The £65 gold ring every fashion insider is wearing

Big impact jewellery that costs less than your Friday night on the town? Bling it on, says Chloe Street
Daphine
Chloe Street29 May 2019

When it comes to buying jewellery, I suspect I'm not the only one to have some fairly exacting criteria.

In order to commit to a piece, it must be on-trend enough to give whatever I'm wearing a bit of punch and yet sufficiently classic that I could still reasonably be wearing it in five, or even ten, years’ time. And when it comes to the price, I'm forever on the hunt for banging bling that costs a little more than the looks-great-for-a-week-then-goes-green high street stuff, but less than I would spend, say, on a European minibreak. In short, it's not easy.

“We felt like there were so many jewellery brands out there that call themselves accessible but £200 for a gold plated ring never felt accessible to us,” says Damasia Ball, who co-founded London-based jewellery brand Daphine with best friend Philippine de Follin in 2017, after a dinner party conversation about how hard it was to find classic jewellery at an accessible price point.

“At the lower end of the spectrum, under £100, it always seemed to us that the pieces were trend driven, but we were at a stage in our lives where we wanted our jewellery to reflect our personal styles, something that was confident and elegant and wouldn’t necessarily go out of trend in a matter of months,” says Damasia.

Daphine Oli Ring, £65. Shop it here

The first products the pair designed were the Moune Bangles, which are inspired by the simple gold bracelets the women in their families had always worn. Then, shortly after launch, came the gold-plated Oli ring, the design of which was based on a classic dome design Damasia’s mother had in the 90s.

Since then, the brand has exploded on Instagram. In fact, it’s now rare to attend a fashion dinner or a runway show entirely absent of an Oli ring.

“It wasn’t planned at all but many of our clients can’t stop taking pictures of them as they are so flattering to wear,” says Damasia. “This ring has an old school timelessness to it but most importantly it is making a statement. They really do stand out on their own but when stacked they look even bolder.”

Doubling down on the Oli rings has definitely been a popular option among influencers and editors. Not least Leandra Medine, who gave the brand a major boost when she posted a photo of herself wearing the rings in January of this year. “That really took things to another level for us,” says Damasia. “Not only because of her strong following but also because we are both such big fans and it was the ultimate compliment to have her wear our pieces.”

Another influencer who’s championed Daphine since the outset it Bettina Looney. She and Damasia have been friends for several years and from the moment Daphine took off, the bold gold jewels began to flood her feed. “I always have a piece of Daphine on me, it’s part of my everyday uniform,” says Bettina. “The pieces are so easy to wear and I love that it reminds me of the jewellery my mother used to wear.”

Nowadays Bettina, who runs a personal shopping company, and Daphine even share an office in Chelsea. “Bettina was a huge supporter and has been very pivotal to our growth,” says Damasia. “We have constant admiration for one another.”

All Daphine pieces are handmade in an atelier in Jaipur. By working directly with local artisans, the brand is able to offer quality while keeping prices low – “and affordability, along with ethical sourcing and sustainable production, will always be our thing.”

Come summer, Daphine will launch its first collection in silver - “we are both ‘gold’ girls but know that a lot of people only like to wear silver. So after countless requests from our clients we have finally caved in!” – And if you’re one of the many Oli ring devotees, you’ll be pleased to know that Oli earrings are in the pipeline too.

For now though, an Oli ring is a sure-fire way to give your look a fashion insider spin.

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