We've talked before about the product adoption cycle before on the blog, but it continues to interest us in relation to the adoption of man-made diamond engagement rings. We are still firmly within the innovator phase of the innovation adoption life cycle which is a model that shows the rate at which people adopt a new technology like ours:

Some people, the vast majority of people in fact, are not innovators or even early adopters. They need the validation of the crowd before they take the leap with any product. They have to see others go before them before feeling confident enough to make a purchase in any new innovative product category. Innovators however are the those who take the lead on new technologies like man-made diamonds. 

This can be seen in the kind of people who purchase lab created diamond engagement rings from us in this early phase of their introduction to the market. Our customers are generally people who have an appreciation for either the science behind the technology or those who feel so strongly about the ethical credentials of man made diamonds over natural stones that the choice is a given. The fact is that the clear advantages of man made diamonds are sufficient enough for these people to easily validate a purchase.

It is with great credit to these innovators and early adopters that eventually results in the validation required by the majority to adopt an innovation. The long standing and ingrained nature of the natural diamond engagement ring market in particular means that the process of adoption will be slow and the concept will find it difficult to diffuse into the majority (which could be described as the mainstream).

We actually quite like this fact though. Of course we will continue to spread the word about our cause and promote the benefits of the man made diamond category, but we are proud that for now, we're not for everyone, and it's likely man made diamond engagement rings won't be for everyone for a long time yet. We are happy in the meantime to serve the innovators, the brave and insightful few who appreciate the benefits of our engagement rings.

We now offer a completely complimentary resizing service on all rings wherever required. We appreciate that picking the right ring size can sometimes be difficult, especially for gentlemen buying a ring without the involvement or knowledge of their significant other. So if you do order the wrong size, we'll resize it for you at no additional cost within 3 months of your original purchase.

Of course it is best if every attempt is made to get the size right first time round, but we understand that this can sometimes be more difficult than it sounds. In order to minimise the stress of what can already be a daunting process when purchasing an engagement ring, knowing that the ring can be resized easily, conveniently and at no additional cost, it is one less thing to worry about.

If you have purchased the incorrect size in your ring simply email us with the details and we'll provide instructions for sending your ring back to be resized. The only cost to you will be the postage you pay for sending the ring back to us. The resizing and the postage of the ring back to you will be completely free of charge.

We know that purchasing an engagement ring can be an extremely difficult and stressful process so we're always looking for ways to minimise strain and make the entire process pain-free. Offering a completely free resizing service is another way in which we can help reduce the critical factors that can cause uncertainty when making a purchase.

Shop our current Limited Edition Man-Made Diamonds Engagement Rings...

As everyone across the UK is set to become embroiled in election fever, we'd like to take the opportunity to remind people that voting in an election is only one way in which you can vote for the world you want to live in. You can actually make a huge impact, arguably even more than voting in an election, by considering every purchase you make as a vote for the kind of world you want to see. 

Purchasing any product is effectively a pledge of allegiance, a show of support, and a ultimately a vote, for the values you believe to be right in the world. It's an incredibly powerful tool that we use to influence the world every day. The spending power each of us hold can be used to influence everything from culture development, the progression of causes and the success of the businesses which represent them.

When people purchase a MADE Diamonds engagement ring they are supporting a cause and a movement which represents ethical environmental integrity. We've seen that a diamond engagement ring is one purchase where people have in the past often overlooked their deeply held values in order to obtain their perfect ring for their engagement. But as most people are now aware, our technology has meant that this compromise is simply no longer necessary. 

Remembering that our spending power has real influence in the world is an important consideration to keep in mind when making any purchase, but the bigger and more important the purchase, it couldn't be more important. Cast your vote for the world you want to live in, and the world you want for future generations.

Whether buying a natural diamond engagement ring or any kind of man made diamond engagement ring, the quality factors which should be considered are practically the same. We're going to take a no-nonsense look at the key factors to consider when buying a diamond engagement ring to help you understand what you should be looking for, whilst of course demonstrating how MADE Diamonds stack up.

Besides affecting the obvious aesthetic and overall design of a ring, the shape of the stone has an effect the "brillaince" of the stone. Brilliance essentially represents the brightness and contrast projected by a stone. A brilliant cut stone is cut in a certain way to enhance and pronounce the brilliance of the stone in a way that maximises the way light is returned through the stone. At MADE Diamonds we only supply Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds are they are in our eyes superior to any other shape. This leads us nicely on to the next factor to consider, the cut of the diamond.

