Look, we get it - it’s hard out there right now. Inflation is crazy and the housing and job markets aren’t great either. We understand the financial pressure of purchasing an engagement ring, and at Hera we have a no-upsell policy. Our goal isn’t to pressure you to increase your budget, but rather to make sure you get the most beautiful, high-quality ring possible for your budget.
That said, we encourage you to shop for your engagement ring thinking more about value for your money than the bottom-line cost. Fast fashion has created an entire generation of consumers - and we’ve been guilty of this in our personal lives too - who don’t understand what quality looks like, and assume that the lowest-cost item is the best value. But often, the difference between the cheapest engagement ring out there and a more expensive one comes down to things that really matter. Here are a few examples:
Durability
The gold weight of your ring directly correlates to its strength. Lightweight rings with thin bands and prongs are likely to bend or warp over time. You might even lose the center stone because a prong pulls back or the head snaps off. A heavier ring is more expensive to produce, but will save you a lot of money in repair or even replacement costs down the line.
Customer service
Good customer service is expensive for a business to provide. Low-cost engagement rings usually mean less profit for the seller, which means they are trying to keep the rest of their costs as low as possible. What does this mean for you? If your ring has any problems down the line, like stones falling out or the band bending, that business is more likely to provide you with the cheapest solution possible rather than the best solution possible. At Hera, we never cut corners like this, and always choose the most reliable (meaning, most expensive) way to serve our customers in the event of engagement ring damage or defect.
High-quality customer service also includes things like timely response to e-mail and spending time making sure your questions are answered and you feel confident in your decision. All of these things increase a company’s labor costs as well.
Quality control
Good quality control is an essential part of an engagement ring’s journey. After your ring is completed, our experts check it over multiple times to make sure that: the stone is properly seated in the basket and the prongs are tight against the stone; that the stone is set as low as possible into the basket; that the ring was not over-polished and still has the appropriate gold weight; and more. If any part of the quality checks fail, we re-cast the piece and start over. The labor costs involved in this level of quality control is quite high, but it also helps to ensure that your ring is perfect once you receive it.
Stone curation
We’ll be honest with you: we don’t think it’s really possible for a layperson to pick the best diamond possible for their money. There are so many complex factors that go into diamond quality, especially with lab-grown diamonds. That’s why we recommend you always work with an expert to pick your stone. At Hera, our experts personally select every stone for our clients. Our other lab-grown stones, like our moissanite, are also specially hand-cut and curated.
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