FAQ's: Men's Diamond Necklaces

Contents:

1. What quality of diamonds are used?
2. If I am not happy with my diamond necklace can I return it?
3. Can I get a diamond necklace engraved online?
4. How long does it take to engrave and personalize a necklace?
5. If I am in a hurry, what is the fastest time in which I can get my necklace engraved?
6. What if there is an error with my necklace engraving?
7. Will the engraving on my necklace wear off?
8. What type of engraving can I get done on my necklace?
9. What is "Custom Line Engraving"?
10. How will my diamond necklace come packaged?
11. How do I select the correct chain size?

1. What quality of diamonds are used?

Shimmer & Stone only utilizes hand selected diamonds in our men's diamond necklaces. Every diamond set in our pieces are of a minimum color grade of H and clarity grade of SI-2 or better. We believe that diamonds in jewelry should sparkle and stand out . . . that after all is what wearing a diamond is all about.

What is Color?

Color is a scale used to describe the color present within a diamond. This color scale ranges from D (indicating complete colorlessness) to Z (which indicates a distinct yellow-brown or grayish cast).

What does a diamond's color grade signify?

A diamond can split light into a spectrum of colors like a prism and reflect this light as colorful flashes called "fire". The color in a diamond acts as a filter, and tends to diminish the spectrum of color emitted. Thus the less color in a diamond, the more colorful the fire, and the better the color grade.

Grade D: Absolutely colorless. The highest color grade, which is extremely rare to find.

Grade E: Colorless. Only tiny traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist. An E grade diamond is a rare find.

Grade F: Colorless. Slight color can be detected by an expert gemologist, but is still considered a "colorless" grade and a high-quality diamond.

Grade G-H: Near-colorless. Color is noticeable only when compared to diamonds of better grades, but unnoticeable to the unaided eye. These grades offer excellent value.

Grade I-J: Near-colorless. Color is slightly detectable, but again an excellent value.

Grade K-M: Faintly tinted, usually yellow and noticeable to the naked eye - Shimmer & Stone does not carry or suggest these grades for fine jewelry.

Grade N-R: Lightly tinted, usually yellow and distractingly noticeable to the naked eye and are unattractive - Shimmer & Stone does not carry or suggest these grades for fine jewelry.

Grade S-Z: Inferior grades that have very noticeable tinted hues, usually yellow and may progress to brownish. Tint is very visible to the naked eye, even when mounted - Shimmer & Stone does not carry or these grades of diamond.

What is Clarity?

Clarity refers to the inclusions present in a diamond (i.e. scratches, trace minerals or other characteristics that take away from the beauty of the stone).

What Does a Diamond's Clarity Grade Signify?

The higher the Clarity grade, the more clear and valuable the diamond. For diamonds in jewelry, grades F through SI inclusions (internal flaws) are NOT visible to the naked eye. However, although the imperfections may not be visible through this range, the specific clarity of a diamond does significantly impact it's price due the rarity of finding clearer stones. Diamonds that are absolutely clear are highly sought-after and are therefore the most expensive. But many diamonds do have inclusions present. The GIA grades diamonds under 10x magnification and uses a detailed system of rules and standards to summarize the number, location, size, and type of inclusions present in a diamond as listed below.

Grade FL-IF: "FL"=Flawless: No internal or external flaws. A completely unblemished diamond. "IF"=Internally Flawless: No internal flaws. This diamond may have negligible scratches on the outside, but is completely flawless on the inside. Diamonds of these grades are rare, and are the most beautiful.

VVS1-2: "VVS"=Very, Very Slightly Included or Imperfect. A VVS1 grade is slightly better than a VVS2 grade. These are the finest clarity grades found at jewelers. Diamonds with this rare quality clarity have beautiful brilliance.

VS1-2: "VS"=Very Slightly Included or Imperfect. A VS1 grade is slightly better than a VS2 grade. These diamonds have inclusions that are typically not visible to the unaided eye also referred to as "eye clean", and are of a much lower price point than higher grades of clarity. Diamonds with this quality clarity are beautiful and offer the best diamond value.

SI1-2: "SI"=Slightly Included or Imperfect. An SI1 grade is slightly better than an SI2 grade. Inclusions can be seen under magnification and may be visible with the unaided eye. These diamonds offer an excellent value for the price and quality.

