A couple of weeks before the last Valentine’s Day a friend of mine sought my help on buying a diamond ring. It was his long cherished desire to surprise his wife by presenting her a solitaire diamond ring. And what could be more romantic than offering it on a Valentine’s Day? 🙂

Now, diamond jewelry is something we don’t buy often. Secondly, it was difficult for him to make time from his busy schedule and visit the local jewelry stores in search of his solitaire. Even if he could manage he also wanted me to accompany him. Unfortunately, it was a pretty bad week for me at work too. I knew I won’t be able to make time. Suddenly this idea hit my mind.

Why not buy a diamond ring online?

We don’t have to go anywhere to do that. Most importantly, like any brick and mortar jewelry shop, we will have an array of solitaire rings to choose from. Products are displayed with clear images and detailed information on online stores. What we need to do is a bit of research online. It can be done sitting in the comfort of home or during the break in office. In our case, my friend had already made up his mind. He wanted to buy a yellow gold solitaire diamond ring. He set his budget Rs 35,000-40,000. So that made our search narrower and the research easier.

But as soon as I gave the proposal guess my friend’s reaction. “What… Buying a diamond ring online!!!… Are you out of your mind?” Well, it was expected. Online jewelry shopping, especially gold and diamond, is not so popular a concept in India compared to online purchase of clothing and accessories.

But buying expensive items such as diamond jewelry online (from a trusted brand) can actually be good for your pocket.

Price is the biggest factor for many. If you have limited budget you may have to compromise on quality and/or size of a diamond while buying locally. On the contrary, you not only get extensive choices online but also wide range of pricing. Additionally, there are special offers and discounts available at online stores most of the time. Why not take advantage of that as well?

But yes, you need to know a few important things to save yourself from a bad purchase.

After deciding your budget and the type of jewelry you need to choose your brand wisely. I suggested Candere to my friend. Candere is a prominent name when it comes to jewelry. My reasons for choosing this brand were –

• Wide range of selection
• Bespoke international designs at affordable price
• Products available on EMI (which I think is a great advantage)
• Products comes with insured free shipping, jewelry certifications and lifetime exchange
• Guaranteed ‘express delivery’ within 7 days anywhere in India (which my friend badly needed at that time)
• 30-days return policy with 100 percent money back guarantee
• Lifetime warranty

We had to explore the product gallery at our convenient times, select the diamond ring and place the order – it was easy.

If you are thinking how I am supposed to be sure about the size of the ring, there is no reason to worry. Choosing your diamond ring size is very easy with measurement provided in centimeters on Candere product gallery.  If you still have confusion go through their elaborate size chart before hitting the ‘shop now’ button.

Checking the certification

Candere diamond jewelry come with certification from the world’s top gemological institutes – GIA (Gemological Institute of America), IGI (International Gemological Institute) or HKD Diamond Laboratories Canada.

More information on gradation of the quality of a diamond

The Four C’s defined by GIA – Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat are the primary deciding factors of a diamond’s quality.

Color: Colorless diamonds are of highest value. The color of a diamond is rated using a scale ranging D to Z where D indicates colorlessness and Z indicates a visible yellowish hue. Remember that D-F category diamonds are completely colorless and are most coveted items while S-Z is noticeable yellow which should be avoided when you aim for a colorless diamond.

Clarity: The clarity of a diamond is determined by the amount and type of inclusions (impurities) in it detected under 10x magnification. The diamond is graded in a clarity scale of FL (flawless), IF (Internally Flawless), VVS (Very Very Slightly Included), VS (Very Slightly Included), SI (Slightly Included) and I (Included). In case of VVS to SI graded diamonds inclusions are not visible to the naked eye.

Cut: Don’t confuse cut with the shape of a diamond. It refers to the angle with which the diamond is cut. The angular cutting helps in total internal reflection which lends the diamond its sparkling shine. The finer the cut is the brighter the stone.

Carat: Carat refers to the weight of a diamond and not size. One carat equals to 0.2 gram.

Hope this information helps. Happy shopping! 🙂

P.S: Finally, my friend was convinced to buy his diamond ring online. Later, he told me that it was the best Valentine’s Day in his life so far. Well… you know why. 😉