Information on Buying your own Diamond or Gemstone
Although we do hope you will buy your diamond or gemstone from us, we are nevertheless very happy to set customer's own stones into an engagement ring design. Here are a few tips to help you:
Be sure to allow enough budget to cover the setting
We occasionally are asked to set stones bought elsewhere where the customer has used up all their budget on the stone, either because they have got carried away or are mistakenly thinking that this is where the 'value' of the engagement ring rests. It is a terrible shame to set a beautiful diamond in a cheap mass produced setting, not only will it not show the diamond off to its best but it will also be weak on you could risk losing it altogether! The investment value of an engagement ring rests as much in the quality of design and craftsmanship as it does in the beauty of the diamonds or gemstones, so be sure to allow enough to get your stone set.
We are only too happy to offer advice as to the cost of setting your stone before you have bought. Do contact us and we'd be delighted to have a chat.
Beware of buying off the internet or oversees
It's generally assumed that buying precious stones abroad can save money - this is not often the case. During our travels, we have seen unsuspecting couples being charged what they think to be a bargain price for a gemstone which is in fact much more than our stone dealers would be charging in the UK. This is especially true in tourist centres throughout the world.
The same is true of many internet sites that claim to be able to offer better prices because you are 'buying direct'. Again, in our experience, these prices are not generally better than you would expect to pay from us.
Remember, if you buy from us, not only are you going to get the best possible price, but also the benefit of our experience and knowledge in finding the perfect stone to match your budget.
Beware of Fakes
We have had many people through our doors with stones that have been sold to them as one thing but are in fact another. Even reputable sources will often get it wrong and we have seen first hand, in the far east, what appear to be 'official government' shops selling stones which aren't correctly identified. Harriet has personally seen topaz being passed off as aquamarine.
Customer's own diamonds must be Conflict Free
We put a considerable amount of effort into guaranteeing that diamonds that we use in our engagement rings are conflict free. We are one of only 66 worldwide members of the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices and together with them, the British Jewellers' Association and our stone dealers, are working extremely hard to ensure that no conflict diamonds are used in engagement rings in the UK.
Part of this commitment is that we are not prepared to work with customer's own diamonds, that have been sourced by them, that do not have adequate guarantees that they are conflict free. We are, however, prepared to remove and reuse stones from old jewellery where it is impossible to know one way or the other because the stone was purchased before the Kimberley Process was introduced.
Insurance
Customer's diamond or gemstone (with the exception of emerald, opal and tanzanite) up to the value of £7000 will be insured by us during the setting process. We are happy to arrange cover for stones over this value - please contact us for an indication of cost.
Related blog articles
- Harriet's blog article: Diamond Price Comparison.
- Harriet's blog article on diamond certification.
- Harriet's blog article: Buying diamonds online.