For the past two decades, I’ve been a huge fan of Bario Neal and their gorgeous jewelry. The Philadelphia-based studio was founded by two best friends — Anna Bario and Page Neal — and every piece they create is made with ethically sourced stones and environmentally conscious practices. So, this year, when I decided to design a ring to celebrate this new life chapter, I turned to them… 

This ring, above, was my engagement ring. It’s beautiful, but since my marriage ended a couple years ago, I’m not wearing it anymore. And now that I’m settling into this next phase — full of friendship and new love — I was hoping to redesign the ring to feel personal and heartfelt and modern.

I was thrilled to chat with co-founder Page Neal (left), who was so warm and lovely. Have you created custom jewelry before? I was excited but intimidated — I mean, what did I know? — but Bario Neal makes every step fun and straightforward. To make a piece from scratch, you start with a short custom design questionnaire. You share your preferred metal, cut, gems, and price range, and then work with designers on next steps. (If you want to put your own touch on a piece, but don’t want to start from scratch, you can use Bario Neal’s online customization platform.)

Next, Page asked me to create a moodboard of general photos and vibes I liked (here are some, above)…

…and to tell her which rings I was drawn to on the website. The assignment was so much fun, and I found myself gravitating toward blues, asymmetric clusters, and modern curves.

After looking at my moodboard, Page sent a bunch of different designs for me to weigh in on. How cool are these two?

Then I visited Bario Neal’s Brooklyn studio to see their jewelry in person. The guy who helped me seemed as excited as I was, and we both ended up trying on rings together! I wanted to stay and hang out all day. I fell for their radial cluster diamond ring, which we decided to customize with sapphires and a few personal tweaks.

A few gems were going be left over from my ring, so we were able to design earrings, too. Page had shared design ideas, and in the store, we could actually move the tiny gems around to figure out the pattern we liked most. It was amazing to see the design come together in front of my eyes.

Now we were off to the races! I really loved working with Page and her team. These process photos of the earrings and ring blow my mind. Bario Neal’s mission — to create a jewelry company committed to respecting human rights and environmental sustainability — shines through in everything they do. All the metals and gems have a fully traceable supply chain, and are responsibly sourced from miners who meet ethical, social, and ecological standards.

For my ring, the diamond was a sustainably certified carbon-neutral lab-grown diamond, the aquamarines were sustainably sourced from Brazil, and the champagne diamond was recycled. How amazing is that?

So! Want to see the final ring?

Isn’t it gorgeous?! I adore it so, so much — it feels modern yet timeless, and full of the thoughtfulness and talent of women. Bario Neal’s jewelry is made out of their Philadelphia studio, and you can feel the love in all they do.

The whole Bario Neal team made the experience so meaningful, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for special jewelry.

Thank you so much, Bario Neal. This was such a joy. xoxo

Great news for Cup of Jo readers: Get a whopping 20% off your build-your-own jewelry experience with code CUPOFJO20, good through December 31st. See all the Bario Neal build-your-own styles here, if you’d like. Thank you so much.

(This post is sponsored by Bario Neal, a company we’ve loved for decades. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Cup of Jo. Final photos by Veronica Olson for Cup of Jo.)