunch where I realized the gift of their skills was mutually beneficial, because it also opened the interns' eyes and hearts to another corner of the world.”

Anna Ruth was so touched by the doctors who visited Jamaica that if she hadn't been as compelled to be an artist, she would have gone to medical school. And, true to her love of all things nature-inspired and organic, she’s always found the anatomical heart more appealing than the iconic heart shape. For her, the human heart speaks not just of love but of compassion. It resonates of what is within, the true depth of a person. Anna wanted to design a piece of jewelry that spoke of the best aspect of being human, our heart, and gave to others in an unfamiliar place on the globe.