Eve Gay of Stoned Fine Jewelry Talks Heirlooms, Peonies, and Epic Wedding Attire

Eve Gay, founder and designer of Stoned Fine Jewelry, built her brand on a foundation of familial love and a deep passion for natural diamonds. Gay is not a generational jeweler. It wasn’t until her senior year at Pepperdine University that she considered entering the jewelry industry and creating Stoned. In the years leading up to that, Gay built her personal jewelry collection, thanks to her nana, who was an avid jewelry lover. Her grandmother was influential in Gay’s career development, inspiring her to create a line of jewelry that was timeless, and unique — one that encourages people to collect heirlooms of their own.

“I was about to graduate in COVID-19, and I had told my mom I wanted to be a jewelry designer or a diamond dealer and she said ‘Let’s do it!’ So, I began researching,” Gay tells Only Natural Diamonds. “I was lucky enough to find a mentor in my hometown, Rocky Joesph, who took me under his wing and taught me all about the industry. I fell in love with it.” She continues, “After I graduated from Pepperdine, I decided to move to New York and go to GIA to become a graduate gemologist. It was one of the best decisions I made for my career.” Gay enjoyed the hustle and bustle of New York’s beloved Diamond District on 47th Street and took the tools she learned at GIA to grow her business. “My pieces began evolving from classic everyday diamond staples to now more intricate, unique pieces,” she says.

Gay met her husband in college. The two started as friends and reconnected after she spent a year studying abroad in China. “Our wedding was an intimate event focused on family. We only had 16 guests and a few of our closest friends joined us for the reception and after-party,” she says. “We got married at the Four Seasons Surf Club, where we also got engaged! It was a full circle moment, filled with intimate details shared with our families.”

On her wedding day, she donned vintage pieces from her nana. “Flowers inspired my wedding jewelry,” Gay says. She explained that her main ball gown by Vera Wang had flowers cascading from the hip down the back of the dress. Her veil was complete with petal detailing. “When I started to think about what kind of jewelry I wanted to make and wear for my wedding, I wanted to have traditional and classic pieces, at the same time I wanted a statement too,” she says. 

For Gay’s second wedding look, she wore a different Vera Wang gown, this one with more of a vintage feel. “I paired this with an antique old European-cut Rivière necklace that my nana bought me from my mentor’s (Rocky Joesph) store.” She tells OND, “He actually married my husband, Will, and I so it was super special to have him there and to wear this piece.” She continues, “He was close with my Nana, seeing me in that necklace was very emotional for both of us.” She adds, “Wearing any jewelry my Nana has bought or given to me is always emotional and makes me think of her.” 

Gay’s after-party look was what she had the most fun with, creating original jewelry. Inspired by her nana’s favorite color purple, she created a natural diamond and lavender sapphire peony necklace and earrings, set in 18-karat rose gold. “I would consider this one of my first pieces of high jewelry,” she says. “It took a lot of brainstorming and sketches to get to the final piece. It took many months to source the perfect color of lavender and create the piece.” Gay worked with Atlanta stylist Jeremiah James to custom-make her after-party dress. “It was a very fun purple number with polka-dots and peony details on the hip,” she explains. “Seeing the look come together was so fun,” Gay recalls, adding, “No one expected me to come out in purple polka dots on my wedding day, but it was such an iconic moment!”

The earth created them, each diamond and gem has its own story and is so unique.

So, what’s Gay’s favorite thing about natural diamonds? “The Earth created them. Each diamond and gem has its own story and is so unique,” she says. “It’s so special that no two stones are alike, making each piece all the more rare.” Gay adds, “There’s a magic within each natural diamond and gemstone that can’t be recreated.”