Diamond Engagement Rings Specialist

A few years ago, one would never have thought that people would buy diamond rings online. Most people needed to see, feel, touch, try on and then buy. However, there seems to be a marked change in recent times about the way people buy things – and this seems to have rubbed off on diamonds too. More diamonds are being sold now online and people don’t mind sitting in the comfort of their home and choosing which diamond they want.

For one thing, many more people around the world can afford diamonds now and even if they cannot buy a diamond that weighs and looks like the celebs’ diamond engagement rings do, they know that they can get a diamond that is within their budget. Not just that, they can sit back and have it designed online as well. Suddenly, buying diamonds have just become so much easier.

Recently, an online diamond jeweller launched a site in Turkey, little knowing whether or not the venture would be a success. Their diamond jewellery was only available online and they were very surprised at the number of e-shoppers their site attracted. The success of their site, they felt, was the fact that they had a wide range of diamond jewellery and a lot of it was affordable. They even had a very small diamond solitaire so people could have the satisfaction of being able to afford a classic diamond engagement ring. The huge demand for this ring made their site go down for a while! The great thing was that they got orders from remote villages too. Suddenly, they had made diamonds not just affordable but accessible to so many. Their customers range from students to many in the middle income and even the high income groups.

It looks like loose diamonds will have another hub soon and that is going to be Bahrain. There are some very ambitious plans in the pipeline to make this city a diamond hub and the Chamber of Commerce is talking to the Gemmological Institute in the USA to get them to set up a GIA office there.

There is a GIA office in Dubai but the people in Bahrain feel that the place is better situated in order to cater to the demand in the Gulf region. So loose diamonds would be brought into Bahrain and then sent out to the other places from there. This would be especially convenient for the cities in Saudi Arabia where there is a great demand for diamonds to make diamond rings and diamond jewellery. For this, customs duties for both importing and sending out the diamonds will have to be looked at in order to make the proposition a viable one. Today, there are traders who deal in rough diamonds but there is no official GIA office through which loose diamonds can be brought in and sold.

Bahrain holds the Jewellery Arabia Expo which attracts a lot of people who want to buy gold, diamonds and other precious stones. They get a number of buyers from the Gulf region as well as Yemen, Afghanistan and Sudan. Granted, when there was trouble in Bahrain, it upset the gold trade there but it has put that behind it and come back stronger and more willing to be a strong presence in the gold and diamond markets again.

In the Panna Mines in Madhya Pradesh, India, there’s a lot of excitement over their most recent find – a diamond that weighs 37.68 carats. Now we wonder just how many diamond rings will be made out of that diamond. Or will it go to make one huge diamond? No one knows yet. Diamonds this size are not that common so it is quite an exciting event to find something this large and this precious.

The diamonds from the diamond mines of Panna have been ranked behind the diamonds from the South African mines but these mines which started operating in the late sixties have had some pretty interesting finds. A few months ago, they mined a diamond that weighed 34.37 carats. And the news is that there are a lot more to be found down here. There was a break in diamond operations for a few years because the mines are very close to a tiger habitat and the tiger population is fast dwindling in India. However, for the past few years, the mines have been operating and their finds have been very good.

Diamond mining all over the world is drawing attention because of the plight of the miners so wherever the mines are situated, more and more jewellers are making sure they buy their diamonds from sources that get them from mines that operate to certain specifications and human rights guidelines. Anything to do with diamonds always makes big news and this large diamond – the biggest find in these mines so far has drawn a lot of attention.

Ask any woman and she’ll tell you that she loves owning a diamond ring. Of late, though, especially after the riots, there seems to be a sense of unease and fear when it comes to wearing those diamond rings or expensive jewellery out. That definitely does not mean that a woman will stop wanting to own a diamond ring – just that she would rather leave it at home.

And go out ringless? Oh, no! There’s always replica jewellery to fill that gap. There are many British women today who are getting replica rings and jewellery made so they feel safe wearing it outside. If you were to talk to specialists who make replica jewellery, they will tell you that around half their customers are afraid of being robbed and that’s why they come in to have replica jewellery made. This is especially true of lady bankers and women from the Middle Eastern countries who possess a lot of jewellery but are scared today of wearing them too often.

