DeGem’s flagship store in Bangsar.
Purchasing and designing your own jewellery has been made easier through innovative online solutions.
For many, one of life’s greatest pleasures is the act of walking into a store, looking around at what’s for sale and trying items on their person.
Jewellery is one of those items that sparks joy for a lot of people. Just being able to slip on a pair of earrings, pulling your hair back and admiring the sparkle in your reflection, or trying on a bracelet and moving your wrist and watching light bounce off it can lift one’s spirits on the darkest of days.
Unfortunately, since the pandemic hit last year, shopping in-store has been difficult and sometimes impossible as restrictions to curb the spread of the disease were imposed.
However, thanks to forward-thinking companies like homegrown jeweller DeGem, the in-store experience has been flawlessly paired with online offerings, known as an omnichannel or hybrid shopping experience.
There’s nothing like seeing jewellery up close in a physical store.
“Prior to the pandemic, younger customers tend to browse online before coming to the store, whereas mature customers preferred to visit our boutiques to view our stocks on hand,” explains Jia Chen (JC) Choong, DeGem Group’s operations and business development director.
“Since last year’s movement restriction periods, overall, customers of all ages grew more open to shop for jewellery on our DeGem E-Store, or consult with us through messaging to order bespoke jewellery.”
According to Jia Chen, the demand for birthday and anniversary gifts were consistent, as well as self-treats.
Diamond engagement rings and wedding bands were deemed a necessity for wedding registrations, micro weddings and proposals, and the demand for these remained high.
Despite the pandemic, there has been no shortage of demand for jewellery for various occasions. — Photos: DeGem
“We are fortunate to live in this age where online video meetings and instant messaging are helpful for connecting in times of movement restrictions. The pandemic has only sped up everyone’s acceptance and adaptation of these technologies, especially for the mature generation,” he says, adding that gemstone jewellery remained a popular purchase.“We could still continue with bespoke design consultation during movement restrictions at no extra cost. Our IGTV educational series supported the continual demand for gemstones such as ruby, jadeite and even rarer gems such as Paraiba Tourmaline, Tsavorite Garnet and untreated Padparadscha Sapphire.”
DeGem’s social media platforms began receiving many enquiries as consumers flocked to these channels to find out more about the brand’s products. Through these online chats, many customers were able to equip themselves with deeper knowledge and better understanding of their intended purchase, thus saving themselves some time before visiting DeGem physical boutiques as a final step to pick up or complete their purchase.
“A good number of customers still prefer to have the option of safe and contactless shopping, which we are flexible to provide through secure delivery for local, interstate and overseas addresses. In such cases, we find that they feel confident to purchase direct from us without needing to step into our stores at all,” explains Jia Chen.
A unique shopping experience
To further enhance the omnichannel shopping experience and to cater to demand, DeGem launched the Build Your Diamond Ring web widget for customers to design their own diamond ring from a home computer, laptop or on their mobile.
The first step is to select the diamond of your choice.
“Access DeGem’s online inventory of over 20,000 natural diamonds with different shapes (round, cushion, princess, oval, heart and more) and 4Cs (Colour, Clarity, Carat and Cut), which are all graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The diamond stocks displayed on this website consist of ready-stock diamonds from DeGem’s existing inventory, and diamonds from DeGem’s insider network of exclusive miners and artisanal diamond cutters,” explains Jia Chen.
Jiayueh Choong — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
Next, take your pick of DeGem’s exclusive ring designs – each design includes a 360° video to aid the customer’s decision making.
Finally, select your ring size and preferred metal (white gold, rose gold, yellow gold or platinum), and engraving details, and your ring will be ready to be shipped within a month.
These pieces are crafted in DeGem’s in-house factory, which created high end jewellery worn by Hollywood stars such as Awkwafina and Reese Witherspoon.
Every purchase includes free laser engraving, free one-time resizing, free lifetime cleaning at DeGem boutiques, secure packaging and safe delivery to your doorstep.
Jia Chen Choong — filepic
“This web widget enables us to be more transparent with our diamond prices, allowing customers the freedom to research and shop at ease with guaranteed quality,” explains Jia Chen. “Many are often surprised to find our prices competitive – we are able to offer first pick of raw materials at best prices, straight from the mine to the customer – this is made possible thanks to our business’s economies of scale and decades of consistent business track record.
DeGem practises effective supply chain management and puts social responsibility at the core of its sourcing practices.
“Being a member of the Diamond Exchange of Singapore and the World Federation of Diamond Bourse – represents DeGem’s commitment to use only conflict-free diamonds from reliable sources that follow ethical practices,” adds Jia Chen.
Offline versus online
While shopping online is practically seamless, in-store shopping is here to stay as nothing can replace the experience of seeing jewellery close-up and holding it in your hands.
“They get to enjoy a cup of tea while discussing with us on design and gemstone sourcing best fit for their requirements. When it comes to purchasing investment-quality gemstones and heirloom jewellery, it is still very important to rely on sight to truly understand the colour and value you are buying,” explains Jiayueh Choong, DeGem’s communication and design director.
