So we WFH "Work From Home' the abbreviation made famous thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic that hit us out of nowhere in 2020, the year we abruptly moved from Shanghai to KL. Truth be told, WFH existed in our family biz way back, from Father-in-laws time in Penang where he ran his diamond wholesale business from the room downstairs he converted into his office. I was told he had a neat set up, complete with a secretary/PA space for Ms XX who came in her motorbike daily and shared meals with our family. My mother-in-law was a great cook and many hot meals were churned out from the family kitchen to feed everyone at home. I try to follow suit but these days, Grab seems to be bringing us lukewarm meals.
So is WFH a misnomer for a Diamond Retailer? Officially, a Retailer is someone who sells at a Retail level, whether its coming out of a Retail Shop or not ...
Ive had many comments and feedback from clients and friends about selling diamonds from home. Amongst the common ones are :
"How to trust you guys are selling real diamonds"
"Spending so much money with you and no shop, SAs, Guard, champagne"
"Too casual, its diamonds not biscuits"
"So unprofessional, dont even have a storefront to greet me"
No standard 'la'
So here's the #real and blunt truth.
So only shops can sell real things and never once was a brand or store accused for selling fake stuff, swopped items etc? Home based business is otherwise known for dodgy, scams and dishonesty ... Oops, but a home is where the heart is ... No?
Yes, a lot of money is spent on diamonds and jewellery so the least we can offer is a grand storefront with the likes of Sales Assistants, overflowing champagne and petit fours in Diptyque scented spaces. But #realtruth is, all the above comes with a price and cost and someone has got to cover the expenses ... right?
It is a very casual set up. We get straight to the point, we discuss the brief and narrow down our options and set a budget. We share information and knowledge generously, we offer guidance and advise when approached because we want to help our friends, clients and customers purchase a diamond they can be proud of and wear with no regrets. Did i also mention, casual and over coffee is the best and truest way to make friends ... Friends generally do not scam each other lol #realfriends #withknowledgecomespassion
We unfortunately do not have a storefront now (had one too many in the past) and for those who can accept this new and casual arrangement, we welcome you to our humble abode for some homemade kuih, coffee or wine ... For first timers, we could meet any place safe, comfortable and convenient to get the awkwardness out of the way so we can move on to bigger and more important matters ... diamonds! #realhomes
Now with regards to Standard ... this we have plenty to say! WFH doesn't equate to lower or no standards. Standard is set anywhere anytime anyhow. When one has standards, it translates to everything they do ... Store or Home. #realfacts
TCC Standards
We gladly share with you the 4Cs of Cut, Carat, Color and Clarity that fundamentally determine a diamonds value, but it takes years to know diamonds and their finer points intimately. Selecting a worthwhile diamond is a complex process with many traps for the unwary. While all diamonds above 0.3ct are accompanied by certificates from world renown grading labs (GIA and IGI), the commonly referred 4Cs are an over simplification of quality standards and should merely be used as a STARTING POINT only.
For assurance, our diamonds must be stones we would welcome back into our inventory we provide trade up service for our stones (>1ct) in safeguarding the family reputation, every diamond is handpicked from the smallest to largest going beyond the 4Cs.
So how do make purchase decisions?
We end up buying a small % diamonds shown to use rejecting more than 90% which on certification alone would otherwise reach our specified standards. Unquestionably a significant number of the rejects then appear on the internet or otherwise selling solely on certification in other jewellers windows. These less than desirable stones would appear similar based on the 4Cs yet vary greatly in price and beauty.
What happens after we purchase the stone based on the brief and budget given?
Craft and Custom Design follows suit whereby a brief if set and a 3D rendering is provided and shown to the client for a final sign off before it is 'exquisitely crafted' (is to painstakingly approach all finer details in the crafting process. Every jewel is crafted by first examining the diamond, customizing design details to accommodate the specific size and shape of the stone, paying particular attention to the proportion and overall aesthetics of the piece. #realcraft #realtalent
What is Custom Design?
Aka Bespoke piece, whether its a brief to bring sparkle to an old piece or creating that next attention grabber (Someone joked to me once, i want something that will make people go Oohh and Ahhh when im passing the salt across the dining table), we are happy to conceptualize that creation for you. The process starts with a design brief followed by concept and proposals in 3D rendering format which after approvals will proceed to a wax model so you get an idea how the final result will look like. From the wax model, further fine tuning is done before it is sent to the final production.
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