The great thing about replica jewellery is the feeling that you do have the real thing so it isn’t as though you are faking it. Beyonce, the singer, is known to wear replica jewellery. In fact, when Jay-Z asked her to marry him, together with the super expensive diamond ring, he also gave her a replica ring. Many women might start off wearing replica jewellery only when they travel but it gradually gets to feel safer to wear it most of the time, knowing the real thing is safe at home locked up securely. A replica diamond ring can look exactly like the real thing but cost a fraction of the price. And the person who wears it is usually the only person who knows she is wearing an imitation of the real one that she has.

London’s luxury store and limited edition luxury jewellery pieces – there couldn’t be a better fit. This is where the Royal Asscher Diamond Company will be showcasing some of their best jewellery and this will be the largest number of pieces from their collection called the Star of Africa. Those who are looking for unique pieces of jewellery will find it at Harrods the store that is the latest and the biggest on their list of retailers.

The collection will have pieces of jewellery from the Royal Stars – a collection that pays tribute to the royal family in the Netherlands. There will be diamond rings, pendants, earrings and cufflinks. The collection was first launched two years ago and one of the hallmarks of the collection are diamonds enclosed in sapphire domes filled with fluid so it looks like they are floating in an ethereal world. The diamonds really look like they are in a snow world, floating like snowflakes. Other pieces of jewellery in the collection include jewellery made with beautiful pink diamonds as well as orange diamonds. All of them are limited editions.

Some of the sales proceeds goes towards aid in Africa and it is spread all over the continent to fund programmes in education, healthcare and self sufficiency projects. Just one more reason for people who are looking for unique jewellery to hurry to Harrods and pick up some wonderful diamond rings and other jewellery.

According to a jeweller, the tracking of recent jewellery sales has revealed that what are trending really well are rose gold and diamonds that are chocolate or canary coloured. Suddenly, there seems to be a very strong and rising interest in diamond rings that are different – from the colour of the metal used to the colour of the diamonds. Of course, what remains constant is the fact that people still want gold and they still want diamonds when it comes to diamonds rings. However, they want a diamond ring that is different and they are willing to pay more – maybe even a lot more – for it.

Why rose gold? Are platinum and white gold losing their sheen or is it just a fashion statement to have a different colour metal for a ring? Whatever it is, rose gold seems to be the flavour of the season together with diamonds that are brown or yellow – or to give them their fancy names – chocolate or canary diamonds. Diamond engagement rings with these combinations seem to be really popular and the women seem to love the unique and different look, while still feeling good that they are wearing diamonds – after all, in a woman’s mind, they are forever. The brown diamonds dazzle with a rich colour and the yellow ones sparkle with brilliance. It isn’t as thought people only choose rose gold as a setting as some prefer white gold but the trending seems to show more and more rose gold choices than before. This seems to extend to other jewellery like earrings, necklaces and wedding bands too.

The kind of diamonds that were the most popular are the round ones and the princess cut diamonds. The designs also seem to be getting more intricate and artistic. It looks like people are spending a lot of time deciding on what kind of jewellery they want. Is the shifting trend just a passing one or will it be around for a while? In the fickle changing world of fashion, one never knows. What one can say, however is that gold and diamonds – in whatever hue – are going to be around for a long, long time.

It’s the wedding season in India and with the silk saris and the designer outfits, also very much in evidence are the dazzle of diamonds – in necklaces, earrings, bespoke diamond engagement rings, bangles, bracelets and nose rings. It’s not just the bride that has to be all dressed up – every person who is at a wedding ceremony has to look his or her best and adorning oneself with jewellery seems to be the way to do it.

There’s one trend however, that is very recent and that is diamond mineral make up. What exactly is this? It is make up that made with diamond dust -0 yes, that’s right, actual diamond dust that is imported from different parts of the globe where diamonds are processed. This diamond dust is mixed in with many make-up products – from eye shadows to blushers to concealers to foundation. Does it really make a difference? According to beauticians and brides who have used it, it does indeed. It imparts a beautiful natural glow and makes the skin look beautiful and flawless. It hides any blemishes and pigmentation marks and the bride really does look radiant on her wedding day – which is what everyone wants.

Is it only on that special day that diamond make up is popular? According to beauty salons, no. There are many people coming in for that look before an important event and women of all ages seem to be gravitating towards this new trend. The great thing about this make up is that it can keep you looking glowing for hours and when an event goes on for a long time, it’s nice to know your face won’t mirror your tiredness.

