Unlike some of the other puzzles which can be skipped, this one is unavoidable, because you need every umbral gem to complete the Gauntlet and advance the plotline.
Actually... You don't.
You only need the 3 to open the door. You can skip the one for the platform by using Flight or Leap (As I figured out when the platform kept bugging for me and not moving my PC so they fell to their death so I had to figure out how to get them to the rest of my party). If you go from the area with the large pots (Nearby the statue and the helmet to trigger the hidden Sharran/Rats fight) you can make it across the chasm to where the platform takes you.
As far as the actual Faith Leap trial goes... If you have a lot of junk you can drop stuff down in front of you to help find the path (If it stays there it's safe. If it gets teleported to the nearest platform it's death). Also about halfway through you can Misty Step right to the end.
And for the naming "Faith Leap" is a reference to making a metaphorical "Leap of Faith". You walk out onto an invisible path and you need to have faith that the path exists and that you're stepping onto it.
