In Focus: Daphine

Original Images by Daphine; Collage by Aylea Skye

‘In Focus’ is a new segment in which The VogueCIEL looks at emerging brands that have a focus on craftsmanship and ethics.

“We want to create jewellery to be treasured, pieces that make women feel good…”

- Daphine

Founded in London in 2017, Daphine has fast become a favourite with women looking for statement jewellery with a timeless quality and it’s easy to see why when looking at their collection of affordable, contemporary semi-fine pieces.

We spoke to the founders, Damasia Ball and Philippine de Follin, about developing the brand, sustainability and the future of Daphine.

How did the concept for Daphine come about?

We met in New York in 2014, and almost instantly started talking about how we could start a company together. By 2017, we were both living in London and finally came up with an idea that combined both of our skills – from that Daphine was born! The concept for Daphine came to us very organically from different conversations we had together, we needed to do something we both liked and believed in to stay motivated and wanted something that embodied our personal style.

The collection is contemporary, yet undeniably refined. How did you develop it?

We developed it looking at the women around us who inspire us, members of our family, strangers in the street, trying to spot the little pieces they cherish.

We collect inspiration in our phones and discuss them with each other. Inspiration can come from things we see in antique stores, as well pieces that our grandmothers and mothers have in their jewellery boxes. We want to create jewellery to be treasured, pieces that make women feel good – that’s the best part of our job.

What are the must-have or signature pieces the collection?

The signature pieces in the new collection seem to be the Christy earrings and the Gisele ring. We always produce our collections in small quantities so as to not produce any unnecessary waste when it comes to our stock. The Christy earrings and Gisele ring sold out in two weeks!

How do ethics and sustainability affect the way you navigate the brand and how do you implement sustainable practices?

At Daphine, sustainability is always on our minds – because we believe that producing pieces to treasure shouldn’t come at the expense of the planet. But we also believe that there’ll always be room for us to be better, and do better. All our packaging is made from recycled materials, is plastic free and is fully recyclable. We invest in the production of our jewellery so that it’s made to last. Every piece is handmade in our Jaipur atelier, with 18ct gold laid over brass that is Responsible Jewellery Council certified.

We’re passionate about encouraging conscious consumption – we only want our customers to buy pieces that truly bring joy. Daphine jewellery is intended to be loved for years to come, which is why we create timeless designs that can be worn season after season. We find it much more fun to help clients find one piece that suits them and will do the trick when you wear it instead of pushing you to buy three rings that will end up in a drawer. One of the most sustainable practices when it comes to shopping is to understand what suits you and what you really like – that way you are only purchasing items that you will treasure for a lifetime.

We both come from families where we were taught to respect everyone and that is something we always have in mind when navigating our business and creating our collections. We respect our suppliers, our team and our customers.

Has the pandemic affected Daphine and yourself personally? Has it been difficult to stay inspired during these testing times?

The pandemic meant we had to adapt our way of working. We were planning on launching our collection earlier this year but our Jaipur atelier had to close because of the virus, meaning everything got pushed back. Things are still very complicated at the moment in India and so our production is much slower. As for ourselves, we have adapted our way of working, we have put more processes in place as Philippine is now working remotely in the countryside so it’s even more important that we put in time to connect with each other. Luckily the pandemic hasn’t slowed down our inspiration, if anything we have felt more inspired than ever as we are being forced to have more time for reflection.