ROXANNE FIRST JEWELLERY
Roxanne First is a London-based fine jewellery studio. Designed for individuality and timeless chic, Roxanne First’s pieces are ethically sourced and competitively priced with no middlemen costs or retail markups.
The founder, Roxanne First, was born in South Africa. Her obsession with jewellery was passed on from her Italian family’s penchant for collecting and layering unique pieces. Her first jewellery memories: diving into her grandmother’s collection, sparkly-eyed. She loved the way her mom and her family carried their jewellery with an intuitive style and spontaneous flair, whether they were at home, at work or on holiday.
After working in the world of luxury retail and hospitality for a decade, Rocky left her 9 to 5 job to return to her first love: jewellery. In 2014, she founded Roxanne First.
Roxanne First is the go-to site for the independent woman building her own legacy, piece by piece, occasion by occasion. If you want to buy a trinket for the special person in your life, you’ll find heartfelt care and guidance as well as a range of exciting pieces at Roxanne First. In addition to her ready-to-wear collection, Rocky also creates exclusive pieces for engagements and bespoke commissions.
For Roxanne, the perfect piece of jewellery is the one you never have to take off. And building a personal collection is the work of a lifetime.
We would love to know how you got started with your company, considering you didn’t go straight into jewellery? Have you had a lifelong love for stones or has there been a person in your life who has been particularly influential, and to whom jewellery is of great importance?
•I have always been obsessed with diamonds, ever since I can remember. Anything sparkly and I was completely transfixed.
•I spent over 11 years in the luxury marketing and branding world, I never really knew how I could turn a passion into mine into work. It happened organically when friends asked me to help design and source engagement rings, I guess in a way my business grew organically and it made me realise that there was an opportunity to work in an industry I am totally passionate about.
•My grandmother’s jewellery is something I will never forget, I will always remember the wonderful way she put her jewellery together
Can you describe to us your collection as a whole? Is there a theme or maybe are there a variety of small collections that you have curated?
•My ready-to-wear collection came into being as I could never really find the every day pieces I was looking for without a crazy price tag. There are a lot of fabulous jewellery designers and brands out there but it’s all very expensive. I wanted to be able to offer my clients an opportunity to start to build their jewellery collection, themselves (without waiting for a man – I guess) and without feeling they couldn’t eat for a month if they did. I believe we all have our own jewellery style and personality, we all express ourselves differently by the way we wear and layer our jewellery. I think my collection offers something for everyone to classic solitaire bracelets to rainbow colour hoops and diamond and green garnet palm trees. We all love our classics, are forever pieces but we also like to throw in a little bit of sass / fun from time to time. Why not do it in diamonds or rainbow sapphires?
Would you talk us through the design to finished piece process?
It all depends whether you are looking at my ready-to-wear collection (which will be available to buy in a few weeks online) or our bespoke / made to measure service. Details are below for you..
We work collaboratively with you to inform and guide through the entire process, providing inspiration and education on styles, certifications, diamond quality and design, so you’re completely confident in your choice. We also work within an agreed budget, so you get the maximum value for your money.
Our process is meticulous, thorough and, last but not least, fun. Because we want our clients to enjoy the process of finding the perfect piece, whether it’s a surprise gift or an engagement ring. We would like you to take home not just a piece of jewellery, but a beautiful story of discovery.
RXR – Engagement Rings
When you commission a bespoke engagement ring, you’re creating something personally meaningful. Whether you want to create a piece that symbolises your relationship or you’d like to bring home a timeless heirloom that can be passed on from generation to generation, Roxanne First can transform your ideas into the perfect bespoke piece.
When it comes to bespoke commissions, there are challenges for the customer. The most common being: finding a designer who can create the piece you have pictured in your mind’s eye, often for years, insecurity over a lack of knowledge and stress over budget. The RxR partnership has you covered. You get peace of mind, abundance of creativity and costs within your control.
Rocky has partnered with Hatton Garden master craftsman Robert Glenn who has been creating fine jewellery for four decades, blending contemporary taste with traditional expertise. Robert is a veteran jewellery maker who has apprenticed under and worked with London’s best. Rocky has delighted clients with her engagement rings since 2014, turning those who create a bespoke piece with her for the first time into long term customers. Many return for beautiful wedding bands or a thoughtful anniversary gift.
Together, this brilliantly talented team is dedicated to understanding each couple’s unique needs. Rocky brings her modern day understanding of trends and creative direction so Robert can integrate it into his rare skills based in old world craft. The result for each client is a timeless piece that embodies both their skills. At Roxanne First, you can be confident that you will be understood and involved in every stage of the ring-making process.
