Affordable diamonds (!)

I’m fully aware it’s an oxymoron in terms.

I don’t think I ever told anyone this, but I lost both my wedding and engagement rings in St Lucia whilst shooting back in January. I KNOW. And of course I didn’t have them insured, they didn’t cost enough to warrant it. I actually wasn’t that upset, it’s just material things after all, and I never wear anything too expensive anyway as I am likely to lose them…

I re-bought my Laura Lee engagement ring straight away as it was manageable but my wedding ring? It wasn’t super expensive but it was a gorgeously thin diamond band from Carolina Bucci and at the time they gave me discount as I worked with them a lot through my job. But at £700 full price (and probably more now with inflation and the cost of gold), it just wasn’t happening.

And then a few months later I saw Georgina Boyce’s jewellery at a press day and it was exactly what I was after – I tried on a diamond band and it was just as gorgeous as the one I’d lost. I asked the price, expecting her to say £1,000, and when she told me £260 I literally got my credit card out there and then. The diamonds aren’t all the way around but it looks just as amazing. She didn’t offer me discount and I never promised a post in exchange for anything…I just knew there was something to this fab brand which people needed to know about.

After meeting Georgina, who is an amazing, inspiring businesswoman who knows her stuff, we got on straight away and I loved that she understood the market of people wanting high end pieces but at an ‘affordable’ price. Georgina calls it ‘achievable diamonds’ and I love this term.

The best thing about Georgina’s designs are the shapes, the octagonal rings (above) look really modern and she uses rose golds, black diamonds and interesting materials whilst still always aiming to keep her prices within reach. It’s not cheap, but for the quality of jewellery it’s astounding.

Next time there’s a big event in your life, engagements, birthdays or even a treat to yourself – remember, *diamonds needn’t always off limits…! *plus she makes other fab jewellery without diamonds too.

Oh, and on the subject of affordable diamonds, one of my fave brands Stella & Dot has launched their fine jewellery range, Covet. The initial necklaces are on my wishlist (plus my good friend Lorna has become a stylist for them so you can buy anything from her as your personal stylist):