Mumbai is one of the most important diamond centres in the world, and many travellers wonder whether they can buy an engagement ring diamond there with confidence. In this video, a client visiting from Japan shares their experience of doing exactly that with Allyours Jewels.

Tips if you are buying a diamond while travelling

• Insist on a recognised grading report. Make sure the certificate number is laser-inscribed on the diamond's girdle and matches the report.
• See the stone, not just the paper. Ask to view it under a loupe and in different lighting.
• Plan your timeline. A custom setting takes time. Share your travel dates up front so your piece is ready before you fly home, or arrange secure shipping.
• Know your home country's customs rules for bringing jewelry back, and keep your invoice and certificate with you.
• Work with someone who explains, not pressures. A good expert will show you why one stone is better than another.

Not travelling? You can still work with us

Many Allyours clients never visit in person. We share videos and details of the diamonds we have shortlisted, explain the differences, and ship your finished piece. With offices in Mumbai and New York, you can work with us from almost anywhere.

Planning a proposal? Tell us about it and we will shortlist diamonds for you.

Today you can buy a diamond almost anywhere: a mall jeweller, a big website, an Instagram page, or the family jeweller your parents have used for years. Each option has real strengths and real blind spots. Here is an honest look at all of them.

1. Traditional retail stores

Good: You can see and touch the jewelry. Watch out for: limited stock on hand, rent and staff costs built into the price, and sales teams trained to sell what is in the showcase rather than what is right for you.

2. Large online retailers

Good: Huge selection and easy filtering by grades. Watch out for: you are choosing from photos and a certificate. Two stones with the same grades can look completely different, and a filter cannot tell you which one is better.

3. Social media sellers

Good: Beautiful content and sometimes attractive prices. Watch out for: lighting and editing that flatter every stone, uncertain after-sale support, and certificates that are hard to verify.

4. The family jeweller

Good: Trust and a long relationship. Watch out for: small inventory and less access to the wider diamond market, so you may be choosing from a handful of stones rather than the best one available. (Our Hindi video at the top of this post covers this comparison.)

Where Allyours is different

At Allyours Jewels an expert inspects several diamonds in the Mumbai and New York markets on your behalf, then recommends the one that gives you the best balance of quality and price. Your piece is made to order, so you are not paying for a showroom full of stock. You get the access of the trade with someone who is on your side.

Compare for yourself. Request a quote and see what an expert-picked diamond looks like at your budget.

After 27 years in the diamond industry, we have seen one mistake more than any other: people choosing their solitaire on their own, based on a certificate, a price filter or a photo. It feels logical. In practice it very often leads to paying more for less.

Why doing it yourself goes wrong

• The certificate is not the whole story. Cut quality details, brilliance, bow-ties, tint, milkiness and where inclusions sit can make two "identical" diamonds look very different.
• Paying for grades you cannot see. Many buyers stretch for a top colour or clarity grade that is invisible once the diamond is set, money that could have gone into size or better cut.
• Price filters hide the best value. The best-looking stone for your budget is often just outside the "perfect" grades people filter for.
• Photos flatter. Studio lighting and editing make nearly every diamond look great.

What an expert does differently

We start with your requirements, then inspect several real diamonds in Mumbai and New York and compare them side by side. We explain what we see and recommend the one that gives you the right balance of quality and price. Then we craft your piece around it.

Learn more on our YouTube channel

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Don't choose alone. Get a free expert quote and let us do the inspecting for you.