What if buying an engagement ring felt as personal as the proposal? Wove CEO Simone Kendle sits down with Emily Merrell to unpack how Wove reinvented custom jewelry, from virtual design sessions with GIA-trained experts to their genius “try-before-you-buy” replica ring that de-stresses proposals and perfects fit and style.

Simone shares the brand’s surprising military roots, why lab-grown color diamonds expand creative freedom, and how she scaled a consumer luxury company by leading with storytelling, community, and collaboration. They also dig into women-first leadership, team culture across cities, and the power of building your “village” before you need it.

Whether you’re ring-curious, scaling a startup, or obsessed with great networking, this episode is a gem, pun very much intended.

Here are the highlights: 

• Inside Wove’s model: Virtual designers, GIA expertise, and fully custom pieces—without the showroom pressure.
• Replica rings = relief: A sterling silver & CZ duplicate lets couples test drive a design before committing.
• Lab-grown color diamonds: Creativity, access, and why yellow diamonds don’t have to live only in museums.
• Military roots to luxury brand: How two West Point grads sparked Wove—and why that mission still matters.
• Scaling as a modern CEO: Marketing, partnerships, and turning meaning-rich pieces into a movement.
• Culture > burnout: Building trust on distributed teams, “social capital,” and women-led management.
• Your network = your village: Simone’s framework for finding mentors, peers, and protégés before you pivot.
• A fifth C for jewelry: Beyond Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat—Collaboration drives the perfect piece.
• Permission slip: Give yourself grace—you can be inspired and still figuring it out.

To learn more about Wove check out https://wovemade.com/ and on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/wove_made 

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