A couple of weeks back I shared a blog written by lovely Michaela for Taylor & Hart, with advice on stacking and pairing wedding and engagement rings. I’ve learned a lot; it’s a gorgeous blog post by a wedding jewellery brand I trust – please share it far and wide so couples will see it!

It really got me thinking – because at the same time, my inbox had some very curious press releases around wedding jewellery.

Why finding a trustworthy wedding ring company matters

I get a lot of press releases and applications for sponsored blog posts from jewellery companies. I reject about 90% of those who get in touch. I don’t trust them – and that’s a problem. Because some wedding websites will publish this ‘free content’ without a second thought – and those sketchy brands will rank higher in search.

My take on faceless, generic online jewellery companies

So many wedding ring brands are faceless, generic, and online-only. And honestly, that makes me nervous.

A press release came through today from a “UK based” wedding jewellery company.

I was curious. (I was procrastinating about something else, I’ll be honest!)

So I spent five minutes digging a little rabbit hole into who they actually were.

A tiny jewellery company on a sketchy-looking back street, with multiple changes of name over recent years.

Their reviews looked fake.

Their instagram was all blurry hands – a huge giveaway that their images were (badly) AI generated.

Does that make their products real or fake? I don’t know.

Would I buy from them? Never.

Would I promote them? Hell, no. But others will.

Wedding ring and jewellery brands I do trust – and why

When I find a jewellery brand which is real, they shine.

And we have some amazing craftspeople on English Wedding – from Dublin-based Commins & Co and Bespoke Diamonds to the lovely Emma Rose Jewellery and London’s Taylor & Hart.

I’ve held Clare Lloyd’s accessories in my hands – they’re insanely beautiful.

Janie’s ethics at The Lucky Sixpence are a guiding light for how I want English Wedding to be.

These are all wonderful, human-owned wedding businesses – and they have the brightest and loveliest futures.

I just wish every brand out there could learn from these people!

So what am I looking for when a wedding jewellery business reaches out to me?

Real people, not AI images

… I want to see hands with shadows, and five fingers. I want to see different ethnicities – across brand and product imagery, on socials – and within the team’s faces I see on the website.

I look for freckles and dimples and wrinkles and real skin… because perfect, blemish-free hands are a red flag: a signal something might be less than real.

Honest, human stories behind the brand

So how do I look at jewellery brands? I look for the human side, and the people.

I look for an honest About page on their website. I look for names, and back stories, and brand histories.

I look for physical locations – and for those brands which look polished and generic, I look for their showrooms on Google maps. (I don’t do this for independent craftspeople making jewellery, because that would be creepy.)

If I can’t see evidence of a wedding jewellery brand in the real world, I take it as a warning.

There are AI websites and back street jewellers masquerading as something they’re not

I know – because Meta ads stalk me endlessly – how easy it is to set up a website and start selling anything via drop shipping, just using AI.

I keep reading that someone with zero business experience can make a professional looking website in minutes. And honestly, that scares me.

Couples need to be able to trust the jewellery brands they’re buying from.

When you’re spending hundreds of pounds on a ring, you need to know you’re buying from craftspeople who care, not fake websites or grotty back street dealers for whom ‘ethical diamonds’ are given lip service online, with no real commitment.

You need the option to return, adjust or resize – and you need friendly, helpful customer service.

If you’re shopping online for a wedding or engagement ring, this article has excellent, clear advice on how to spot a fake jewellery website and avoid getting scammed.

Why trust matters so much in the wedding industry

Trust is low right now. Half of us are wondering if we can really believe anything we see online. Telling the difference is turning into an art form.

Being human is everything – and in the wedding industry, built around a celebration of love and commitment and trust – it matters so much.

English Wedding is here to shine a spotlight on authentic wedding businesses. Business owners can find out more here – I’ve launched a wedding supplier hub on the website this month.