I1-3: "I"=Included or Imperfect. These diamonds have noticeable inclusions. Shimmer & Stone Jewelry does not carry jewelry with diamonds of this clarity grade.

Shimmer & Stone does NOT utilize diamonds of a clarity lower than a SI2 grade in any of our necklaces.

2. If I am not happy with a necklace, can I return it?

We want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase. If you are unhappy with your necklace (AND, it has NOT been engraved or personalized) you have up to 30-days (from receipt of your order) to return your necklace for a full refund of it's purchase price as per your invoice*. Shipping charges and/or taxes will not be refunded.

For more details please view our 30-day return policy.

Please Note: Engraved Items Cannot be Returned.

* Returned items will only qualify for a refund only if they are returned in their original, undamaged condition with it's packaging intact. Should an item be returned after wear and shows visible scratches and discoloration due to use, the return will not qualify for a refund, even if it is sent back.

3. Can I get a necklace engraved?

Yes! Several of our necklaces can be engraved online. Simply enter the inscription, monogram or initials you would like to have engraved in the fields provided on the necklace item page and add your item to the shopping cart . . . that's it! If you require personal assistance please feel free to contact us or place your order over the phone by calling us at 1 888 85 STONE (+ 1 212 564 9175).

Locating Engraving Details:

Each engravable necklace has different engraving options. You can find the engraving details for each necklace on it's item page. You can locate and click on the 'View Engraving Details' Link (*) under the description and specifications of the item on the right-hand-side of the item page.

* Please note that this link generates a pop-up window displaying the engraving options and details. If you have a pop-up blocker you will have to disable it or hold the CTRL key while clicking the link.

Submitting your engraving text:

To submit your engraving, type in your text as you would like it to appear engraved in the fields provided on the item page. You can also:

• Select your preferred engraving font style.
• Engraving orientation (Horizontal i.e. like a sentence - OR - Vertical i.e. each letter will be under another like a vertical column)

Then click the add to shopping bag button.

Engraving Help:

If you require additional letters to be engraved than allowed online or require personal assistance in placing your order, please do not hesitate to call us toll-free at 1-888-85-STONE (+ 1 212 564 9175) Mon - Fri, 10am - 6pm EST.

4. How long will it take for my necklace to be engraved?

Engraving usually takes 2 to 3 business days before an engraved order is shipped out.

Engraving Schedule

• Order Placed on Monday . . . Ships Out on Thursday
• Order Placed on Tuesday . . . Ships Out on Friday
• Order Placed on Wednesday . . . Ships Out on Monday
• Order Placed on Thursday . . . Ships Out on Tuesday
• Order Placed on Friday . . . Ships Out on Wednesday
• Order Placed on Saturday . . . Ships Out on Wednesday
• Order Placed on Sunday . . . Ships Out on Wednesday

Special Engraving Requests:

We also offer custom line engraving on certain men's silver necklaces.

Custom Line Engraving refers to line art or illustrations (e.g. line drawn logos, drawings, handwriting, signature . . . any art drawn with lines but no shading or fill). If you would like to incorporate special engraving to your purchase it will take additional time to create the plates necessary to process that engraving (e.g. 2 to 7 business days).

To request special engraving, please call customer service toll-free at 1-888-85-STONE for an estimation of cost and processing times.

5. If I am in a HURRY . . . how fast can I get my necklace engraved and delivered to me?

If you are in a hurry and request 'Next Day Shipping', it will take 1 business day to process your engraving before shipment of your order.

Plase Note: 11am EST is the cut-off time for next day shipments.

IF YOU ORDER BEFORE 11AM (EST):

ENGRAVING SCHEDULE:

• Order Placed on Monday . . . Ships Out Tuesday . . . Delivery on Wednesday
• Order Placed on Tuesday . . . Ships Out Wednesday . . . Delivery on Thursday
• Order Placed on Wednesday . . . Ships Out Thursday . . . Delivery on Friday
• Order Placed on Thursday . . . Ships Out Friday . . . Delivery on Monday
• Order Placed on Friday . . . Ships Out Monday . . . Delivery on Tuesday
• Order Placed on Saturday . . . Ships Out Tuesday . . . Delivery on Wednesday
• Order Placed on Sunday . . . Ships Out Tuesday . . . Delivery on Wednesday

IF YOU ORDER AFTER 11 AM (EST):

