Shivana, let’s start at the beginning. Tell us a little about yourself…

Hey I’m Shiv, and I’m a Co-Owner at Four Words - we design and craft custom engagement rings and other fine jewellery. On the side, I love creating content around fashion and personal style.  

 

In terms of career path, I’ve had quite a random one! I studied Law and Accounting at Otago, and so I began my ‘professional’ career as a lawyer down in Wellington. I realised very early that it wasn’t for me, and left the industry just shy of 2 years. 

 

I moved up to Auckland, moved into a couple roles from HR through to Consulting, and eventually transitioned into a General Manager role for an Events start up. That was my last 9-5 job before making the decision to work full time on Four Words.

 

Throughout this, and since law, I had the energy to unlock my creativity and also tap into my entrepreneurial side. Fashion and personal style has always been the main channel for my creativity - I’ve always had an innate connection to fashion - so I started posting fashion content. This is where my love for content started and I began building a skillset around social media, content and content marketing. I also launched a personal styling business within the first 6 months of leaving the law.  This business did not do well haha. But it was my first taste of owning and building something. 

 

A few years later, we started Four Words.

Four Words stands for ‘will you marry me’ (our answer, YES). How did Four Words come to life?

Our origin story starts when Vinny, my now husband and also a Co-Owner, was looking to propose. He knew he wanted to create a custom engagement ring and he knew he wanted to use lab grown diamonds. I’ll be honest, at the time I didn’t really know what they were. Once he explained, immediately I was like ‘Oh, hell yes, this is a no brainer’. He struggled finding a jeweller in NZ who knew about them and was willing to work with them. 

 

After our engagement, we helped a few of our friends who had the same experience until eventually we thought, hey this could be a real business. We then looked at the search hits for lab grown diamonds in New Zealand - it was popping off. The fact no one was specialising in them at the time was like a huge, “whoa, there could be something here”. We also recognised that content and commerce was merging, and saw that no one else in the jewellery industry was leveraging this - the fine jewellery industry can be kind of mystical and pretentious. So, we decided to make it not like that, and now we’re here!

They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. It’s so personal and can represent different things to different people. What does jewellery mean to you?

For me, jewellery is a feeling - it’s how it feels when you wear a certain piece. Jewellery should make you feel good, and should speak to who you are. So I guess it’s all about feeling good and self-expression.

Speaking of diamonds… you use lab-grown diamonds in your jewellery. Can you tell us a little more about this?

It’s crazy to think how much the market has shifted around lab grown diamonds since we launched the business. While we now work with every stone (natural and lab) when we first started, we were one of the only businesses working exclusively with lab-grown diamonds. Part of our whole marketing strategy was centred around education - educating prospective customers about what lab grown diamonds are, and the related ethical and sustainable benefits.

 

Now, pretty much everyone offers lab-grown. And when we speak with clients, they already know everything there is to know about them. Which is so awesome to see!

 

What I love about the introduction of lab grown diamonds, is it really unlocked more options for couples. It means you’re in a much better position to get what you want and can either put the money you’ve saved toward something else, or you can upgrade. You can get a bigger, higher quality stone, no matter your budget. It’s allowed so much more freedom in design, allowing people to actually custom design their dream ring. 

We love the idea of investment dressing with pieces that can be worn now and cherished forever. What advice would you give to someone wanting to get an investment piece of jewellery?

I like to think of ‘investment’ jewellery as heirloom jewellery, and the first piece of advice I would give is don’t buy it off the shelf. Go custom. You will never regret going through a bespoke process and having the piece custom designed and crafted for you. Custom designing a piece of jewellery not only is a great story to tell- one that can be passed down the generations - but it just makes the piece of jewellery so much more special. 

 

The second is, get something that’s reflective of your personal style at the time and don’t hold back. People often fall in the trap of worrying about the piece being timeless, that they end up getting something more classic and minimalist than what they would otherwise go for. Go for something that represents who you are and what you like at the time - that’s also a better story to tell.  

 

Last but not least is to ensure you use good quality materials that can be refurbished. No matter how much care you take, jewellery will wear over time. If the materials are high quality, then such wear and tear can easily be fixed. 

Are there any engagement ring trends we should know about?

In terms of design, we’re seeing a lot more organic silhouettes across both engagement rings and wedding bands which I’m loving! We’re also seeing people lean more into wider band profiles.

 

More generally, people are prioritising true custom, bespoke creations. This is as opposed to buying off the shelf or off a ring builder website. People are becoming more and more in love with the idea of their engagement ring telling a story, reflecting their personality and their lifestyle. It’s no longer about the size of your stone, it’s about the story you’re able to tell.

The ritual of putting on jewellery can feel just as special as the piece itself. Do you have any daily rituals that add a little sparkle to your everyday?

For me, thoughtfully putting together a fit every day is my source of daily confidence and sparkle. Even when I’m not particularly feeling myself or I’m just feeling lazy, I’ll always try make the effort. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of looking in the mirror and thinking ‘this outfit is f***** hot’. It’s powerful, and this flows into everything else. 

 

 

Quick fire questions:

 

If you could design a piece of jewellery for anyone (celeb or not), who would it be?

Jessica McCormack - This is dangerous territory and it would be super scary, but as someone in the industry, I have so much respect for her and her remarkable creative mind. If we could design a piece for her that she actually liked and wore, that would be so cool haha.

 

Most iconic piece of jewellery (in your opinion)

Princess Diana’s engagement ring.

 

It’s date night, what are you wearing? (jewellery as well)

Capri pants, a cute top, heels, my Shivana gold necklace, my engagement ring set, east west emerald cut diamond ring, baguette diamond crown ring, and a gold bangle.

 

Your fave thing about Autumn dressing is…

Layers!

 

One thing you’d tell your younger self?

You have the power to make happiness happen.

 

When you’re not at Four Words, where would we find you?

Either cocktails with friends or on my couch eating a rice bowl.