The Meaning of "Waystone"

As 2023 begins, I want to take a moment to reflect on our rebranding journey from last year, which began by changing our name from “Close to your Heart” to “Waystone.”

A Heartfelt Start

From the very beginning, we started this company to give people a way to hold onto the important moments in life. The name Close to Your Heart was a literal reflection of that.

You may already know our origin story, but the seed for Waystone was first planted when I picked up stones around my wedding venue to be made into jewelry for my bridesmaids. Luckily, my mom has her own jewelry studio and was able to make necklaces out of the stones that my bridesmaids absolutely loved.

We knew that not everyone has a mom with a jewelry studio, which got us thinking: how could we give everyone a way to turn stones into keepsakes, turning special moments into heirlooms?

Kickstarter and Growing a Brand

It took a few years, but we developed custom tooling, developed the Lodestar Necklace, and ran our first Kickstarter as Close to Your Heart. We even gained some press coverage (you can still watch me here on KDVR)!

After the Kickstarter failed to reach its goal, however, the name no longer felt like it fit. We needed a name that expressed our identity, our product, and was a bit more polished (forgive me this one pun).

Luckily, the Kickstarter did bring us a fabulous community. We worked with beta testers to get initial feedback on our product, and talked with the 102 people who backed us on Kickstarter to get their input on our brand.

In the end, the name Waystone felt like it communicated who we are best.

Becoming Waystone

Peter, my dad and one of the founders of Waystone, explained the origin of the name perfectly when it was announced last spring: 

“Waystone is a synonym for Lodestone. The word lodestone literally means "way stone" in Old English.

A lodestone is a naturally occurring magnet, usually hematite or magnetite. The important historical use for the stone was for making sailor’s compasses.

Compasses, of course, show the way and keep one from getting lost.

The figurative meaning for a waystone is something that naturally and powerfully attracts people toward it, and something that guides or sets direction.”

What could be more fitting? When you hold your Waystone jewelry made with your special stone, it's a powerful reminder of what matters to you most.

We are so excited to help you preserve your memories in jewelry and keep them from getting lost. Here’s to an exciting 2023 full of possibilities.