Voltaire Diamonds are pleased to now be offering  optional insurance cover for engagement rings and wedding rings.

The type of insurance cover we offer has various advantages over other alternatives such as typical home insurance package:

• Simple certificate with minimum of exclusions.
• Cover anywhere in Ireland plus up to 30 consecutive days elsewhere.
• All items insured against physical loss or damage including theft and accidental loss.
• Claims settlement exclusively by repair or replacement via Voltaire Diamonds (N.B. There is no cash settlement option)
• Your jeweller is available to assist you during opening hours
• Maximum any one item of jewellery €5000 reducing to €1500 for any one watch
• Maximum amount of jewellery that can be insured per household €10,000
• No excess applied to losses (typical home insurance has a minimum €50 excess)

Fluorescence is the visible light some diamonds emit when they are exposed to invisible ultraviolet (UV) rays. On a certificate, fluorescence refers to the strength of the diamonds reaction to long-wave UV, which is an essential component of daylight. The light emitted lasts as long as the diamond is exposed to the UV source.

Is fluorescence common?

Yes. Of all diamonds submitted for certification, approx. 25-35% exhibit some degree of fluorescence. However, only 10% of those show strengths of fluorescence that may impact appearance ie strong or very strong. In more than 95% of diamonds that exhibit fluorescence, the colour seen is blue. In rare instances, the reaction is yellow, white or another colour.

What impact does fluorescence have on the appearance of a diamond?

GIA studies show that, for the overwhelming majority of diamonds, the strength of fluorescence has no widely noticeable effect on appearance. In many instances, observers prefer the appearance of diamonds that have medium to strong fluorescence. In rare cases, some diamonds with extremely strong fluorescence may appear hazy or oily, fewer than 0.2% of the fluorescent diamonds exhibit this effect.

Does fluorescence compromise the structural integrity of a diamond?

No. A diamond that fluoresces has the same integrity as one with no reaction to UV. Submicroscopic substitutions and/or shifts in the diamond structure can cause fluorescence as well as prevent it.

At Voltaire Diamonds we are specialists in diamond engagement rings; whether it is a modern, classic design, or a vintage design from solitaires to clusters, we have a huge selection of styles, shapes and sizes to choose from. Most of our rings come with certificates from either the GIA, HRD or IGI. Beware of other certification bodies.

We are based in 93 St.Stephens Green Dublin 2, We are open from Monday to Sunday and meet all clients privately.
You can view a selection of our diamond engagement rings on this website but please bear in mind that we only show a very small amount of our ring styles on this site. We have a much larger range to show you when we meet!

When buying a Diamond Engagement Ring there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration besides the 4 C’s. Below you will find other factors including the 4 C’s that need to be taken into consideration. Purchasing a Diamond Engagement Ring is one of the most important and personal decisions one will make in their lifetime so it is    for this reason that I have outlined the top 10 tips when making that purchase.

1) Certification – The top three certification bodies in Europe are GIA / HRD / IGI, stones sold under other certification bodies can cost substantially less as they may not be as well respected in the diamond industry and may not be as strict in their grading standards. Beware of Jewellery shops that sell Diamonds with their own in house certificates as these are not independent. Always ask to see the certificate when buying a certified diamond.

2) Colour – Ranges from D (colourless) to Z (strong yellow tints). D – F colourless, G – H near colourless. Always ask the jeweller if you can inspect the diamond in daylight as some jewellers lights/lamps can make a diamond brighter than it actually is.

3) Clarity – Ranges from Flawless to Heavily Included (inclusions visible to the naked eye). Only 1% of the worlds diamonds are flawless, all others have clarity characteristics that were created when the diamond was being formed millions of years ago. Best value for money would be VS2/Si1, be careful when buying Si1 stones as quite a number of them have visible inclusions if you look closely enough. Always ask to view the stone with a loupe (10 X magnification), you should see the inclusions through the loupe, then look at the stone with the naked eye, if you can then see the inclusions, this stone is not EYE CLEAN.

4) Carat Weight – 1 carat weighs 0.2 grams. Prices jump at what we call “magic points”. Magic points are 0.5ct, 1 ct, 1.5ct, 2ct etc. Best value is to buy at just under the magic points. eg A 0.9ct stone can cost up to 20% less than a 1 ct stone.

5) Cut – Cut is the most important of the 4 C’s when purchasing an engagement ring. Some get confused between Cut and Shape of the Diamond. Shape refers to Round, Princess, Cushion, Pear, Emerald etc. Cut refers to how well the diamond was crafted from its rough state. If a diamond is not cut correctly it will not have maximum brilliance, fire and scintillation. The cut grade scale is Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Always select a diamond that has an Excellent or Very Good Cut grade otherwise you may be disappointed when you leave the bright lights of a jewellery shop!

