After an eventful season of Ginny & Georgia that dropped over the summer, Antonia Gentry—who goes by Toni—is ready to get back to filming. The actress, who plays Ginny in the ultra-popular Netflix show, will board a plane in just a few days to begin shooting season 4. In the meantime, though, she has a few things on her mind: anklets, Off-White, and diamonds.
As the face of Jared Jewelers’s new Storied Diamond campaign, Gentry has a thing for sparkle—and everything that comes with it. The campaign coincides with the release of A Diamond Is Born, a documentary by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Luc Jacquet, which explores the journey of natural diamonds and highlights the growing importance of transparency in the diamond industry. Originating in Botswana, Storied Diamond uses Everledger blockchain technology to trace each step a specific diamond takes before it becomes a finished piece of jewelry—not just any diamond, but the exact one you can see and buy.
Ahead of the new campaign launch—and fresh off New York Fashion Week (which she attended, of course, as any fashion girl would)—ELLE caught up with Gentry to talk all things jewelry, style, and, naturally, Ginny & Georgia. Read on for her NYFW favorites, pre-filming hidden gems, and a sneak peek inside Gentry’s jewelry box. Hint: there are definitely a few diamonds.
Tell me a bit about this new campaign. How did it come about?
When Jared approached about the Storied Diamond campaign, I was immediately like, “What does that mean? What’s happening here?” And it turns out it’s this really cool way to trace the exact diamond you’re selecting and follow its journey all the way from the mine in Botswana. A lot of people don’t know where their diamonds come from. These stones go through such an incredible transformation—and the work is passed hand by hand, all the way across the world. It’s a unique way to become closer to this incredible diamond that’s representing something most likely really meaningful and important in your life.
Do you have any jewelry pieces that you consider must-have for everyday or that you can’t live without?
I really do love rings and stacking rings. I have a set of rings that I wear pretty much all the time. When I was really young, maybe 11 or 12 [years old], my grandmother gifted me her first pair of diamond earrings that she had ever gotten, and so I have those at my mother’s house in my childhood bedroom in a little jewelry box. I remember when I first saw them and I was like, “Oh my gosh, these are real diamonds.” Even then, I could see how special that was and how precious that was. When I go home and visit my parents for the holidays, I pull them out sometimes just to look at them.
What’s your style when it comes to jewelry?
I started off as a maximalist, and I also love vintage jewelry. I used to just stack all of my jewelry all the time. Then it just became increasingly hard, when you travel a lot and you’re on the go. Now I’m a little bit more minimal. I’m also trying to get into anklets.
I’ve noticed you’re a bit of a fashion girl—and most recently, you attended the Off-White show at NYFW. Any favorites moments or standout looks from the runway?
It was such a cool show to attend. It was in a high school, which I didn’t realize until we arrived, and we walked through, like, an auditorium, and then suddenly I was in a cafeteria and all of the students were there. They were freaking out and screaming and they were so excited. I was talking to some of the kids, and they were saying that they were able to help put together the show, too. [It was] just a really, really cool way to incorporate the community into fashion. I had never been to a fashion show at a high school before. Everything was just so beautiful, and some of the kids got to actually watch the show, and I thought that was just so lovely. The show itself was amazing. I was doing double takes, like, “I need this, I need this.”
How would you describe your own personal style overall?
My friends always say that I dress pretty cosmopolitan. I like to be comfortable, but in a way where if I’m running out for a coffee and someone wants to take a photo, I feel good about doing that. I’m really into playing with silhouettes these days. If I’m wearing baggy jeans, then maybe I’ll have a tighter top. I’ve also been really into more Japanese styles in terms of the silhouettes.
You’ve now starred in three seasons of Ginny & Georgia. What has the experience taught you, and how has it translated into your own life?
It was my first real big job. It was a big learning curve for me. I really have a deep appreciation for filmmaking and storytelling in general, having now had the privilege of being a part of it and doing this as my career and how much blood, sweat, and tears really goes into it. For all of the hard work that we put into the show on set, for people to respond the way they have to the show as an audience member and just how deeply meaningful these characters and stories can be to so many people has really just made me appreciate even more in my day-to-day life, the connections that I make with strangers and how through storytelling, you can really make people feel seen and connected to each other and across the world.
That’s another reason why I was excited about doing this campaign—because it’s a way to really connect and ground yourself with the choices that you’re making, like buying a diamond ring. Whether it’s an engagement ring or [a] graduation, it marks something important and significant, and to be able to trace the decisions that you’re making back to their origin is such a wonderful thing.
How do you think the show—and your character—have contributed to the broader conversation around mental health?
When we went into it, our showrunners were really, really serious about making sure that we portray all of the characters’ mental health struggles, but specifically for Ginny, that we portrayed [them] in a way that is authentic and real as opposed to sensationalized or glamorized. Working alongside Mental Health America, every step of the way has really allowed me to fully trust the process in having to step into the shoes of this character. I didn’t realize until after the show came out just how much people really resonated with that and see themselves reflected in Ginny. The number of fans that I’ve spoken with, who have told me that the show and this character has helped them seek help and go to therapy or even just open up to their loved ones to seek support in times of hardship is such a wonderful thing. It’s just such a privilege to be able to continue to do this for another season and hopefully reach even more people and keep reminding them that they’re not alone in whatever they’re going through.
Have you started filming Season 4 yet? And are there any tidbits you can share with us?
We’re so close, I can almost touch the plane ticket. This time around, they’re really keeping us in the dark. I haven’t even seen scripts yet, and I’m getting on the plane in two days. It’s safe to assume there’s going to be more drama, more heartbreak, more laughing until you cry, crying until you laugh. And these characters, man, they go through it. But I’m excited to play a version of Ginny this upcoming season that we haven’t seen before. I can’t wait to get started.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
