FAQ

We believe that we are not in the business of selling jewelry, but in the business of cultivating trust. What sets us apart is our knowledge and experience about diamonds and our willingness to share it with you. We treat our clients as family with the commitment to provide diamond education, excellent service, and quality products. We work very hard to make sure our sources are as direct as possible and choose to operate without the overhead costs of a storefront so we can pass those savings onto you.

HCM Diamonds provides standard free shipping anywhere in the United States. Our shipments are insured. Overnight, priority or 2 day delivery can also be arranged either via USPS, FedEx  or UPS, but will come with an extra charge to you.

Currently, we are only shipping domestically within United States.

HCM Diamonds is required by law to charge applicable sales tax to all purchases made within the state of California. Tax laws are bound to change, and HCM Diamonds is to comply with any changes to these laws.

We understand that jewelry is a sentimental purchase and often marks a big moment in yours or your loved ones life. As such, we would love to provide any special gift wrapping on request. Please know though that special gift wrapping will incur additional cost to you.

Yes, we would love to help make the package more special by including a personalized gift message at no extra charge to you.

We truly wish that there was a gold equivalent of transparent pricing model that is used to price diamond jewelry. The Rapaport report updates diamond prices every two weeks and is the Industry standard. Even then, diamond prices fall within a large range based on the cut, color, carat, clarity and other fine attributes. With that said, pricing for any piece of jewelry is calculated based on the usage of gold, labor intensiveness for the piece, and finally the cost of diamonds used in the piece. Unlike most retail stores, our markups on top of our costs are minimal as we keep overheads down by choosing not to have a retail outlet.

Of course, we do.  In fact, we recommend that any jewelry you purchase with a single diamond weighing more than 0.5 carats should be certified.  We offer GIA certified stones and share the certificate details with you before you decide on your stone and are always available to answer any questions/concerns.

Absolutely! We are happy to share any further information on the piece – be it pictures, quality of diamonds, metal specifications etc before you decide on your purchase.  If you are buying online without trying on the piece, when possible, we would love to set up Facetime/Skype/Google Hangout calls to show you the jewelry in a more personalized manner.

Absolutely! You can use our pieces as inspiration to create something that is more suited for your style.

We work with gold and platinum metals ONLY. The cost will vary based on the modifications you are requesting.

Yes.  If you have a design in mind or have an idea/concept, we can absolutely bring that to life. The best place to start for custom design process is to fill out our Custom Design form or give us a call at 510-996-2097.

Yes, we believe in educating our clients and enabling them to make the best diamond decision for themselves. For instance, we know that buying an engagement ring is a very important milestone and usually a first time diamond buying experience for most couples, and we would like to make sure you are well equipped in making that decision. Contact us if you would like to learn more about buying diamonds and diamond jewelry, and we will setup educational meetings either in person, Facetime/Skype/Google Hangout or via the phone.  We will never charge for an informational session.

Please see HCM Diamonds Return Policy. If for any reason, you are not happy with your purchase we will accept returns for unused items within 7 days of you getting your item.  We will issue full refund minus the shipping and insurance fees to send the item back to us. In case of an exchange, we will cover the shipping and insurance costs of sending the initial piece back to us.

Please note that we do NOT accept any returns or exchanges on our Custom Orders or orders of loose diamonds.

Your budget, quality, the cut and the size of the diamond will play the most important role when you are considering purchasing a diamond.  Please contact us for any questions, and we can walk you through the process and help you find the right diamond for your budget.

There is no real answer to this question. We believe that “Education is Power”. The first step should be to start educating yourself on diamonds – the 4C’s and other finer details about diamonds. You will soon start developing a sense of what factors are more important to you.  One person may value size over quality and opt for a larger piece in the same price range as another person who values quality over size and gets a smaller stone. A diamond purchase is very personal, and it comes down to what you value and you will come up with a budget accordingly for what you want in your stone. However, when budgeting for an engagement ring, keep in mind the cost of the setting, as well as a matching wedding band. And we are always here to help educate you or help you define a budget that fits you.

We currently do not provide insurance, but we will provide the appraisal (at an additional cost) necessary for you to get your own third party insurance.