When architect Alex was planning to propose to fashion consultant Gill he knew he wanted a contemporary, characterful ring to pop the question with. Alex stumbled across Jo’s work online and was particularly drawn to the tactile, sculptural nature of Jo’s design handwriting. He felt confident that Gill would love it too, especially important as this would be a surprise engagement ring for Gill.
Once he’d got in touch and spoken with Jo, Alex felt reassured and comfortable discussing ideas with her. He was especially pleased after learning that Jo had studied at the Royal College of Art, where he and Gill had met, giving their wedding bands an additional layer of significance. He also loved the fact that Jo’s studio is close to where he and Gill live, and Cockpit was a place that Alex and Gill had visited on many occasions.
The design process
Alex explains ‘I didn’t have an exact vision for what I wanted when I first got in touch with Jo. I knew that I wanted a yellow gold ring with a pop of colour. Given that Gill’s favourite colour is green, and green and yellow gold is such a timeless pairing, that seemed like an obvious starting point.
The exact tone, specific type and cut of the stone all evolved through discussions with Jo. Her guidance, knowledge sharing and recommendations were incredibly helpful! I really liked the patterned Contour bands, and the customisation felt like a very organic process.’
The engagement ring - Alex’s story
A few weeks later, I came back to the studio to see the specific stone I had selected, and the finalised design in digital form. I wasn’t sure what finger size the ring needed to be and whilst I was confident about the design, the practical sizing aspect was a bit unknown to me!
It was great working with Jo. She is very calm, a great listener and very reassuring - she understood what I was trying to achieve and how much it meant to me, and ultimately to Gill. No one else knew what my plans were, it was only Jo and myself that knew; the process felt really meaningful.’
‘This was an incredibly exciting process. I hadn't heard of Jo’s work prior to Alex proposing, and after we got engaged he showed me Jo’s website and explained that the rings could be stacked. I immediately fell in love with this idea, and knew from early on that I would want to get my wedding ring from Jo as well as my engagement ring. We really liked the idea of both of our wedding bands being in Jo’s aesthetic and very similar in design, adding another layer of connection.
It was an absolute joy working with Jo on these designs. We loved visiting her studio, and discussing our ideas with her - she made us feel so at ease, and the whole process felt really considered, special and meaningful.’
Incorporating repurposed gold
Alex explains ‘It was incredibly special that Jo was able to accommodate this idea, she made this process so easy and we felt very supported in our decision making.’
‘We really love them! The designs are truly beautiful!
Our family and friends all comment on how beautiful our rings are, it's been lovely telling them about Alex's process, and then our process together. I particularly love that my engagement ring looks so different in different lights. In some lights the tourmaline can look a very dark, rich green - and in other lights, the colour is so bright.
Alex proposed whilst we were on holiday in Puglia, everytime I look at my engagement ring it takes me back to that beautiful morning. Knowing how much consideration he put into the ring means so much to me. We had so much fun planning our wedding - and had the most incredible day - our wedding rings are a reminder of those memories.
It really does mean so much to us that our rings are made by Jo. Her designs are truly beautiful and so considered, and it's an absolute joy to wear her designs every day!’
