For most people, a diamond is purchased for only the most special occasions such as an engagement or a milestone birthday. It represents both a financial and an emotional commitment and the sparkling piece of jewellery will be treasured forever as a reminder of the important event. It therefore seems obvious that the process of selecting and buying the diamond should itself be an exciting and memorable experience, in addition to being one in which you can feel confident in the choice you are making. At PA Jewellery we place this dual aim at the heart of how we sell diamonds so that our diamond story becomes a happy chapter in your life too.
The first thing you will notice on visiting PA Jewellery is the welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. We don’t engage in a ‘hard sell’ approach and are happy to let you take your time and make decisions at your own pace. Our friendly staff are here to listen to what you need and try to make that happen. Every customer is different, and your personal diamond story won’t be the same as anyone else.
There is no escaping the fact that diamonds can be complicated. There is seemingly endless information available on the internet advising on qualities and grades and sometimes pointing the consumer in conflicting directions. Most of us are not experts on diamonds, but we do want to be sure we are making a sensible purchase, especially given the financial and emotional investments involved. It is easy to find information about diamonds, but equally easy to become confused or overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of information out there!
Our sales team includes several gemmologists and diamond graders, trained by Gem-A (formerly the Gemmological Association of Great Britain) to globally recognised standards, some of them receiving prestigious international awards alongside their Gemmology and Diamond Diplomas. They know their stuff and will happily share as much (or as little!) of their knowledge as you like to help you understand what you are buying and feel confident in your choice. The important thing is that you decide how much you want to know. We can clarify how diamonds are graded and what features to look out for, discuss the differences between stones and why their prices vary, or even (if you really want to know!) explain how diamonds form and why they have inclusions or a tint of colour in the first place. If you prefer, we can also not explain any of these things and you can simply choose the diamond you like the look of, knowing that in the background you will still benefit from our knowledge in putting together the selection of stones you are choosing from.
Most of the diamonds we stock in individual weights above 0.30ct are supplied with independent diamond grading reports from The Gemological Institute of America (GIA). These documents were produced before we purchased the diamonds and state the weight, measurements and cutting style of each diamond, along with grades for Colour, Clarity, Cut (for round brilliants only), Polish and Symmetry and an assessment of the stone’s fluorescent response under ultraviolet light. The grades applied are an expert opinion based on strict criteria and we choose GIA reports as these are generally the most highly regarded within the jewellery industry, known for their consistency and strictness in grading. This forms a key part of our commitment to providing customers with confidence in their purchase. You don’t just need to take our word for it that the diamond you choose is of a certain quality; an established and trusted laboratory has produced an independent report to back it up.
Since there is so much variety in diamond cuts, weights, and qualities (as well as in mount designs and styles!) we often won’t have a piece in stock that exactly meets your requirements. When this is the case, we will carefully select a stone for you, based on the criteria you set. This might be a ceiling on the budget, a specific size or weight you wish to achieve or a minimum grade that you prefer. We will take this list of requirements and narrow down the huge range of stones available to us in order to find the right one for you. This is a thorough process. You might demand a particular shape, weight, colour, and clarity. We will start with this and then begin to filter out stones that don’t match our high expectations of cut quality and overall appearance.
The diamond is actually only one part of the story. It will need to be set into a beautiful ring or other piece of jewellery and here too we are able to help you find and choose the piece that it right for you. If you already have a design in mind you can bring images with you, and we can help make your ideas into reality, or if you need inspiration we have a great selection of pieces in our showroom that you can view and try on. If you have specific requirements but not a final design, we can work with your ideas to create a bespoke piece for you. We work with a range of suppliers who can supply complete pieces, mounts, or components in a range of precious metals and sizes. Our on-site workshop is also able to either handmake or use CAD (computer-aided design) to produce your dream design if it does not already exist. Our jewellers can advise on which route is best for making your ideas come to life and guide you through the design and manufacturing process.
Email, call or visit our showroom to start your diamond journey.