I GET NERVOUS WAITING FOR MY CLIENTS TO TELL ME SHE SAID YES!
Gráinne Seoige’s diamond ring venture is far from her career on TV but she admits it can be just as stressful as she gets so invested in the proposals
If diamonds really are a girl’s best friend, then Gráinne Seoige will never be lonely again. The former ITV and RTÉ star is sitting cross-legged on a cream chair in a stylish refurbished Georgian house in Dublin 4. Normally accustomed at having all eyes fixed firmly on her during a magazine shoot – today it is the disco ballstyle giant rock on her wedding finger that is stealing her thunder. The engagement ring was presented to her by her fiancé, South African rugby coach Leon Jordaan, and is breathtaking in both its size and design. The dazzling gem is an art deco-inspired, brilliant- cut solitaire ring with a double halo of diamonds. It is also the perfect advertisement for her new business venture Grace Diamonds, an online service via which would-be proposers can pick and design their bespoke engagement ring at wholesale prices. The lead-up to Valentine’s Day, as you can imagine, is a busy time for the Galway-born television presenter – which she says is down to the non-stop romance at this time of year. ➤
It’s an emotional business. I’m engaged myself and I’m a girl who knows how important that proposal is
➤ ‘You can get engaged 365 days of the year, there doesn’t have to be a day involved,’ she says with a short giggle. ‘But sometimes when you are surrounded by hearts and flowers it can focus the mind. For some men in particular, it makes them think about maybe taking the plunge and that it’s time to actually do something progressive.
‘ They can make the excuse of the romantic dinner and then propose after cooking it. We do see that a lot now, plenty of men do that. Engagements at Christmas and New Year in Ireland are very traditional but Valentine’s Day is quickly becoming just as popular.’
Gráinne may be a household name but this is a career she’s not taking lightly. Re-trained in gemology, she officially launched the website to a world market during New York International Bridal Week.
Her concept is a high- end, custom- designed diamond dealership which offers an appointmentonly service to Irish customers who want to design their own ring, or buy a loose diamond and cut out the middleman, which brings costs down.
With many ladies hoping that on Tuesday a Gráinne-styled rock could be on the cards, she admits that she has been surprised by the number of genuine Irish romantics out there.
‘I’ve had conversations with a couple of guys, because you get to know them over the process of designing the ring and often they talk though the plan of attack,’ she says.
‘It can be quite elaborate and maybe based around another anniversary – at times I’m blown away at how romantic they’re being.
‘I don’t think that Irish guys get the credit they deserve sometimes when it comes to the romance department. There’s a lot of thought and planning and expense that goes into these proposals, it’s very sweet. When the ring is on the way and they’re waiting for it, you can really sense the nerves. It’s a big milestone and event in their lives yet their girlfriend is blissfully unaware of all the machinations and planning that have been going on behind the scenes for weeks. Then there’s the relief that arrives when he finally pops the question. It’s lovely to be a part of that and to be able to support him because men tend not to talk to or confide in other people with this stuff. So the likes of me – who is part of the process but outside of the situation – they often lean on me, which is a privilege.’
Gráinne also gets to share in the instant gratification that comes after a proposal. Because she knows the time, date and scenario surrounding the big question, she often waits impatiently by the phone, desperately hoping for a happy ending. ‘I’m like a buddy rather than a counsellor,’ she laughs. ‘I get a bit nervous when I say keep me posted then you get the fabulous WhatsApp message or the picture of her so excited with the ring on her finger and you feel a part of the celebration.
‘ Then of course they can unburden themselves of this massive weight and the story of what was going on behind the scenes for the last few months. He has the story of dealing with Gráinne in South Africa and making the ring and that adds to the whole experience for them both. The girl gets a sense that this wasn’t some random decision to walk into a shop and buy the first ring they saw. An awful lot of thought, consideration and planning went into it and I think that means more to the girl than anything else.
‘It’s like that concept that if you walk in with one red rose or six, it means the same because it’s the thought that counts. I think the fact that so much thought goes into our rings makes it that bit special.’
So does she then stay on board to help them with the wedding?
‘Unfortunately I’m no good to them for that end of things,’ she says erupting in laughter. ‘Come back to me for the wedding rings but for the venues and the gúnas, it’s not my forte I’m afraid.’
Gráinne has graced our TV screens for almost two decades. From her start at TG4 to news reading at TV3 and Sky News Ireland, she also appeared on chat shows at RTÉ and ITV’s Daybreak show. She says people are still surprised when they realise that it is her guiding them through the design process and that she’s more than just the face of a website.
‘Yes people do get a bit surprised when they realise it’s me there working with them. I have had it a good few times when people come back to me and ask me if it’s Gráinne or her PA. I don’t have a PA, so it is indeed me and they are immediately taken aback.
