Q&A interview with bridal jeweller Rachel Boston on the brand’s ten year anniversary

By Jessica Bumpus

Rachel Boston is a jewellery designer who has a way with colour and shape. To look at a lineup of her rings is to look into both the future and the past: there’s something nostalgic yet precise about her designs that twinkle with glee. Boston, who is well-known for her bridal jewellery, graduated in Jewellery Design from Central Saint Martins College and then continued her studies at the Gemological Institute of America in New York. It’s there where she received her diploma in Diamond Grading.

With an eye for elegance meets understated meets edgy, Boston’s jewellery is created in London workshops and features ethical stones which have been sourced worldwide. Here, she lets us into her world and talks us through her latest collection, a celebration of the past 10 years of her brand. Happy anniversary Rachel Boston (and spoiler alert, there are some excellent rings)!

You are known for your colours and shapes but how would you describe the Rachel Boston brand?

Rachel Boston is a brand that focuses on alternative wedding jewellery: we offer modern [Art] Deco- inspired pieces that are timeless, with small design details that add lots of character. We’re also proud to champion British craftsmanship and traditional jewellery-making techniques; all of our pieces are made from start to finish in the UK, with the bulk of the work done in our Hatton Garden workshops. 

What is a typical signature?

Unusual gemstone cuts, coloured diamonds, knife-edge bands, double-bands, wider bands with off-set stones. Lots of bold, graphic pieces, but that still remain elegant and timeless rather than trend-driven. 

You have just released your tenth-anniversary collection – congratulations – how long had it been in the making and what was the thinking design-wise for it?

Thank you! I was thinking about this collection for a long time, but I would say we started on the actual designing, stone sourcing, and production around the start of 2022, to leave ourselves time to explore different ideas and design directions. It’s a celebration of the evolution of the brand over the past decade: to see how far we’ve come whilst also looking to what RB might look like in the future. We’ve incorporated signature elements of our designs, like our knife-edge band, but in a playful and bolder way than usual for the occasion. 

How have you seen engagement ring engagement (if you’ll pardon the pun) evolve during the pandemic? 

We’ve been very busy making engagement rings these last few years! I think people really wanted something exciting to look forward to during the height of the pandemic, so we had a lot of people reaching out and we worked remotely to bring their dream designs to life. We have a lot of people coming in with their partner to design their ring(s) together, which we love! I feel like people are gravitating more towards unique pieces that they really love and being adventurous in their choices, instead of going for something they think they “should” go for. 

What makes a great engagement ring?

Something that is built to be durable enough for every-day wear is a good starting point – no very soft gemstones or extremely dainty bands that could be bent out of shape. A good engagement ring needs to be able to stand the test of time. In terms of style, there are no hard and fast rules. Rather than feeling like you need to choose something traditional and instantly recognisable as an engagement ring, we are big proponents of choosing something you or your partner will truly love. We are a big fan of alternative stone cuts and colours!

What is your design process? 

When we are designing for clients, we have an initial discussion about their ideas. We then either source some stone options for them to choose from (which I recommend if they are looking for a more unusual cut) and then we design around the diamond keeping their preferences at the forefront, or we can start with design work (for example, when people want to compare different shapes for their central stone), and then source a stone to fit. It’s a very organic process and there is a lot of dialogue with our clients, it’s a really tailored, special process that we enjoy so much. 

What is your first jewellery memory? Was it something you always wanted to get into?

My earliest jewellery-related memories would be raiding my older sister’s jewellery box. I’d take apart her jewellery and put it back together as a charm bracelet or necklace. She had amazing trickets she’d find in charity shops or on holidays, and I’d sneak in to find little things she might not notice had gone missing – sneaky little sister antics! The appeal was clearly very strong from a young age, I don’t think I ever seriously saw myself as anything other than a jewellery designer.

What jewellery fact can you share that is little known to the rest of us?

There is not a standardised grading system for sapphires, rubies, and other coloured gemstones in the way there is for diamonds – partially because we all see colour differently, so there is no objective way to grade this! 

Do you have any current favourite pieces? What are they and why?

I am biased, but I really love the pieces from the new ten-year collection. It was really fun to be able to have the opportunity to create much bolder designs that usual, and the diamonds each have such a unique, distinctive character. For a more day-to-day piece, I love our new chunky knife-edge chain necklace – the gold has a beautiful weight to it, and it feels so special when worn. 

Visit Rachel Boston for further information.