Phoebe's Five Minutes with Fenton
We had a chat with Phoebe Gormley, founder of Gormley & Gamble, and asked her five quick-fire questions about her engagement ring.
Phoebe is a pioneer in women's fashion, as the founder of the first exclusively women's tailor. When Phoebe was 20 she dropped out of university and used the money she no longer needed to pay in tuition fees to set up her company. At 21 she opened the first women's only store on Savile Row.
From discovering the Radiant cut, to picking a ring that suits her everyday lifestyle, Phoebe shares her thoughtful choices that made her engagement ring dazzling and durable. She opens up about the ethical considerations that shaped her decision in opting for a lab-grown diamond and offers advice for those designing their own.
1. Tell us about your engagement ring
I got my beautiful engagement ring in New York as that's where my husband and I were living at the time. I always loved the rectangle nature of an emerald cut diamond but I really missed the sparkliness of a round cut. So, I wanted to find a mix of the both and I discovered a cut called the Radiant, it just felt perfect.
2. How did you get to the design?
I went for a bezel setting in two tone. I was drawn to two tone because I used to only wear silver jewellery and now I wear mainly gold, yet I want the option in the future. That's why I went for a platinum bezel around the diamond with a yellow gold band. A bezel felt right for me as I'm really clumsy but I want to wear my ring all the time, so it has to be indestructible! There is also no metal under the diamond, so it gets loads of light and makes it super sparkly, which I really love.
3. What's your favourite thing about it?
I think my favourite part about it is how much it sparkles!
4. What advice would you give to someone designing their engagement ring?
It's really hard to give advice on something that's such a personal decision. I think mine is the best ring ever, but I think everyone thinks their ring is the best ring ever! I optimised for everyday wear and a lab-grown diamond was always a no-brainer to me. The other alternative I would have done is an antique diamond, but it's less sparkly and very expensive. For the carat size we went for, lab just made the most sense.
When I first learnt about lab grown diamonds, I had my reservations as a result of the propaganda generated by the big old school companies. They are digging up some of the most beautiful places in the world to enable us to have something sparkly. I always feel like lab-grown diamond companies don't explain it as well as they could, they say it's it's scientifically identical to a diamond, which makes it sound like it's not a diamond.
The fact is, lab-grown diamonds are still diamonds and come from natural diamond seeds. Imagine saying humans who come from IVF are not real humans, or ice that is from an ice cube and not an icicle that occurred in nature isn't real ice. It is a real diamond, that's not the question. The question is, was it nature that created it, or did humans help to create it? And I don't think that should matter. Of course, the magic of nature delivering something so fantastic is wonderful but the impact that has on the planet is so horrendous that for me, it offsets that magic. In fact, it takes away all of that magic. So I would definitely encourage people to go for a lab-grown or recycled diamond.
5. What's next on your jewellery wish list?
I'm after a pair of chunky gold hoops, always on a mission. And I'm really looking for a chunky gold paperclip style necklace for a pendant to go on. I was given the pendant by my great grandmother for my 30th birthday. In the 1920s, she rode on horseback from South Africa to Kenya and set up a coffee farm there. The beautiful old locket of hers is dying for a chain to live on.
HER ADVICE FOR ANYONE DESIGNING THEIR OWN RING?
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"The fact is, lab-grown diamonds are still diamonds and come from natural diamond seeds... So I would definitely encourage people to go for a lab-grown"
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SHOP PHOEBE'S STYLE
Have you been inspired by Phoebe's story?
Go bespoke with Fenton and design something made just for your love story. Whether you're drawn to sparkly stones, lab-grown diamonds, or something entirely your own, we're here to help bring your vision to life.
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