Origin story
Roxanne First diamonds are conflict-free, sourced from reputable suppliers who are aware of labor, trade and environmental standards that must be met for ethical diamond sourcing. We know each of our suppliers-and all the centre stones we use in engagement rings come with a GIA certification. If you’re interested in knowing more about a particular diamond, talk to us.
The 4Cs of diamond quality
A diamond’s value is not determined by its size alone, but by a combination of the diamond 4Cs.
Carat: The term you most commonly come across when choosing a diamond. Carat is a unit of weight, it is also usually used to refer to its size.
Cut: The cut of your diamond is different from its shape. Whether you choose a cushion, round or oval diamond, the artistry and workmanship behind the cut determines how your diamond plays with light. A well-cut diamond is unrivalled in brilliance, sparkle and fire.
Colour: Diamonds range from clear to lightly coloured. But the minute colour gradations across this range are too subtle to be noticed by an untrained eye. You can check your diamond’s D to Z colour grade in the GIA certificate. Because of these subtle variations, your sone is unique – no one else in the world has the exact same diamond as the one you own.
Clarity: Diamonds come from the depths of the earth, where they begin as carbon exposed to massive amounts of heat and pressure. No diamond is perfectly free of tiny structural flaws called inclusions and blemishes that arise naturally, but the closer to flawless it is, the higher its value.
Discovery
Whether you’re a boyfriend, fiancee or couple exploring your options to find the perfect ring, Rocky will spend time with you during the initial consultation to get to know you. Often, how you feel about embarking on this journey is a key inspiration for the evolution of the story behind the bespoke piece and its style. Rocky and Robert will then guide and inform you through choosing precious metals and gemstones within your budget, and a setting that’s beautiful, comfortable and wearable.
Design: Your bespoke engagement ring will be crafted by a legacy jewellery maker with over 40 years of experience.Once we source the perfect stone and setting for you, we go back to the drawing board to design your dream bespoke piece. We work with you during this process, providing an interactive CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawing of the final design.
The design is then brought to life in gold or platinum with diamonds or the gemstones of your choice. We cast your ring using a 3D printed wax mould and then take it through a series of preparation and refinement processes. Finally, your stone is carefully set, polished and the ring is hand finished.
You are very much a part of the design story.
Delivery: From the time you choose your stones and setting, your ring will be ready within 2-3 weeks. When it’s ready to take home, you will also receive a GIA certificate and a retail valuation for the stones you’ve purchased.
We keep business overheads as low as possible. Our price tag will show you that you get value where it matters most: in a gorgeous, high quality engagement ring.
What have been the great lessons you have learnt in opening your own jewellery line? What advice do you have for others thinking of heading into the same industry?
•You learn so much by just doing, I wish I could say there is a magical formula to avoid making huge mistakes or knowing what the right decision is but there isn’t – you just have to keep going and believe in what you are doing.
•Find a mentor, someone who is able to support you and whom has been there before you, without my mentor I am not sure where I would be. Total game changer.
•My advice would be is that first, you have to believe in what you are doing, test it before you quit your 9-5 and then when you do decide to do it – just do it. You can only look forward and I do believe that if you want it badly, work hard enough – you will get there. It is tough, but it is worth it (I think and I hope).
Would you like to tell us about three or five pieces that you absolutely adore?
•My diamond and green garnet palm tree – I am totally obsessed with palm trees and my palm tree stud it a total game changer
•My Skinny Diamond Rail eternity ring – classic and simple, never goes out of style. Sometimes the most delicate pieces get the most attention.
•My Floating diamond pendant necklace – drilled diamonds, their going to be big. Watch this space
•I am a little obsessed with rainbows at the moment, so my rainbow sapphire tennis bracelet is pretty special. It looks fabulous layered with a white diamond tennis bracelet. A classic, re-invented.
•Our classic diamond huggie hoops – everyone should invest in a pair of these.
How you think jewellery plays a part in people’s everyday lives?
•I think it is an expression, it tells a story about not only you but about where you come from. You may be wearing your grandmother’s old wedding band or a friendship bracelet from your best friend. Jewellery gives you the opportunity to make a subtle expression about yourself but also about where you come from, what makes you, you. Later on in life, an engagement ring a symbol of ever lasting love or a 30th birthday present from you parents you never take off. It’s symbolism makes it special and the way you wear it makes it unique.
If you were to think five years down the line where would you like to see your business?
•I went to a talk recently where Jo Malone was talking about her business and how she could never fathom she would have ever created the empire she created with Jo Malone. It’s a hard question as I can’t imagine where I will be in a years tine let alone 5. However, where would I want to be? I would love to be as passionate as I am today, I would love for women to be buying an enjoying my jewellery. I would love to collaborate with some amazing people and travel with work. I would love to create a brand that made people happy.
http://www.roxannefirst.com
