The Most Meaningful Accessory You’ll Wear This Year
Written by Jaime Burnham
Discover the Canadian jewelry brand making every sale count, and how you can support a great cause.
“My desire to build something of my own was stronger than my desire for a predictable paycheque”
One of the first questions Six N Stone Founder, Shannon Burnham, hears is,
“What does the name mean?”
“Stone” reflects the crystals and gemstones at the heart of her jewelry. “Six” nods to the first three digits of our family landline: 666. I should know—I’m her sister.
After graduating from Western University in London, Ontario, with a degree in Visual Arts, Shannon followed her instincts rather than a syllabus. She never studied jewelry design, but her studio training honed an eye for beauty, form, colour, and balance that would later lead to the creation of Six N Stone.
With a degree in hand, she stepped into the corporate world, but her creative spirit kept nudging her.
This desire led to several entrepreneurial ventures—including a sweet stint with a candy company—until Shannon was captivated by crystals and gemstones. Long attuned to the universe’s energies, she found a way to marry design with intention, but there was still one element missing.
“I love businesses that support their communities, especially with one-for-one models, so I set out to explore possibilities.”
In her search for the right partner, she found the Breakfast Club of Canada, an organization that serves meals to students across the country. She reached out with a simple idea: for every piece purchased, a meal would be donated. Her mission is noted on her jewelry by a small charm “Buy One, Give One” it reads. They welcomed the partnership, and so far she has helped provide more than 14,000 meals.
Six N Stone has evolved over the years. At first, pieces were created from beautiful gemstone beads and crystal pendants, but soon Shannon’s creativity refused to be contained, and she found herself experimenting with other materials, like chain, cord, and leather, and more recently…charms.
Her holiday collection tells the story of her creative journey – beginning with gemstone beads, branching into crystal pendants and chain, and arriving at last year’s snowflake charm bracelet. Each year, a new piece is added, embodying the essence of that moment in time.
Like many Canadian entrepreneurs, Shannon is the heart of her business – overseeing everything from designing and photography to social media, and even personally delivering her pieces to local customers. “Like many businesses, my social media presents a “we” persona, but behind the scenes, it’s just really me” admits Shannon.
If the past nine years have taught her anything, it’s that business isn’t a straight line. She’s navigated COVID shutdowns, shifting tariffs, big‑box competition, and a shaky economy—and kept going. She admits that without a genuine love for the work, she would have quit long ago. Her customers—and the 14,000 students she’s helped feed—are glad she didn’t.
