One of the best things about designing and making jewellery is that we become involved in the most meaningful times in people's lives. Our customers trust us with these special, significant purchases, and our commitment is to give our utmost in return. The designing and making of our jewellery is as important to us as your future heirloom is to you.

From septicaemia in the desert to becoming a caveman for a history information film, Jon’s post A lvel travels around the Middle East and Europe were both enlightening and inspiring. In combination with the strength of his natural talent and enthusiasm, they ensured that his path into the world of jewellery design was as unconventional as it was inevitable.

A self-confessed perfectionist, Jon's main source of inspiration is nature's ideal blend of beauty and function. His acknowledged aptitude for proportion and harmony gives his jewellery a classic, sculptural and ultimately wearable quality, and enables him to turn his skill to other areas of design, including his shop interiors and a clear vision for his publicity.

He finds solace and stimulation in the practice of Shintaido- a Japanese movement system, and in the countryside around his home in West Sussex, where he spends time exploring with his wife, dog and three children when they are home!

Coming soon - an insight into Jon's design process and the hand making of our jewellery.

In the meantime, please contact us if you have any questions, or visit us to be inspired.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Jon’s designs are predominantly made in platinum or 18ct gold. We are licensed to work with Fairtrade gold, and we can also advise on recycling your own gold or platinum.

Platinum

Platinum is rare, pure, naturally white and inherently hard wearing, which means the carefully polished finish lasts longer, although it takes more time at the workbench to get that perfect finish.

Jon’s rings have a generous weight, which makes the ring last longer, helps keep the integrity of the form when being resized, and means the ring can be refinished many times without weakening it.  Because of this weight, and because platinum is even denser than gold, Jon’s platinum designs have a satisfying feel in the hand.

Gold

18 carat gold is 75% pure gold, alloyed with 25% other metals, which enables the gold to be workable, and also means different colours of gold can be produced.  Our most popular colour is white gold, which is actually a slightly grey-white colour.  Our 18 carat white gold has a high palladium content, making it naturally whiter than cheaper alloys.

Rhodium Plating

The majority of jewellers plate their white gold with a very thin layer of rhodium to make it appear the same colour as platinum, but Jon’s white gold pieces are un-plated.  Our decision not to rhodium plate is partly to allow us to use the colour of white gold as a choice in our palette, and also for the practical reason that the plating wears off in a relatively short time. We can, however, rhodium plate any white gold design, if you would like it to match existing plated pieces.

Ethical Gold 

We’re also very pleased to be able to offer Fairtrade gold, alongside gold from recycled sources. 

Gold certified to Fairtrade standards provides small scale miners and their communities in developing countries the opportunity for better living and working conditions. Certified Fairtrade gold is mined under stringent ecological restoration practices, and without the use of chemicals. You can find out more in our Ethics and Fairtrade section below.

Please Contact Us if you would like to commission a piece in these precious ethical metals.

Recycled Gold

Another ethical alternative is to use recycled old gold, which reduces the human and environmental costs of conventional, newly mined gold.

The recycled gold we use comes from a refinery which sources old industrial and post-consumer gold, including jewellery and giftware. It is refined back to pure gold, before being alloyed to 18 carat standard. Our refiner is independently audited and certified through the whole process, guaranteeing that the gold is 100% recycled.

After being refined, recycled gold is just as pure as newly mined gold, so there’s no difference in quality or appearance.

Recycling Your Own Old Gold & Platinum

Many people have old or inherited jewellery at home that is meaningful but not a style they would wear.

Recycling pieces like this into a new design is a great way to turn them into something to enjoy, while retaining the sentiment attached to their history.  It can also be a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to newly mined gold.

Some old pieces aren’t suitable for melting in the workshop, but in some circumstances, we can still use the scrap value of the gold or platinum to offset the cost of a brand new piece.

We’re always happy to answer any questions you might have about the options available, either in person at the workshop, or by phone or e-mail. See our Contact Us page.

Coming soon - details of Jon Dibben's commitment to ethics and Fairtrade, which has led to us being one of only fifty workshops, worldwide, licensed to make jewellery from certified Fairtrade gold.

In the meantime, here is some basic information:

All of our gemstones are natural, and are individually and personally selected by Jon. Our diamonds are conflict free and, where practical, are independently certified. We have long and trusted relationships with our stone suppliers, and are increasingly asking them for traceable, ethically sourced stones. There are already certain stones we can offer that are traceable back to the country, or even mine, of origin and with a full ethical background. We hope soon to be able to offer the same for all others. 

In addition, we are one of only two designers in the south of England to be licensed to make and sell designs using Fairtrade gold. This means we can help to improve working conditions and trading standards for small-scale artisans – a little like ourselves – around the world

You can read about the ethical metals we use on our raw materials section above and see some of our designs made from Fairtrade gold on our Fair Trade page.

For more information about Fairtrade & Fairmined gold and platinum visit the website of the Fairtrade Foundation

Jon is available by appointment in Surrey, Sussex or London.

Please contact us to find out more. 

If your new Jon Dibben piece has a value in excess of your insurance 'single item limit', we can supply a complimentary certificate showing the replacement value. This document shows proof of ownership, as well as the replacement value of the design for insurance purposes. We can provide udated documents based on current metal, labour and stone prices at £55 per item .

We strongly recommend contacting us annually to avoid being undervalued and experiencing an unsuccessful claim if the jewellery is accidentally damaged, lost or stolen. Even if your pieces have not increased in value, your insurance might stipulate that you provide valuations dated within a particular time period. Our advice is to read the smallprint carefully, and talk to your insurance company about anything that you are not sure about. Jon has written a blog post on 'Being Properly Insured' and how to avoid some of the pifalls of Insurance.

Please contact us if you have any questions or if you need to update any of your certificates.

We are sorry, but we only offer this service for jewellery purchased from us.

We respect your privacy and do all we can to protect it, and we’d like to let you know how we keep and use information about our customers.

We’ll only ask for information that we need, in order to help you. If you sign up for our mailing list, we’ll keep only your name and email address, and you’ll receive occasional email updates, with news about designs and events. With each mail out, you have the opportunity to unsubscribe, or you can contact us at any time if you would like to have your details updated. We never have and never will share your information with third parties.

For all our customers who have bought or commissioned pieces from us in the past, we store records of those purchases so that we can help you in the future. These can be really useful for reference – for insurance purposes, for checking ring sizes, or for anyone wanting to buy or commission a secret gift! This information is stored securely and confidentially, and is updated whenever you come back to us.

If you know or think we have previous records for you, and would like to enquire about them, or update any details – or, equally, if you would like us to stop storing your information, please contact us.