diff --git a/src/kernel/shape/handle.rs b/src/kernel/shape/handle.rs
index b3bfa5d6a..ba2b4fa21 100644
--- a/src/kernel/shape/handle.rs
+++ b/src/kernel/shape/handle.rs
@@ -1,13 +1,54 @@
 use std::{hash::Hash, ops::Deref, rc::Rc};
 
+/// A handle to an object stored within [`Shape`]
+///
+/// If an object of type `T` (this could be `Curve`, `Vertex`, etc.) is added to
+/// `Shape`, a `Handle<T>` is returned. This handle is then used in topological
+/// types to refer to the object, instead of having those types own an instance
+/// of the object.
+///
+/// This approach has two advantages:
+///
+/// 1. The object can't be mutated through the handle. Since an object can be
+///    referred to by multiple other objects, mutating it locally would have no
+///    effect on those other references. `Handle` preventing that removes this
+///    source of errors.
+/// 2. The object is guaranteed to be in `Shape`, as `Handle`s can't be created
+///    any other way. This means that if the `Shape` needs to be modified, any
+///    objects can be updated once, without requiring an update of all the other
+///    objects that reference it.
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, Eq, PartialEq, Hash, Ord, PartialOrd)]
+pub struct Handle<T>(Storage<T>);
+
+impl<T> Handle<T> {
+    /// Access the object that the handle references
+    ///
+    /// `Handle` also implements `Deref`, but as that can be inconvenient to use
+    /// in some cases, this method is an inherent proxy for that.
+    pub fn get(&self) -> &T {
+        self.0.deref()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<T> Deref for Handle<T> {
+    type Target = T;
+
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        self.0.deref()
+    }
+}
+
+/// Internal type used in collections within [`Shape`]
 #[derive(Debug, Eq, PartialEq, Hash, Ord, PartialOrd)]
-pub struct Storage<T>(Rc<T>);
+pub(super) struct Storage<T>(Rc<T>);
 
 impl<T> Storage<T> {
+    /// Create a [`Storage`] instance that wraps the provided object
     pub(super) fn new(value: T) -> Self {
         Self(Rc::new(value))
     }
 
+    /// Create a handle that refers to this [`Storage`] instance
     pub(super) fn handle(&self) -> Handle<T> {
         Handle(self.clone())
     }
@@ -21,19 +62,11 @@ impl<T> Deref for Storage<T> {
     }
 }
 
+// Deriving `Clone` would only derive `Clone` where `T: Clone`. This
+// implementation doesn't have that limitation, providing `Clone` for all
+// `Handle`s instead.
 impl<T> Clone for Storage<T> {
     fn clone(&self) -> Self {
         Self(self.0.clone())
     }
 }
-
-#[derive(Clone, Debug, Eq, PartialEq, Hash, Ord, PartialOrd)]
-pub struct Handle<T>(Storage<T>);
-
-impl<T> Deref for Handle<T> {
-    type Target = T;
-
-    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
-        self.0.deref()
-    }
-}
diff --git a/src/kernel/shapes/difference_2d.rs b/src/kernel/shapes/difference_2d.rs
index c6ea0cd69..84ba64cb7 100644
--- a/src/kernel/shapes/difference_2d.rs
+++ b/src/kernel/shapes/difference_2d.rs
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ impl ToShape for fj::Difference2d {
             [&mut a, &mut b].map(|shape| shape.faces().all().next().unwrap());
 
         let (cycles_a, cycles_b, surface_a, surface_b) =
-            match ((*face_a).clone(), (*face_b).clone()) {
+            match (face_a.get().clone(), face_b.get().clone()) {
                 (
                     Face::Face {
                         cycles: a,
diff --git a/src/kernel/shapes/union.rs b/src/kernel/shapes/union.rs
index 8147510fc..a843cca7e 100644
--- a/src/kernel/shapes/union.rs
+++ b/src/kernel/shapes/union.rs
@@ -19,10 +19,10 @@ impl ToShape for fj::Union {
         // See issue:
         // https://github.com/hannobraun/Fornjot/issues/42
         for face in a.faces().all() {
-            shape.faces().add((*face).clone());
+            shape.faces().add(face.get().clone());
         }
         for face in b.faces().all() {
-            shape.faces().add((*face).clone());
+            shape.faces().add(face.get().clone());
         }
 
         shape