6) Fluorescence – Refers to the diamonds reaction to Ultra Violet (UV) light. If a diamond has fluorescence it may turn milky/cloudy on a sunny day when there is strong UV light. Your diamond may also turn blue under artificial UV light – nightclubs! There is a scale for fluorescence – Nil, Faint/Slight, Medium, Strong and Very Strong. I advise buying diamonds with only Nil or Slight, prices drop significantly when the fluorescence is medium or stronger.

7) Wedfit Engagement Ring- To avoid the costs of custom made wedding rings, also consider the wedding ring when buying your engagement ring. Always check if a straight wedding ring fits snugly against your engagement ring, if not, you may need to have a wedding ring custom made unless you are happy with slight gaps etc.

8)Insurance – Do not over insure you engagement ring. I see customers on a regular basis comment that they had their engagement rings valued at 3/4 times more than they paid. If your engagement ring is lost or stolen, most insurance companies now replace the ring or write a cheque for the replacement value, they generally do not write a cheque for the insurance value unless the item was under insured! Over insuring results in you paying much higher premiums which most insurance companies will gladly accept.

9) Buying Abroad – Always buy from reputable Jewellers, research jewellers on Internet forums before you travel. Ask if the diamond is 100% natural or has it been clarity enhanced, line filled or artificially treated. Consider costs of travel, hotels, time off work, currency rates etc. You are also liable to Irish duties and taxes when you return to Ireland. Consider after sales service, what if there are problems with the ring, diamond becomes loose, diamond on shoulders falls out, ring needs resizing, rhodium plating etc. And remember – “If something seems too good to be true, it normally is”!

10) Platinum versus White Gold – White Gold stays fresher looking for much longer than platinum. White Gold is a little lighter than platinum and needs to be rhodium plated every 12-18 months, this costs approx. €20. Platinum goes a dull greyish colour very quickly. Some jewellers will promote Platinum mainly due to the fact that there is a larger margin on this metal. Most people who work in the Jewellery business select White Gold for their own engagement rings so that should tell you something!

While looking at engagement rings the other day, this thought crossed my mind Why do we exchange RINGS for engagement and wedding, and why do we wear them on a particular finger? I mean we could have been as well exchanging other things like bracelets, or curls of hair, or hats… So I did a bit of research and here what I’ve found.

For centuries engagement rings have been considered to be the symbol of love and loyalty. The tradition to place the engagement ring or wedding ring on the fourth finger, or “ring finger”, came to us from the times of Ancient Romans, who believed that there is a so called “vena amoris” or “vein of love” running directly from the heart to the fourth finger of the left hand. This theory has been cited in western cultures as one of the reasons the engagement ring and wedding ring was placed on this particular finger. Read the rest of this entry »

A  rare blue diamond weighs 7.03 carats, is smaller than a penny piece, and is one of only a handful of blue diamonds in existence. The anonymous phone bidder has yet to name the gem, mounted on a platinum ring, auctioneers Sotheby’s said.

The diamond was found in Cullinan mine in South Africa last year, and its clarity was graded as flawless – the highest designation. Auctioneer David Bennett said: “It is a new world record price for a blue diamond.” It had a pre-sale catalogue estimate of 6.8 million to 10 million francs, excluding commission. Read the rest of this entry »

Recent Interview with Seamus Fahy of Voltaire Diamonds for The Irish Independent.

The former city trader who aims to become the kind of the diamonds.

Seamus Fahy believes he can crack the gems trade by operating what is virtually a one-man show.

View the article here…

Buying an engagement ring is a very important event for many of us, and quite often it can become a stressful event too. Engagement rings come in all shapes and sizes and for all tastes. And it makes it even more difficult to pick that very special one among such wide range of rings. As they say “No choice is bad, too much choice is even worse”

Many couples today buy the ring together. It insures that the bride-to-be gets the ring she’ll enjoy wearing all her life and the man won’t get too stressed out while proposing. But what about the romance and excitement the woman gets when she sees that beautiful little box presented by her boyfriend and she can only guess what’s inside?! So, I decided to suggest some tips on how to choose the perfect engagement ring for those men who still believe in romance and choose to do some work and find that unique engagement ring for their fiancée. Read the rest of this entry »

Choosing and buying an engagement ring is a wonderful experience, but it can also be a stressful event for most. Thus, one of the first questions that arises when the time comes to think about engagement, is where to buy the ring in order to get the best deal – locally in Ireland or UK, or abroad.

Some people will advise you to go to New York, South Africa or Dubai in search of your perfect engagement ring, others will try to persuade you to support Irish jewellers… In my opinion, it is wise to do a research online, learn about diamonds, read about other people’s experiences and make your own choice. Read the rest of this entry »