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)

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.

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!

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!

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.

The earliest use of jewelry to signify a bonding was often literally chains and bracelets. There is also some evidence to suggest that the first wedding rings used by ancient peoples were actually ropes that held a woman as property. This evolved to the use of the symbolic ring. In ancient Egypt, a ring was a symbol of the the Sun and the Moon Gods, both of whom were also related to the home and hearth. The endless circle showed the eternal nature of the bond, while the open center was meant to be a doorway to things unknown.

So, the ring has always represented the eternal bond and promise of companionship. And today we still honor the plain ring as a wedding band, but the diamond engagement ring is seen as a more powerful symbol of man’s love to his bride. The diamond, being of almost indestructible nature, symbolizes eternity. At the same time, having such traits as sparkle and brilliance, diamond symbolizes the beauty of love.

Today, the diamond engagement ring is regarded by most as an essential part of the act of getting married. There are many styles, shapes and types of rings to choose from and diamonds to fit almost any budget. The modern wedding ring has spawned a global business of retailers, crafters, miners and importers. And to think it all began with a simple little bit of rope.

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.

‘Beyond beautiful’ The hammer price excluding commission was 9.3 million francs. The scarcity of the gems is in part down to the fact so few places in the world mine for blue diamonds. Mr Bennett said: “For people who are looking to buy something that nobody else has, or somebody who wants something that is beyond beautiful, a blue diamond is going to be very difficult to find, so when they appear on the market, you have to have a go.”

The stones get their colour when the chemical boron is present during formation. In May 2008 a 3.73 carat diamond was sold by Sotheby’s at auction for nearly $5m (£3.4m) setting the world record price per carat for any gemstone at auction.

(BBS NEWS, Tuesday, 12 May )

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…

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.

1. Pay attention to what kind of jewellery she likes, and what kind of jewellery she wears daily – classic, contemporary or vintage. Does she prefer white gold or platinum? What kind of gemstones does she like? Most women prefer diamond engagement rings, but some don’t. Some women like something different like emeralds, sapphires or rubies.

2. Listen to her! Sometimes women point out jewellery they like while looking through magazines or passing by the shop windows. Or may be one of her friend’s recently got engaged and she mentioned if she liked or didn’t like her friend’s ring. Go shopping together and find a reason to stop at the jewellery shop, say you are looking for a present for your family member, and make sure you stop by the engagement rings counter.

3. Sometimes it is also a good idea to ask her female friends or relatives about her taste. But do ask them to assure the vow of silence!

4. Think about what ring will look better on her hands. Diamonds that have cuts with more surface area are better for women with long fingers. Bold ring styles also look good on longer hands. A round diamond is the number one shape chosen by brides and it also works well for large fingers as well as Princess Cut and Emerald Cut. It can be a good idea to choose Marquise Cut Diamond or Oval Cut Diamond for someone who has short fingers, because these shapes tend to elongate hands. Ring setting is very important too. Delicate settings would look nice and sophisticated on long fingers, whereas a thicker band would make the ring look more flattering on larger hands.

5. Consider her ring size! This is one of the most difficult things in the process of buying engagement ring. Not all rings with stones (especially when there’re stones around the band) can be resized. The best idea would be to ask her friend or family member to help you to find out the size. You can consider yourself lucky if your fiancée wears rings on the fourth finger of either hand, then you can measure it on the inner part with the stripe of paper and bring it to the jeweller. If neither of these is possible, make sure you buy the ring that can be resized.

6. Work your imagination! Your girlfriend will be flattered if you give her unique engagement ring. You can tell Voltaire Diamonds what you have in mind and we will help you to find or create that perfect engagement ring.

7. Consider a Loose Diamond. If you know what diamond shape your girlfriend likes, buy a loose diamond. Then, after popping the big question you can shop together for the perfect setting. But whether you are buying a loose diamond or a diamond engagement ring, make sure the diamond comes with a GIA or HRD certificate. Voltaire Diamonds are there to help you with the whole process and advise.

So, as you see, there are many points to consider while buying the perfect engagement ring for your loved one, but the result and the feeling of happiness at the very important moment of your lives is definitely worth the hassle!

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.

I would also like to make things a little bit easier for you and point out some important moments you should think about while making this decision.
 
First of all, many people think that they can buy diamond jewellery cheaper in the States than in Ireland or UK. This is not always true, because diamonds that sparkle on the counters of American jewellers have been more likely cut in Europe (Belgium or Holland). Naturally, transportation of stones from Europe to the States adds up to the cost of the ring, as it is normally more expensive to fly diamonds to the other side of the ocean than to ship them to Ireland. The other drawback of buying your diamond ring abroad is having to pay customs duty and import VAT on your way back to Ireland or UK. That is why I would recommend you to make simple calculations of all the possible expenses you might encounter when travelling abroad in quest of the perfect ring, and see if you’d get the ‘best deal’ you were hoping for.
 
Another important point worth noting is reputation of the jeweller. Whether you buy in Ireland or abroad, make sure to buy your diamond jewellery from a well-established company. To my mind, it is always easier to find information about local company than about someone abroad. I would advise you to check for such details as how long they have been in business and if they belong to any trusted association, have a look at their website and read other buyers’ reviews.

Among many dangers of getting diamonds from an unknown seller are fake and uncertified stones, fracture and line filled stones, colour enhanced stones, fake certificates and “Conflict” or “Blood” diamonds.

I strongly advise you to always ask for a diamond authenticity certificate. Certificates give you information on diamond’s cut and quality, and they also serve as a proof of the diamond’s identity and value. Always trust only internationally recognized diamond certificates such as GIA, HRD or IGI. Beware that there are suppliers who make their own certificates. If you are not sure in the authenticity of the certificate, we recommend you to call the issuing body. But the best way to avoid stress and disappointment is to buy from a well-established company.

I hope that these points make sense and they will help you to make the right decision, and your experience of making one of life’s important purchases will be enjoyable and memorable!