Fully-traceable jewellery brand Arctic Circle Diamonds has partnered with Wedding Magazine’s annual Wedding of the Year (WOTY) competition, offering one lucky couple the chance to win the wedding of their dreams worth £25,000.
Offering to make the winning couple’s wedding bands in precious Fairtrade gold, Arctic Circle Diamonds created a special day for this year’s winners – Adrian and Nuala Taberner – who visited Hockley Mint in Birmingham, where Arctic Circle rings are handmade, to choose their perfect wedding bands.
Meeting Arctic Circle’s UK directors Gary Wroe and Judith Lockwood, Nuala and Adrian were welcomed with champagne and flowers. The couple was guided through the different profiles of rings, trying various styles to find their favourites. They were then taken on a special tour of Hockley Mint’s jewellery workshops, learning more about Arctic Circle’s use of Fairtrade gold and Canadian diamonds, while discovering how wedding bands are made.
Selecting two classic Fairtrade 18ct yellow gold Arctic Circle wedding bands, Adrian and Nuala married at Notley Abbey in Buckinghamshire in late October.
Judith Lockwood, Managing Director at Arctic Circle said: “Arctic Circle and Hockley Mint were really excited to be part of Nuala and Adrian's day. They were the perfect couple and deserved to be winners of the Wedding of the Year competition. Gary and I really enjoyed meeting them both, hearing about how they met, Adrian's proposal, and the plans for their wedding. They also both truly had a love for and understanding of jewellery, so we all had a lot in common.”
Lockwood added: “Their Arctic Circle Fairtrade gold wedding bands mean that we are a significant and special part of their married life together. We loved spending the day with them and wish Nuala and Adrian every happiness.”
The newlyweds spoke fondly of their visit to Hockley Mint, sharing images on Twitter of the day and their wedding bands. Nuala Taberner said: “We had a fabulous day when we visited Hockley Mint; it was really interesting to see all the different processes involved in making the jewellery, and Gary and Judith were fascinating. We loved hearing about their roles in the business and their ethical approach to jewellery making. Our rings are just perfect and we love wearing them. With help from Gary and Judith, we got to pick exactly what we wanted and they're even engraved with our wedding date! It's nice to have the story of the day to tell to people when they ask about them, as well as the wedding day itself.”
Adrian Taberner added: “We also learned about the different mines Gary and Judith had recently visited in Tanzania and the difference Fairtrade is making to the people who work in the mines. It was nice to hear how, back in the UK, Hockley Mint and Arctic Circle are working with apprentices from Birmingham, bringing a new generation into the business - especially as Gary himself started out as an apprentice.”
Arctic Circle is leading a new era of ethical bridal jewellery with fully-traceable Canadian diamond and Fairtrade gold designs, priced from £600. They will launch new designs for 2016 at Jewellery & Watch Birmingham in February.