ENGRAVING SCHEDULE:

• Order Placed on Monday . . . Ships Out Wednesday . . . Delivery on Thursday
• Order Placed on Tuesday . . . Ships Out Thursday . . . Delivery on Friday
• Order Placed on Wednesday . . . Ships Out Friday . . . Delivery on Monday
• Order Placed on Thursday . . . Ships Out Friday . . . Delivery on Monday
• Order Placed on Friday . . . Ships Out Tuesday . . . Delivery on Wednesday
• Order Placed on Saturday . . . Ships Out Tuesday . . . Delivery on Wednesday
• Order Placed on Sunday . . . Ships Out Tuesday . . . Delivery on Wednesday

6. What if is there is an error with my engraving?

OUR SATISFACTION GUARANTEE:

Although engraved items CANNOT be returned . . . if we have made an error with your engraving ( i.e. if the engraving is different to what you have requested on your order) we will re-engrave another necklace for you and ship it out to you at no additional cost and along with a pre-paid shipping box to send back the incorrectly engraved item.

Should you have questions regarding this issue, please feel free to contact customer service via phone at 1-888-85-STONE or email us at your convenience.

7. Will the engraving on my necklace wear off?

No, our engraving is done by a professional engraver who makes sure that the engraving is appropriately deep enough to be clear and durable so that it will not wear-off.

8. What type of engraving can have done on my necklace?

We offer two types of engraving:

1. Line Engraving (Inscriptions, Initials, Monograms)
2. Custom Line Engraving (Logos and pictures that are line drawn - NOT photographs)

Line Engraving:

We offer a range of font styles (types) which we use for line engraving inscriptions, initials and monograms. They are

• Roman font:
  
• Block Font:
  
• Script font:
  
• Old English font:
  

We also have a special font we recommend for monograms and offer on particular items only:

• Interlocking Monogram font:
  

Engraving Formats offered for line engraving are as follows:

• Monograms:
  
• Initials:
  
• Inscriptions:
  

9. What is "Custom Line Engraving"?

Custom Line Engraving:

Certain items of jewelry at Shimmer & Stone can be 'Custom Line Engraved', which refers to special engraving requests such as handwritten messages, hand sketches, line defined logos etc. Any hand drawn or computer generated line-defined image (not photographs), or text can be engraved.

Custom line engraving costs a little more than regular monogram, initial or inscription engraving as an engraving plate of your engraving submission has to be made before engraving. There is a flat charge for the plate construction and engraving.

A commonly asked question is how does custom line engraving differ from photo engraving? Custom line engraving content is actually engraved (cut into) the metal of the pendant, making it permanent, and part of the item. Photoengraving is not really engraving but a chemical film of a picture that is overlayed on a pendants surface.

Click to view more details about custom line engraving.

10. How will my necklace come packaged?

You will receive your necklace in it's very own black leather flip-top necklace box as shown below. this will in-turn will be securely packed inside a corrugated shipping box.

Want to Gift your order to someone?

If you are gifting this item we recommend selecting our "Gift Wrapping" option.

Our gift wrapping option can be selected during your checkout process. Gift wrapping, places your leather necklace box into a two-piece textured gift box wrapped with a satin box as shown above.

Our Gift Wrapping option costs an additional $4.95

11. How do I select the correct chain size?

Selecting the "correct" chain size is actually a matter of personal preference which depends on where you want the cross to fall when worn.

What if I select the wrong chain size?

We do not want you to stress over selecting a wrong chain size . . . so, you can always EXCHANGE YOUR CHAIN WITHIN 30-DAYS OF RECEIPT for a different length of the same style. Send it to us and we will ship back your exchange at no additional cost to you.

Size Selection Guide:

Firstly, consider the person wearing the necklace and where they would like the cross to fall or hang. If you know the neck or collar size of the individual wearing the item you can get an idea of where the cross will fall.

For instance a person with a 16 or 16.5 inch neck/collar size wearing a 24 inch chain will have the cross fall about 4 inches from the collar-bone, a 30 inch chain will have the cross fall about 6 inches and a 34 inch chain will have the cross fall about 9 inches from the collar-bone.

Shown are approximate lengths of where a 20", a 24" and a 30" chain would fall.

If you have a specific question regarding chain size selection please do not hesitate to contact customer service at 888 85 STONE (+ 1 212 564 9175) for a recommendation.