“Even in our sourcing process where Jia Chen takes the lead in, when we visit mine sites and stone cutters, we still need to examine rough and cut gemstones with our own sight and touch to determine whether it is worthy of our curation. Gemstones, like property, should not be bought based on certificates alone.”
DeGem creations are crafted in-house.
At DeGem’s boutiques, sales representatives are able to guide and consult customers on the spot for clarity and advise them on immediate available stock for purchase.
“Besides ready-made products, we also offer personalised or bespoke jewellery services at all DeGem boutiques. Our jewellery designers can be consulted to recommend to customers how to set their gems into personalised jewellery with skilled hand drawings or computerised renderings. A purchase decision can be done on the spot as it is easier for customers to understand and visualise a customised piece,” says Jiayueh.
“For customers’ convenience to shop in-store, our other boutiques are in located in secure locations within the Klang Valley with accessible parking, such as our DeGem 1Utama, The Gardens, Pavilion KL, Ampang and Pavilion Bukit Jalil coming soon in December 2021,” she adds.
Buying diamonds for beginners
If you are new to buying diamonds or are in the position to advise someone who is thinking of making their first purchase, there are several things to take note of.
Jia Chen advises buyers to first ask for a breakdown of how much a ring setting costs, to try on the company’s jewellery pieces on display, and ask how do they ensure consistency in their craftsmanship.
“Most jewellers outsource their crafting to third party factories, incur additional commission fees, and runs the risk of potentially resulting in subpar finishing, lighter gold weight, or lower quality side diamonds,” he reveals. “In general, any arrangement with a third party exposes your purchase to elements of risk in terms of consistency and authenticity.”
DeGem Diamond Twist Ring
It is also important to find out what your after sales service includes.
“Cleaning is usually complimentary for jewellers who own physical stores, but check if the company provides any resizing service, maintenance and repairs,” advises Jia Chen.
Companies that operate solely online may not have staff skilled at servicing jewellery, which will leave you in a lurch if you should need any resizing or repairs done, and jewellers who rely on outsourcing may incur a high fee. Another thing Jia Chen points out is how to ensure the diamond is natural and ethically mined.
“There are unethical jewellers in this current market who are selling lab-grown diamonds (which have no resale value) without disclosing they are different from natural diamonds,” he says.
DeGem Classic Oval Cut Diamond Solitaire Ring
He adds that one should also check on the store’s upgrade policy for future reference so there is a trusted place to go to for continuity of service, should one wish to upgrade his diamond for special milestones in future.
Jia Chen also advises that whenever possible, there is no harm to ask to view available ready stock diamonds on hand to understand the standard quality of curation by a jeweller
One pro tip for first-time buyers: fancy shape diamonds cost less than round brilliant cut diamonds, these include princess, emerald, oval, and marquise shapes, among others.
“These can make your engagement ring look one-of-a-kind, and also cost less than round brilliant cut diamonds since more weight is sacrificed to make a round shape, so it is possible to purchase a fancy shape diamond that looks more stunning for the same carat weight,” says Jia Chen.
DeGem Lovely Romance Heart Shape Diamond Ring
DeGem’s Build Your Diamond Ring widget is the perfect way to determine the differences in pricing between diamond shapes.
“When it comes to purchasing fancy shape diamonds, we can educate you on proportions that are ideal. We frequently meet customers who consult us regarding disparities in pricing for fancy shape diamonds of a same carat weight. After examining its proportions, we find that the cheaper option may be an overweight stone, which may cause it to look less brilliant and smaller when viewed from the face up,” says Jia Chen.
Younger customers often assume that established jewellers only manufacture mass produced pieces, and while this may be true for international brands, homegrown jewellers like DeGem started as design houses and are still known as one of the best places around for finely crafted bespoke jewellery.
DeGem Elegant Oval Cut Diamond Ring
“Even if you wish to replicate any our jewellery designs with a different carat weight or different gemstone, our in-house factory can manage your order within a month,” says Jia Chen.
At the end of the day, his advice is to not just compare prices, but to take the opportunity to experience for yourself how the jewellery piece feels on you.
“Does it feel solid yet comfortable to wear? It means raw materials are not compromised to make this valuable piece, and its finishing is done by highly skilled craftsmen, and the QC is done by experienced jewellers,” he explains.
Exceptional quality
Detailed handcrafting methods that have been in the family for 50 years, a combination of state-of-the-art 3D printing technology and unparalleled skill and expertise are what make DeGem the local jeweller of choice.
“If you have ever been involved in the process of renovating a house or tailoring a suit, you would know it is not as simple as putting the item into a 3D printer and expecting the result to look 100% the same as your sketch,” opines Jiayueh.
“You need real expertise - experienced hands and eyes to work on the piece, to ensure that it is well constructed and its finishing on all surfaces are finely crafted, so much so that you can notice the difference in aesthetics and also comfort when you wear it.”
Sometimes the process takes months to complete – for example, the DeGem DNA collection bracelets took multiple rounds of testing over a few months to get 360 degree effect engineered to perfection – so that it swirls effortlessly in the way the designers visualised it and is comfortable to wear.
*For more information, go to www.degemdiamond.com and to check out the Build Your Diamond Ring web widget, head to gia.degemdiamond.com/gia.
