Robinson Pelham

39 Elystan St, SW3 3NT · View on Google Maps · Visit website · 02078283492

Kate Pelham, Vanessa Chilton and Zoe Benyon founded Robinson Pelham in Chelsea in 1996, and the striking thing about the bespoke process is that all three are still in the room. Their own description of the first stage is to sit down with the three founders for a personalised consultation, which is not a level of access most designer studios offer thirty years in.

The work is deliberately bold: strong colour, playful silhouettes, and confident form rather than classic solitaires. Their gemmological range runs to Paraiba tourmalines and brown diamonds, which are stones most jewellers will not have handled.

They source stones personally from around the world rather than through a dealer, and they also offer repairs and revamps of existing pieces.

Four stages, all published. You meet the three founders. Vanessa produces technical pencil drawings worked up in gouache, crayon and ink. The three of them source the stones. Then it goes to their London team of jewellers, polishers and engravers.

The hand-drawn stage is worth noting: gouache rendering is the traditional way jewellery was designed before CAD, and it conveys colour and light in a way a computer render does not. For a coloured stone piece in particular that matters.

They publish no bespoke starting price and no timescales, and no minimum spend. Ready-made stock runs roughly £4,900 to £9,500, which indicates the bracket without answering the question. Establish both at the consultation.

Ten reviews, every one of them five star. That is a spotless record and also a very small one.

The review sample here is small, so treat the rating as indicative rather than settled. A handful of reviews either way would move it noticeably. That is a limit on the evidence, not a mark against the jeweller.

None of the ten mentions buying an engagement ring specifically, which is what you would expect of a studio whose main business is wider fine jewellery. Their website carries a dedicated engagement ring page, so the offer is real even though the reviews do not describe it.

Review figures taken from Google and checked in July 2026. We recount them monthly.

This suits someone who wants colour and character rather than a white solitaire, and who would find it genuinely appealing to have three designers arguing amiably about their ring.

It also suits a buyer with an unusual stone in mind. Paraiba tourmaline and brown diamonds are not stones most jewellers can talk about with any authority.

It will not suit you if you want a published price before committing, a firm date, or a conventional diamond solitaire. There is also very little review evidence to lean on, so weigh the studio visit heavily.

Who will I meet at Robinson Pelham?

All three founders. Their published bespoke process begins with sitting down with Kate, Vanessa and Zoe for a personalised consultation, and they source the stones themselves rather than through a dealer.

How much does a bespoke ring cost?

They publish no bespoke starting price and no minimum spend. Ready-made stock runs roughly £4,900 to £9,500, which gives an indication of the bracket. Ask at the consultation.

Do they do coloured stones?

Yes, and it is a strength. Their range extends to Paraiba tourmalines and brown diamonds, which most jewellers rarely handle.

How reliable is the 5.0 rating?

It rests on ten reviews, all five star. That is spotless but a very small sample, so treat it as indicative. None of the ten describes buying an engagement ring specifically.