‘ Then when we Skype, because they are used to seeing me on the TV that suddenly here I am, on a screen, talking them through a ring, that gives peoples the giggles definitely. But it’s very sweet.’
Gráinne set up the custom diamond jewellery business in South Africa with her fiancé, former rugby coach, Leon Jordaan. The couple met when Leon was coaching rugby in Navan and the idea for their joint venture came about from her own love story.
Leon proposed in November 2013 and ironically starting up the new business has meant that they have had to put their own nuptials on the back burner. But Gráinne says she gets emotionally attached to her own customers which is very fulfilling in its own right.
‘Leon is a partner in the business and we talk about it all the time,’ she says. ‘He does sometimes talk to clients as well but when it comes to the consultations that’s all me. This is a very creative industry with a soul and it’s an emotional business. I get that. I’m engaged myself and I’m a girl who knows how important that proposal is.
‘I can relate to and communicate with the girls and guys who are going through this process with me because it’s a life event for them. There are tears and laughter and a story that they will retell for the rest of their lives.
‘We really are there to support them and to get them the best deal that they can and make the best choice that they can, especially if they are unsure as to which direction to take.
‘We give a lot of advice and we make sure that they take time to make the right choice for them. This is not a pressure purchase and it should be made when you’re ready to go down that road and are happy with the decision. I definitely see myself as a support in that way. A lot of times people aren’t sure what they want so we figure it out by a process of elimination and give them ideas so that they come up with a ring that is unique to them.’
This Valentine’s Day, Gráinne and Leon will be spending it making other people’s dreams come true. She says that she still does believe in it as a concept and thinks that we should all embrace the sentiment of the holiday rather than the cheesy ➤
➤ commercial aspects. ‘I have been so busy I haven’t had a chance to think about it,’ she says. ‘I think it’s fashionable to diss Valentine’s Day and be anti-Valentine’s Day. I can understand that because all of a sudden the price of flowers goes through the roof or you can’t get a table in a restaurant or there is only a set menu on.
‘But I think life is tough enough and I think any excuse to spoil one another and make the person you love feel special is nice – even if it is in the name of a “Hallmark holiday”. If you can’t afford a dinner out, why beat yourself up over it?
‘Life is very pressurised and stressful and everyone is working very hard just to get by. So even if you’re just being nice to one another, even if it’s just bringing your partner a cup of coffee in bed, for that day, that small gesture makes a difference. I will probably stay in and cook a nice romantic meal for Leon and that will do us. Because I think just spending time together and making that time alone and just having a chat is romantic.’
Growing up in Galway, Gráinne says that she has quite fond memories of Valentine’s Day. She enjoyed the nervous energy that came with waiting for the postman, to see if you had received any cards.
‘Valentine’s Day was always fun growing up, I loved it,’ she says. ‘Once you got into your teens it was a bit of a drama, always freaking out whether you were going to get a card or not. Then if you did get one, it might not have been signed and then you’d have the rest of the day trying to figure out who sent it. It’s very much part of growing up and a rite of passage.
‘I don’t know do teenagers do it so much with smartphones, which is a shame because it was great. It’s fun knowing that you have a secret admirer – it was so sweet and innocent. I think it can be very cheesy and over the top but a small gesture is always appreciated and welcome.
‘If we are all a small bit nicer to one another for a day I think most people would agree that’s a good thing.’
Later on in life, when she moved to TV, viewers of her shows would often send her in flowers or cards on February 14.
Unfortunately not every card or gift was of a traditionally romantic nature and Gráinne revealed how RTÉ were forced to open her post to insulate her against a small number of rogue gifts and cards.
‘Yes we did get things sent in,’ she says coyly. ‘It became policy actually in RTÉ a few years ago that your post would get opened before it was delivered to you because you’d never know what would be in it.
‘I would definitely get things sent in, particularly when I was on Seoige with Síle. There were flowers and lovely things. Most of the time it was very sweet and appreciative and just people who were fans who just wanted to mark the day and say thank you and they enjoyed the show. Mostly they were very nice, I cannot and will not talk about the crazies, bless them.’
Formerly married to former TV3 sports editor Stephen Cullinane, Gráinne was recently home to present Up For The Match on RTÉ.
She no longer presents Crimecall but Gráinne says she doesn’t miss being in front of TV cameras every day. She does admit to being involved with a new show that is waiting on a transmission date as well as a number of exciting pilot endeavours.
‘I have done some filming for a show that’s coming up in few weeks but I don’t know the transmission date and have been asked not to talk about it. I did it when I was at home in January and I’m talking to RTÉ and various other production companies about different projects.
‘ Things can change in TV, you think you’re going to make a show and then suddenly the funding is gone and they take the show in a different direction or they need to go back into development. This is always happening but I’m very much still in the loop.
‘Right now, I’m concentrating on Grace Diamonds and enjoying it.’
Which is great news for any of Ireland’s budding Romeos...
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