The short answer is yes. As this business has grown, it has become necessary to add a consultation service. Whilst many are more than happy with offering their partner a promised ring (that is, the metal and diamonds to make a ring), some men do prefer to present a finished ring.We have taken some our customers through the whole process from creating a design and the appropriate diamonds and precious metal to introducing them to a manufacturing jeweller, managing the manufacturing and setting process and organising a valuation. Currently we are only able to offer a face to face consultation service in Brisbane and North Queensland, however our interstate customers feel very well served by our email and telephone support. We recognise that you need to feel comfortable and well looked after when making such an important purchase.
All orders are customised to suit the requirements of the buyer. If the raw materials are readily available (i.e. your stone choice is not unusual) you should receive your order within 10 days to two weeks of purchase. Some orders are finalised within seven days.
We have a secure ordering system. We accept all major credit cards via paypal, cheques and direct debit bank transfer. We usually require a 50% deposit ; with the balance payable upon dispatch of your order. If you know what you want to order you may do so directly to our paypal account - enquiries@ethicaljewels.com.au. Please allow time for direct debits and cheques to clear. Please advise us via email if you have placed and paid for an order. We will be setting up a direct payment page very soon.
We'll happily exchange the ingot for you — bearing in mind if there's a price difference we'll either credit you or charge you the difference.
We only offer 'white goods' in our standard range. This means we stick to D to G colours. In smaller sizes, it is virtually impossible to distinguish one white from another; therefore we have chosen to supply what is known as 'fine white' or 'collection goods', meaning we buy parcels that contain a range of diamonds from D to F. This is also a sound economic decision, as we do not have to pay additional labour charges for sorting diamonds unnecessarily.
We have chosen to separate G colour because of price and popularity. G VS and Si diamonds are the most popular choice as they represent the best value.
We also decided to simplify what can be a very daunting task of looking through pages and pages of diamond prices and offer what we believe to be the best choices.
As for our princess cut stones, we believe that clarity is crucial in this cut and offer the colour and cuts that best suit this style. The round brilliant cut is much more forgiving of flaws than the princess cut, and we are determined to offer the best.
In larger sizes, the variety is endless even in a single category. There can be thousands of dollars per carat difference in a G Si1 stone of the same size. This is a quality issue. Once you get to the bigger sizes the cut angles and size of the table play a large part in the classification of the stone — from poor, good, very good, excellent to ideal. Unless you want the absolute 'best' and are happy to pay for it, our advice is to go for the middle (very good to excellent) range. Please phone us for a quote for diamonds over 60 points.
We have just added some one carat prices to our price list, however, these prices are guides only, with careful selection,most budgets can be catered for
Absolutely not. There are ways around budgets. We can find diamonds to suit most but do not compromise on the quality of the cut or their non-conflict status. Your diamond will be beautiful regardless of the colour and clarity - although we do not sell material with eye visible inclusions so there is no 'bargain basement'. We really want to sell diamonds that continue to delight.
Making a ring normally costs anywhere between $500 and $2,000 — sometimes more (particularly for platinum). For more information on this, visit the Having a Ring Made section.
A smart Jeweller will realise that doing a good job for you on this ring could easily lead to lots of future business — from other jewellery you need, referrals and the like.
Having said that, many jewellers are used to working with supplied materials.
Either way, we recommend you shop around. Some less enlightened jewellers might mark-up the manufacturing cost to recover some the income lost by not being able to supply the metal and gems.
We are not 'screaming greenies' — but we do care about the environment and its people.
The fact is that the jewellery industry consumes about 85% of all mined gold and a large percentage of mined platinum.
The mining and refining process does a lot of damage. Though many countries enforce strict environmental restoration laws, too many industrial accidents still happen — resulting in pollution of land and waterways and poisoning of the local wildlife and people.
Similarly, we don't support exploitation and corruption in the diamond and gem trade. That's why we only source stones from suppliers who can verify their origin. We also do not use cutting factories that employ child labour or have a labour force that is exploited in any way. As a budding environmental gemmologist, Melinda is actively working to source gem materials that also directly benefit the community from which they are mined. This includes environmental as well as financial benefits. Wherever possible, we will provide Australian gem options.
Ethical Jewellery Australia is a business that is focused on the quality and ethics of the product. As a gemmologist run business, we have selected suppliers who meet our strict gemmological and ethical standards and all diamonds 50 points and over are certified. (Certification is available for any other gemstone or diamond on request.)
What we offer here is information, privacy, convenience and high quality with a reasonable price tag; and we stand by our refund policy. We have also found that none of our transactions are hands off; we communicate with every customer at length to ensure they have enough information to make their purchase.
You are absolutely right. Major chain stores, online retailers and auction houses do offer 'bargains'. However, these types of shops are not our competition. When taking into consideration the quality of our raw materials and what a good manufacturing jeweller can create with it, we can't be thought of in the same light as a retailer who mass produces their product offshore.
As you will have learned from the information on our website, a diamond is not a diamond.
Is that 1.5-carat diamond ring you have seen for $7,500 an E VS diamond with a high polish and ideal proportions? Is it set in eight to ten grams of 18-carat metal? Does the retailer follow a standard diamond grading system (such as the GIA) or is it an in house system? Is the ring cast or handmade? Is it one of a kind? Who certified the diamonds and valued the ring?
If you really want to comparison shop for our product, we suggest you do your research in high-end jewellery shops that offer hand made, top quality products.
The obvious answer to this question is however, you have chosen to look at our product because you don't want to buy off the shelf — you want your partner to create exactly what SHE wants. We believe, in this particular market, we are offering you excellent value for money.