A study has thrown up some amazing insights. There are four counties in the country where men spend over £2000 on engagement rings. In fact, the average amount spent in one county was £2535 on one ring. This average was computed by using the sales over one whole year and trying to see where most of the spending was coming from. The study clearly threw up four counties where men went all out to spend a lot on the engagement ring they chose to propose to the women in their lives.
The four counties are West Glamorgan, Glasgow, West Lothian and Angus. If one were to look at an average, most British men spent over £1500 for an engagement ring. This augurs well for the diamond ring industry and obviously, diamonds are still the most popular gemstones for an engagement ring. It also shows that no matter what financial problems people might have, when it comes to an engagement ring, as far as possible, there will be no scrimping and saving.
The metal that is most popular is yellow gold and one out of two engagement rings seems to be made of this. Coming up next was platinum followed by yellow metal. There are certain counties that are still traditional in their tastes and will only look at yellow gold. However, the rest of the country seems to be more modern in their taste and they seem to prefer the white look to the yellow. London seemed to have a platinum preference. What also emerged is that more and more people are buying their jewellery online finding it a lot more convenient and efficient.

Or a wedding ring, or any ring for that matter. With the price of gold having shot up so much, more and more people are thinking of recycling the rings that they have in their possession – wedding rings, engagement rings or diamond rings they may have inherited. Of course, some people prefer to just sell the gold and buy new gold or exchange what they have for another ring of the same value. However, the trend today is seeing more and more people taking what they have and having them made into new jewellery for themselves.
The thing is, gold is never, ever thrown away – unless of course it was buried with royalty like the Egyptians or lost – at sea, in rivers, in soil. Otherwise, all the gold mined is passed down and recycled from generation to generation. So imagine – you could well be wearing gold that was mined in the time of ancient civilisations. And yet, except for the few who could afford to keep buying more gold and keep the old jewellery till they became heirlooms, most people recycled and upgraded their jewellery by making them into more modern designs.
The great thing about recycling old jewellery is that you don’t feel the pinch of how high priced most precious metals and gems are. It also means that you get yourself a piece of jewellery that is contemporary and looks new. Very few people want to wear someone else’s engagement ring or wedding ring so this is a great way to wear something new and yet not pay the earth for it. This could even work if you don’t really like your engagement or wedding ring because they are old fashioned or they look worn out. With the same metal and gem stone, you can make a new improved piece of jewellery, feeling that you are still wearing the same thing in a new avatar.

Church services have come a long, long way in most places in Nigeria. No longer are they small little whitewashed buildings with poor pastors and very poor parishioners singing faithfully from old hymn books. Today, the pastors are more often than not, millionaires, Bible readings are done from tablet PCs and diamond rings flash from the pews. The churches are large and overflowing and very often there are thousands of people attending each service.
Some of these huge churches that can hold over five thousand people and are built like plush auditoriums, with many chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, lighting up the whole area. Shining down on a congregation where dazzling diamond rings vie with the top brands of wrist watches and the best of designer clothing. This new generation of religious people firmly believes that being religious does not mean you have to be poor. They feel you should revel in your wealth. Which is perhaps why some pastors can be seeing driving high end luxury cars and flying around on private jets.
With so many wealthy people in the congregation, it is little wonder that the donations to the churches too are generous and the pastors are high net worth individuals today. They justify it by saying that people are born to be well off and joyously use everything that is given to them. Somehow these churches have moved on from places of worship to huge businesses being run for profit.

When people think of diamonds – women, especially, they see the dazzle and the romance that the gem has become imbued with over the years. However, investments in diamonds seem to be growing and becoming a highly profitable area. This thought is being reinforced in many places by diamond investment firms with mailers and email pitches.
So what drives this belief? For one, diamonds have grown at an average of 15% over the last forty years which is quite impressive. And this year, in the first half, the value of rough diamonds went up by around 30%. What they believe is that in the next year, it will go up by around 25%. This seems to be good prediction because people all over the world are fast losing confidence in currency – as can be seen by the phenomenal rise in the price of gold. This, coupled with a huge rise in demand from emerging economies like India and China has given diamond investments a fillip like never before. In fact, one-fifth of the demand for diamonds come from just these two countries and given the huge combined population as well as rising disposable incomes, it looks like the demand can only get bigger.
When compared with gold, diamonds are so much rarer and their value can only go up. Also, the fact that weight for weight, the value of a diamond weighing 5 g is the same value as a hundred kilos of gold makes it that much easier to store and transport. With diamonds running out and diamond mines yielding less and less, people far prefer to invest their money in this rare gem than in paper money and bonds which may soon be worthless.