As same-sex marriage is becoming more widely validated and celebrated around the world, legitimate concerns about the rules of engagement and wedding rings have begun to arise.

Anna and Steph by Marianne Chua

We’ve been approached a number of times lately by couples who’d like to know our stance on same-sex marriage. Our simple response is this: we support and we are proud of it!

Your rings are important symbols that unite you both with love and pride, so when it comes to choosing them, we want to ensure that you feel as comfortable and assisted in your decisions as possible.

WHERE TO BEGIN?
Stephan and Patrick by Julia Bartelt

According to Kathryn Bishop of the Women’s Jewellery network (who our founder Arabel is a proud ambassador for!), diamond marketing needs a lesson in realism. In a recent article, Kathryn highlighted the bleak under-representation of LGBT+ couples in the advertising of diamonds.

“In the UK, where the most recent ONS statistics estimate there are 1.1 million people aged 16 years and over identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual, you have to ask: Where are the LGBT+ individuals in these diamond campaigns? Where is the tattooed girl having a burger with her lover? Or the 50-something men holding hands as they watch their favourite rock band? They too might like a diamond one day.”

At Lebrusan Studio, we detest the idea of anybody feeling misplaced, unheard or unwelcome.

With diamonds long the front-runner for engagement rings, perhaps this lack of representation has left you feeling uninspired? Maybe you’ve been surfing the web and nothing you’ve seen so far seems to reflect what you want your rings to say about you both? Sometimes it can be as simple as rings just not looking or feeling right.

The good news is, now you’ve found us, you can relax – the journey begins here. For us, it’s what’s inside that counts. When you share your story with us, we make it our priority to learn what makes you tick as a couple. It’s not just about what the rings will look like on your fingers, but what makes you both who you are.

Our happy customers, Jess and Emily

We celebrate individuality and we want to get to know you better! When you open your hearts to us, we don’t just hear; we listen. We’re here to embrace your ideas and suggest the perfect match for your unique needs.

It’s been our honour to have played a part in a number of same-sex couples’ beautiful stories.

Jess proposed to her girlfriend Emily with an ethical sapphire engagement ring by Lebrusan Studio. She said yes! “We both really love Arabel’s design. Having an ethically-made engagement ring was really important to us,” Jess tells us. “Knowing we aren’t contributing to a damaging and inhumane industry means that Emily can wear her ring with pride. Emily always wanted an intricate and beautiful sapphire ring and the Athena engraving is stunning and fit the bill perfectly!

“The service I received whilst purchasing the ring was amazing; I always had a reply within a day with any queries I had. Working with a company that we knew supported LGBTQ+ couples meant I felt completely comfortable in my purchase. I would not hesitate before recommending Lebrusan Studio to any couples, especially LGBTQ+ individuals, due to the inclusive and wonderful customer service I received - not to mention the stunning, ethical and excellent quality rings on offer.” 

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER

Committing to a piece as significant and lifelong as an engagement, wedding or commitment ring can be a daunting prospect; it has to be just so. In case you didn’t know where to start, we’ve compiled a list of things you might wish to consider:

• Metal and gemstone colour
  • Do the colours you’ve chosen reflect you as individuals? Do they complement your styles of dress and other jewellery you might wear? Are they practical and tough enough for everyday wear and tear?
• Matching or coordinating?
  • Matching rings can symbolise equality within a partnership. On the other hand, opting for different styles and metals to one another can enable you to express yourselves as individuals, whilst other subtle design elements like engravings of a special date or word still allow your rings to relate to one another.
• Going rogue
  • There are no rules when it comes to planning your wedding. Who says the rings should be prototypical? We love creating bespoke pieces and we are open to hearing all your crazy ideas.
• Up-cycling
  • You don’t necessarily need to start from scratch. For something truly unique, you could re-purpose a family heirloom and keep memories of dearly loved ones near forever. We are more than happy to re-shape and redesign to suit your wishes.

Sara and Karen by Paola de Paola

We write this post as we reach the end of a major website revamp; complete with a new landing page especially for LGBT+ couples on the hunt for jewels. This important addition would not have been possible without the Gay Wedding Guide, who so generously assisted us with copy-writing and sourcing these stunning photos.

Keep your eyes peeled – the new website is due to land soon.