Gemima

Gemima Macdonald brings a background that sets her apart from most jewellers offering bespoke services in London. She is GIA-qualified, which means she has a gemologist's formal knowledge of diamond grading and evaluation. She has ten years in the trade, including time at Boodles and David Marshall, two of the most respected names in British fine jewellery. And she works entirely independently, which means none of that expertise is filtered through institutional priorities, upselling structures, or in-stock inventory that needs to move.

The practical result of that combination is a process in which the buyer gets direct access to serious stone knowledge, genuinely off-market sourcing, and a working relationship that runs from first conversation to finished ring without being handed off or managed by committee. Hatton Garden is the centre of the London diamond trade, and operating a workshop there gives Gemima direct access to the stones and suppliers that other jewellers buy from at a distance. She removes the intermediary layer.

She also works with unconventional cuts alongside classics. This matters more than it might initially sound. Many bespoke jewellers in London will show you the same four or five cuts in different carat weights. A gemologist with genuine stone knowledge and access to off-market supply can open up a considerably wider range of options, including cuts that offer exceptional visual presence for their carat weight, and that buyers are unlikely to encounter at most high street jewellers.

The process is structured and transparent. It begins with an initial consultation, at which Gemima takes the brief and discusses the stone direction. Within two weeks, she sources diamonds off-market. Then comes what she calls the "Diamond and Design" appointment: you see the candidate stones side by side, in person, before any decisions are made. This is the point at which the brief becomes concrete. You are choosing from real options, with the full benefit of her gemological judgment applied to explaining what you are looking at and why one stone might suit the brief better than another.

The rings are then made in her own Hatton Garden workshop. The four-to-six week timeline from the Diamond and Design appointment is firm and reliable. This is not a studio that overpromises on timelines and then manages expectations downward. Commissions start from £5,000, which reflects the stone quality and the depth of the personal service.

The final element is unique in the London market: Gemima will deliver the finished ring to your proposal location in person. This is not a gimmick. For buyers who are proposing in a specific place that matters to them, or who want the reassurance of a direct handover rather than a courier, it is a genuinely thoughtful part of the service that no other jeweller we know of offers as standard.

Gemima is an excellent choice for buyers who want exceptional stone quality and a genuinely personal process. The GIA background means you are getting formal expertise applied to your stone selection, not just enthusiasm and a good eye. For first-time buyers who want to be educated as well as served, the structure of the process is particularly well-suited: the Diamond and Design appointment in particular is designed to give the buyer real knowledge, not just options.

The delivery-to-proposal-location offer makes her a distinctive choice for buyers who are planning a specific proposal and want that last detail handled with the same care as the ring itself. In a market where most jewellers stop at the handover counter, this is a genuine differentiator, and one that reflects the personal investment she brings to every commission.