The actual cut of the diamond is the most important factor which affects the visual appearance of the stone in relation to it's sparkle and overall beauty. The range of cuts available ranges from Poor to Ideal. Since nobody would advertise a cut as anything less than Fair, you are unlikely to ever find a stone advertised as Poor. The cut is so important as it effects, as we mentioned above, the way in which light is returned through the stone.

The cut of every single MADE Diamonds stone is classified as Ideal, which means our stones reflect nearly all of the light that enters them. The fact is that an Ideal cut natural diamond is very rare and it can only be found in around 3% of natural diamonds on the market. Our stones are each cut, by hand, into the iconic Hearts and Arrows cut which can only be found in around the top 2% of natural diamonds on the market.

Read more about the Hearts and Arrows cut here on Wikipedia.

The next factor to consider is the diamond's colour. The perfect colour for a diamond is actually colourless, represented by the colour classification "D". The colour of "white" diamonds then ranges all the way from Z, however the most retailers will only stock up to around a "J". Because most people are used to simply seeing quality colourless diamonds in advertisements and in shop window displays it can be hard for people to comprehend the colour aspect of picking a stone, but it really couldn't be more important. As we move down the colour classifications stones will generally have a yellowish/brown tinge to them which obviously vastly affects the visual appearance of the stone.

MADE Diamonds all fall within the range of D to F which is right at the top end of the grading scale so you can be assured of the beauty and superiority of every stone.

Our next consideration is clarity, which relates to the presence of imperfections within a stone. So we are talking about the internal clarity of the stone, as well as the presence of surface defects. Stones can range from "IF" which stands for Internally Flawless, through to I3 where imperfections (called inclusions) are visible even with the naked eye.

Our stones range from IF to VS2 which indicates the presence of very slight inclusions.

We have not included the final C of Carat as it is relatively self explanatory in that it relates to the weight and size of the stone.

Our aim with this no-nonsense guide was to provide a simple and easy guide to help people assess and compare the quality of stones they might be considering whilst demonstrating how MADE Diamonds stack up.

If you have any questions about any of the information contained within this guide or you'd like to talk through any thoughts or apprehensions you may have, why not give us a call on 0121 405 5675 or send us an email at [email protected]

The way in which we buy almost everything has evolved greatly over the years and the engagement ring buying process is no exception. 

Whereas the purchase of an engagement ring would have always been performed in a physical store, a huge portion of the market now operates purely online. Buying important, significant and expensive purchases online is no longer seen as the risk that it may have been in the past, and there can be huge advantages in price, convenience and ease for all parties.

When we created MADE Diamonds we decided to operate purely online in order to keep overheads low and create real value in our engagement rings. It's often overlooked just how much the prices of items are inflated by swanky retail premises. When you stop and consider that a significant portion of a product's price exists to pay for the plush retail premises you enter, it begs the question of what you are really paying for. This could never be more prevalent than in the jewellery industry. Us not having the burden of retail premises simply means you're not paying for them!

We realise though that we need to take the risk out of buying something as important and expensive online, which is why we offer a 30 day period with the ring in your hands to make sure it's absolutely perfect for you. Our bespoke pieces on the other hand cannot be returned for obvious reasons but we work with each client individually to ensure that the ring is everything they dreamed of.

The next big change worth noting is that women are often very much part of the buying process. Whereas in the past there would have been no way in hell a woman would have been involved, let a lone in control, of the purchase, this is something we see more and more of. We would estimate that women are involved in the purchase of at least 40% of our rings, and fully in control of the purchase of around 10% of our engagement rings. After all it makes a lot of sense to consult your significant other on a decision regarding a piece of jewellery that will be worn by her for the rest of her life! It's a factor that we feel often benefits our business because it is often the woman in the relationship who may have the stronger concerns regarding the ethical integrity of a natural diamond and seek an alternative. It doesn't have to be the case that this concept takes the romanticism and surprise out of a proposal though, many couples may purchase the ring together, knowing that they will be engaged, but then the gentleman will proceed to plan the proposal for sometime in the future as a surprise.

So whilst the procurement of an engagement ring has evolved, there are some major benefits to be obtained by the changes, and it seems more and more people every day are embracing these new possibilities.