Yes. Chemically, physically and optically identical to mined diamonds — same carbon crystal, same hardness, same fire. A gemmologist needs specialised equipment to tell them apart, which is exactly why every stone I sell comes with an independent IGI or GIA report identifying it.

There’s no store. No lease on a retail unit, no display inventory sitting unsold, no commissioned sales floor. I buy from the same certified suppliers and apply one flat margin. That’s the entire difference — not a lesser stone.

You see the independent lab report before you commit, with a certificate number you can verify yourself on IGI’s or GIA’s website. Most stones are laser inscribed with that number on the girdle. I also send real photos and video of your actual stone, and of the finished ring before it ships.

We settle it before anything is made, because orders are final sale and I don’t offer resizing. I’ll walk you through getting an accurate measurement from a ring she already wears, and if you genuinely can’t, we’ll talk through the safest choice for your design.

Yes. Same carbon crystal structure, same 10 on the Mohs scale, same optical properties. The difference is how they formed, and that’s recorded on the lab report. They are not moissanite or CZ — those are different materials, and I don’t sell them as diamonds.

Be careful with anyone who promises resale value on any diamond, natural included — retail resale is historically poor across the board because you’re selling back into a market that buys at wholesale. Lab-grown prices have also fallen as production scaled. Buy the ring because you want to wear it, and insure it for replacement. That’s the honest position.

Not by looking. Identification requires specialised laboratory equipment. The report tells you, and the girdle inscription tells anyone with a loupe — which is a feature, not a problem: it’s proof of exactly what you own.

Yes, GIA-certified, at the same flat margin. Some people want mined and that’s a completely valid choice. I’ll quote you both against the same budget so you can see the trade-off in front of you.

No retail lease, no display inventory, no commissioned sales floor, no national brand name to fund. I source from the same certified suppliers those stores use and add one flat margin, which I’ll tell you about if you ask. Nothing about the stone is lesser.

The Carat Collective Diamonds Inc. is a registered Canadian corporation. Every stone arrives with an independent IGI or GIA report you can verify on the lab’s own website before you pay in full. You’ll deal with me by name, on the phone or on video, for the entire process — and you can look me up.

No. Consultation and diamond options are free. A 50% deposit starts the CAD and secures your stone; the balance is due before the finished ring ships.

No — every order is final sale, deposits included. That’s the trade-off for wholesale pricing, and I’d rather tell you plainly up front than bury it. What you get instead is every check before you commit: the lab report to verify, photos of your actual stone, and CAD renders revised until they’re right, with nothing cast until you approve. Take all the time you need at those stages.

Four to six weeks end to end is typical: options in a day or two, CAD within days, fabrication three to four weeks. If you have a fixed date, say so at the start and I’ll tell you honestly whether it’s doable rather than promising and scrambling.

Very normal, and worth solving properly — orders are final sale and I don’t resize, so a guess is a risk. We can work from a ring she already wears or a discreet measurement, and I’ll tell you honestly how much margin your chosen setting allows.

Finished pieces are final sale, so this is worth getting right the first time. If she’d like a different setting later, I’ll happily quote reworking your existing diamond into a new one as a fresh project. Better still, bring her into the design stage — the joint-project version of this is genuinely the best one, and it’s why I offer unlimited CAD revisions.

I can build something in the same spirit — proportions, setting style, band profile. I won’t reproduce a protected design of another maker, and honestly, the version we make yours usually ends up better.

Yes, and I love these projects. I’ll assess the stone first — older cuts sometimes have chips or wear that affect what setting styles are safe — and tell you before we design anything.

Fully insured and tracked, signature required, anywhere in Canada, at no extra cost to you. In-person collection can be arranged by appointment.

No — none of the three. Every order is final sale and every piece is sold as-is. That’s why the checks happen before you pay: verify the lab report yourself, see photos of your actual stone, approve CAD renders with unlimited revisions, and see final photography before it ships. Insure the ring in your first week and have a local jeweller check the setting once a year, as you would with any ring.

Yes — a complimentary insurance appraisal comes with every ring so you can schedule it on your home policy right away. Do that in the first week; it’s the single most-skipped step.

No showroom — that’s deliberate, and it’s a large part of why the pricing works. I work with clients across Canada by video, phone and DM, and can arrange to meet by appointment.

Yes. There’s a separate trade programme supplying IGI-certified lab-grown stones to jewellers, goldsmiths and designers. Contact me with your business details for trade pricing.

All Canadian orders ship fully insured and tracked with signature required, at no extra cost. You’ll get tracking as soon as the parcel leaves. I don’t ship to unattended addresses or leave parcels without a signature, without exception.

In-person collection can be arranged by appointment.

Every order is final sale. No returns, no refunds, no exchanges — on custom rings, loose diamonds and ready-made pieces alike. This is how wholesale pricing works: there is no retail margin absorbing the cost of returned stock, which is exactly why your price is what it is.

So the safeguards sit before you pay, not after, and I take them seriously:

• You see the independent IGI or GIA report, with a number you can verify yourself, before any payment
• You get photos and video of your actual stone — not a stock image
• CAD renders of your setting, revised as many times as you need, and nothing is cast until you approve
• Final photography of the finished piece before it ships

If anything about a stone or a design isn’t right, say so at those stages — that is what they are for, and there is never any pressure to approve. Once a piece is made and shipped, it’s yours.

There is no resizing service, no repair service and no warranty. Any work after delivery — by me or by another jeweller — is a new, separately quoted job.

Rings are made to the size you confirm, and I do not offer resizing. Please take the sizing step seriously — measure from a ring she already wears, or ask me and I’ll talk you through it before you approve anything. Some designs, such as full eternity bands and certain pavé settings, could never be resized in any case.

Pieces are sold as-is with no warranty, no repair service and no aftercare service of any kind. Once your ring is delivered, its care is yours. I’d rather say that plainly than imply cover I don’t provide.

So do this instead: insure it in your first week, and have a local jeweller check the setting once a year. Prongs loosen with ordinary wear on every ring ever made, and a five-minute check is what keeps a stone in its setting. Take it off for gym work, gardening, cleaning products and swimming.

A complimentary insurance appraisal comes with every ring, valued for replacement so you can add it to your home or tenant policy. Do this in your first week. An uninsured ring is the only genuinely avoidable heartbreak in this business.

Prices are in Canadian dollars. Consultations and diamond quotes are free. A 50% deposit begins CAD work and secures your stone; the balance is due before shipping. E-transfer, credit card and wire accepted. All deposits and payments are non-refundable, and every order is final sale — please read the section above before you place one.

What I collect: the name, email, phone number and project details you send me through the form, by email or by DM. That’s it. This site doesn’t run advertising trackers or sell data.

What I do with it: reply to you, prepare your quote, and complete your order. Your information is never sold, rented or shared, other than with the courier and goldsmith who need it to fulfil your order. Surprises get spoiled by careless emails, so I’ll always ask before contacting you at an address someone else might see.

How long I keep it: as long as needed to complete your order and meet my records obligations, then it’s deleted on request. Email me any time to see what I hold, correct it, or have it removed.

Form submissions are delivered to my inbox through Web3Forms and are subject to their handling of the message in transit.

Lab-grown stones come from established growers with IGI or GIA certification. Natural stones are sourced through Kimberley Process–compliant suppliers with GIA reports. If you want to know exactly where a specific stone came from, ask me and I’ll tell you what my supplier documentation shows — including when the honest answer is that traceability stops at a certain point.