More bling for your buck: Sassy tries out Diamond Registry

What’s a girl supposed to do when the guy of her dreams pops the big question without a ring? Celebrate of course with lots of champagne and bubbles because you now get to commence the biggest treasure hunt of your life. But where should you start? First of all, get educated by the best in the business. Bypass the queues outside of brand name jewellers and get familiar with one word… wholesale.

Nissan Perla is the Founder of Olympic Diamond and President of Diamond Registry and has been in the business for over 30-years. Originally from Israel, he moved to New York when he was in his twenties and set up an office in Hong Kong five years ago. He travels all over the world connecting people and diamonds and is the supplier to the suppliers… so this guy knows his stuff! He works very closely with jeweller to the stars, Lorraine Schwartz, famous for creating engagement rings for Kim Kardashian, Heidi Klum, Blake Lively and many more Hollywood hotshots.

Convinced that the diamond industry should be as transparent as the beautiful stones he sells, he took over Diamond Registry from a dear friend who passed away. The site educates customers, simplifies the process and makes buying diamonds a lot more interactive. Instead of walking into a store and simply asking ‘how much’ a diamond is, customers can use a chart to find out the market value of stones and match their budget to the perfect diamond. The site bridges the gap between the wholesale diamond industry and the consumer and provides GIA certified loose diamonds at wholesale prices. They can also create bespoke jewellery with their team of international designers.

I went on to his easily navigable site to try out Diamond Registry’s services and started out at the ‘Diamond Education’ section. I found out about the five parameters and the importance of a certificate before moving on to the ‘Diamond Price List’. The most important thing to take away from this section is to know your budget before you begin your search. Round diamonds cost approximately 30% more than fancy cut shapes and if a certain shape is in high demand than the price will reflect that too. They stock thousands of loose stones from .05 to 20+ carats in any shape, colour and size.

I wanted to see what would happen if I requested a free quote so I went to the super simple diamond selector and chose my dream diamond. I entered my name, email address and telephone number before submitting my query and received a quote within 24-hours. Simple, fast, effective, with a price remarkably lower than diamonds at stand-alone retailers in Hong Kong, I was suitably impressed and booked an appointment to check out the diamond and the company.

I met Nissan at his office conveniently located in Central, and after going through two security doors, was made feel right at home. The office wasn’t flash which I was comforted by as I realised money was invested into raw materials (diamonds) and not rent. Something to bear in mind when shopping in a snazzy jewellery retail store! Nissan sat down with me for an hour and showed me a multitude of stones within my price bracket. I also saw how different settings hide flaws in case I wanted a larger diamond while staying within my budget. Some were huge and others were tiny but they were all beautiful and I could have stayed for hours!

Diamond Registry offers everything from tiny specks of diamonds to enormous stones so there really is something for everyone here! I tried on different shapes and sizes of all colours and had a lot of fun. Nissan’s very chatty and has some hilarious anecdotes and amazing stories. I felt no pressure to purchase anything and was put at ease, which gave me a chance to learn a lot about diamonds. Diamond Registry and Nissan make the diamond purchasing process transparent, fun and easy. He also has some of the most beautiful stones I’ve ever seen! Definitely a business to add to your little black book, Sassy Brides!

Diamond Registry, 6/F, Eubank Plaza, 9 Chiu Lung Street, Central, Hong Kong, 2116 5311, www.diamondregistry.com

To ensure conflict-free diamonds, Diamond Registry only deals with Kimberly Certified Diamonds, certificates that guarantee conflict-free diamonds.