It was after her engagement that Nikki Reed discovered the vast potential for integrating recovered gold and cultivated diamonds into the jewelry space. At the time, the actress had just partnered with Dell, intent on recycling leftover gold from its technology, and started designing jewelry from the surplus. “One thing that I definitely came across with my mission of creating sustainable goods was the misconception that sustainability and luxury can’t live together,” Reed tells The Knot in an exclusive interview. “I felt like creating jewelry with all of this recycled gold was the perfect opportunity to look that right in the face.”
Since then, Reed has created her own jewelry brand, Bayou with Love, which now has a bridal line and its own brick-and-mortar holiday shop. “More people are asking questions now than ever, which is beautiful,” muses the Twilight actress. “We have an opportunity for men and women to discuss it at the dinner table, which allows women to be in charge of the decision-making of their ring. I’m finding more and more women who want to be a part of that story. The one thing I would encourage people to do is research and get online.”
(Credit: Joe Perri / Bayou With Love)
(Credit: Joe Perri / Bayou With Love)
Reed’s engagement ring from Ian Somerhalder, which she debuted in early 2015, was an unconventional-yet-beautiful choice: a round diamond surrounded by 10 smaller diamonds in the shape of a flower. (“I love it more than anything in the world!” she declared to Us Weekly at the time.)
“When we were getting engaged, cultivated diamonds hadn’t really hit the market in the way that we are now,” the mother of one, 30, explains. “Interestingly enough, I have such a wonderful, sweet, open-minded husband who’s fully on board with me at some point, redesigning my ring with a cultivated diamond.”
Somerhalder, best known for his smoldering role on CW’s The Vampire Diaries, proposed to Reed nearly four years ago after only six months of dating. “When we were getting engaged, my husband took the liberty of choosing everything, which a lot of men want to do—is surprise their soon-to-be-fiancees. As much as I was involved at the end when this was happening, in the early stages, he wanted to research and do this all himself,” she recalls. “He found a diamond that was conflict-free and had the Kimberley Certification with recycled gold.”
(Credit: Joe Perri / Bayou With Love)
(Credit: Joe Perri / Bayou With Love)
While her future plans are unduly noted, Reed admits she’s a bit entrenched in the process of designing for others at the moment. “The last thing on my mind is recreating another diamond ring for myself,” she laughs. “But at some point, that will be on my list of things I would love to have myself. I certainly get to wear [cultivated diamonds] now with the company, which is very fun.”
In May 2015, the couple surprised their beloved friends and family with a secret wedding in Malibu planned by Andrea Freeman. “I’m all for a surprise. I live for a surprise,” Reed says. “I spent six weeks planning a birthday weekend for my husband. Surprises are my world.”
After the nuptials, Reed ended up mixing and matching rings to stack on her left ring finger. “There are days when I wear one simple gold band on that finger,” she notes. “On my engagement ring finger, I wear the seven-ball ring, which is just one of our stacking rings, along with an anniversary ring from Ian, and a ring that my mom and I had made. It’s a simple gold band that we always wear, especially if we’re flying anywhere. I just believe that that finger is so sacred and I love keeping the whole story together.”
It’s something she likes to do with her brand in general. “I love mixing metals and different textures—a baguette all around with the seven-ball on top of that,” she notes. “I’m finding that a lot of women want to be a part of their engagement story… and I wanted to introduce a few other options.”
As a champion of sustainability, Reed encourages more women to be part of the conversation. “It takes the demand from the customer and the consumer for answers and transparency for the market to actually shift,” she notes. “Each of our wedding rings is made by hand in Downtown LA. I want to support our economy and I want to drive downtown to see each piece and touch them with my own hands. I love that there are local craftsmen working on this and we’re supporting our economy as well as their art.”
(Credit: Joe Perri / Bayou With Love)
(Credit: Joe Perri / Bayou With Love)
(Credit: Joe Perri / Bayou With Love)
(Credit: Joe Perri / Bayou With Love)
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