How to Compare Lab Grown Diamond Jewellers

If you are weighing up Brilliant Earth, Blue Nile, James Allen, Ritani and smaller independent workshops like ours, the marketing all sounds similar. Here is a checklist that actually separates them, and an honest account of where a small workshop wins and where it does not.

We are not going to quote competitors' prices or policies here, because both change constantly and you should check them yourself on the day you buy. What we will give you is what to check, and our own numbers.

The eight questions worth asking any jeweller

1. Is the setting solid gold, and what karat? This is the question most people never ask. The stone gets all the attention while the metal holds it. Ask whether the setting is solid gold, gold filled or plated, and which karats are offered. Ours is solid gold only, in 10K, 14K and 18K, hallmarked.

2. Who certifies the stone? For lab grown diamonds, IGI is standard. For moissanite, GRA. For natural diamonds, GIA. Ask which laboratory, and check the certificate number on that laboratory's own website, not the retailer's.

3. Can the ring be resized, and by whom? Solid gold rings can be resized by any competent jeweller. Plated and tungsten cannot. Full eternity bands usually cannot either. Ask before you buy, not after.

4. How long is the return window, and who pays return postage? Thirty days is common. Ours is 60 days with free returns. The postage question matters: returning a ring internationally at your own cost can be expensive enough to deter a legitimate return.

5. Is it made to order or shipped from stock? Made to order means you choose karat, colour and size, and it takes longer. Stock means faster delivery and fewer options. Neither is better; they are different trades. We make to order, roughly 4 business days before dispatch.

6. Who do you speak to if something goes wrong? Large retailers have call centres and defined processes. Small workshops have the person who made the piece. Decide which you would rather have at 9pm when a prong feels loose.

7. What protects your money? Card chargeback rights and PayPal Buyer Protection apply regardless of who you buy from. Check that the retailer accepts a payment method carrying them. Anyone asking for bank transfer should end the conversation.

8. What is the piece actually made of, by weight? Ask for the gold weight in grams. It tells you more about value than any marketing copy, and it lets you compare two rings that look identical online.

Where a large retailer genuinely wins

Selection and filtering. Tens of thousands of stones with precise filters, and the ability to view individual certified stones. No small workshop matches that.

Showrooms. If you want to see a stone in person before buying, a national chain can arrange it.

Established reputation. Years of reviews and recognisable branding reduce the perceived risk of buying something expensive online. That is a real advantage, and worth something.

Financing. Large retailers typically offer instalment plans.

Where a small workshop wins

Price for the same specification. Fewer overheads, no showrooms, no advertising budget at national scale.

Karat and colour flexibility. Every one of our designs comes in 10K, 14K and 18K and in yellow, white or rose, because each piece is made rather than picked from stock.

Direct contact. You can message us and get an answer from the people making the jewellery.

No pressure to upsell. We will tell you when a cheaper option suits you better, because there is nobody on commission.

Our numbers, for comparison

Complete rings in solid gold, so you can set them against anyone's:

• 1 carat lab grown diamond ring — around $1,450

• 2 carat — around $2,500

• 3 carat — around $2,775

• 2 carat moissanite — around $1,500

• 5 carat moissanite — from $1,700

Selecting 14K instead of 18K lowers these by about 12%, and 10K by about 22%. Detail in what an engagement ring costs.

Being straight about the risk of buying small

Buying from a store you have not heard of carries real risk, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling. What reduces it: paying by card or PayPal so your money is protected independently, checking the certificate on the laboratory's site, and asking questions before you buy to see whether a human answers.

We publish how you are protected and real orders we have delivered for exactly this reason.

Frequently asked questions

Are cheaper lab grown diamonds lower quality?

Not necessarily. Compare the certificate: carat, cut, colour and clarity. If two stones have the same specification from the same laboratory, the difference is the retailer's margin and the setting.

Is it safe to buy an engagement ring online?

Generally yes, if you pay by card or PayPal and the stone is certified. Those two things protect you more than brand familiarity does.

What should I check before ordering?

The metal and karat, the certifying laboratory, the return window and who pays return postage, and whether the ring can be resized.

Browse lab grown diamond engagement rings and moissanite engagement rings in solid gold.

Where we actually are

We are not a website with no address behind it. We work from two premises:

• Surat, India — SNS Platina, 307, 3rd Floor, Surat 395007. Surat is where a large share of the world's diamonds are cut and polished.

• Bangkok, Thailand — 1249/211 Gems Tower Building, 34th Floor, Rooms G-H-I, Charoen Krung Road, Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500. This is the building Bangkok's gem and jewellery trade works from, and it is where your order is made and shipped from.

Both are showrooms where you can see pieces in person and be served by the people who make them. Appointments are best, so we can have the pieces you want to see ready. To arrange one, message us and we will book you in.

Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm, local time at each showroom. WhatsApp: +1 647 547 3342 — one WhatsApp line for every country, answered from the workshop by the people who make the jewellery. Message us to book a showroom visit or to ask anything before you order.

It is also why your parcel arrives from Bangkok with DHL Express: it ships from the workshop that made it, not from a warehouse of ready-made stock.