Shopping for just about anything, let alone an engagement ring, has become an arduous, risky task in the days of COVID-19. Strolls in the farmers market and browsing at your favorite shops have transformed into waiting in lines, equipped with masks and gloves, navigating crowded shops while trying your best to social distance and quickly grab the essentials.
For many, the quarantine has put plans to get engaged or married on hold. As we adjust to a new (temporary) way of life, businesses around the world have sought to innovate, helping the “war effort” where they can and continuing to serve their customers in safe, social distancing abiding ways. After all, life - and love - goes on.
At Couple, we’ve always done things a little differently. Working with clients remotely, via email and video call, has always been a significant and essential part of our business. Offering white-glove service, completely virtually, is a cornerstone of our business. Even for customers at our retail store in Toronto, or local clients in New York, a comprehensive digital experience has always been important - it is 2020 after all! From sending up-close photos and videos of our rings to providing 3D renderings for custom designs, we have an arsenal of tools and experiences available to make ring shopping from home not only possible but preferable.
The Virtual Shopping Experience
Our projects usually kick off with a website chat, virtual appointment, or even a DM on Instagram. If you’re planning a secret proposal, we can find a discrete way to chat throughout the process.
If you already have something specific in mind, we can talk through the options and confirm the design. We have lots of design examples of custom rings we have done, and many of our core products available to show you via email or video call.
If you’re designing something from scratch, we can share inspiration back and forth and create a complimentary 3D rendering for you with the help of our designers and gemologists. Once we’ve narrowed in on the design of the ring itself, it’s time to choose the diamond!
Choosing the Diamond
For our core collection, which includes 1, 1.5, and 2 carat round brilliant and oval diamonds set in a variety of timeless styles, our standard process is to source only the best diamonds from our lab partners and then inspect them in person before selecting the most beautiful stone for your ring. It will always be G color, VS2 clarity, and excellent cut and either the exact carat weight chosen or slightly above (ex. 1.02 ct). If you’d like to view the certificate or see images of your exact diamond before its set into your ring, we can accommodate that as well, just let us know!
For diamonds that are outside of our main collection carat range, including in between sizes (like 1.75 or 0.89 carats), our process is to source 2 - 3 options for you to review. We can source different diamond shapes, like emerald or cushion, a wide range of carat weights, and even different clarity and color grades if desired - however, we have a strong point of view when it comes to the ‘Four C’s’, you can read more about our standard here: https://couple.co/pages/our-standard
You can view the certificates online, and often a high-resolution image and or video of the diamond as well. Our team of experts will be here every step of the way to provide guidance and transparency.
Every diamond is certified by either the IGI or GCAL, two leading experts in lab and mined diamond certification. When you receive your ring, it will include a hard copy of its certificate as well.
Figuring out the ring size
For those of you shopping for yourselves or with your partner, we can easily send you a complimentary ring sizer wherever you are in the world. It's a simple, small device that is yours to keep and use to verify your ring size. It works for all genders, and usually takes 2 - 3 business days to arrive.
If you’re planning a secret proposal, there are a few different ways you can figure out your partner's ring size without spoiling the surprise. First, try asking a sibling, parent, or best friend. More often than not, they know this information or can tell you if they have a ring your partner has tried on that fit (or didn’t fit) and we can estimate the ring size from there. If your partner has a ring they wear that you can access, we can also help you figure out the size of that ring as a guide. Ultimately, it’s better to err on the side of caution and go with a larger size if you aren’t sure. It’s most important that it fits on during the big moment! We can always resize easily and securely post proposal.
Resizing is 100% complimentary, even for eternity and pave rings.
Payment
We have a variety of payment options to make sure you can get your ring safely, securely, and comfortably. Online, if you’re ordering directly from the website, payments are processed by credit card through Shopify. U.S. customers are eligible for Affirm, which is a payment plan provider.
If you’re ordering a custom ring, or if you’d like to pay in installments, we offer payment plans. We can send you invoices via Shopify where you can pay easily and securely.
Crafting your ring
Our jewelers are working hard to complete every order on time while accommodating for social distancing and safety at the workshop. It takes approximately 4 weeks for our core collection rings to be handcrafted in New York and 6 - 8 weeks for custom rings. From there, they ship directly to you via FedEx Express. We can coordinate with you to make sure it is delivered at an ideal date to a secure location. We’ll keep in touch throughout the process so you know when to expect your ring. It arrives in an unbranded outer box, so your partner and the rest of the world won’t know a stunning diamond is inside!
In Toronto, we can offer a local delivery service as well. A member of our team will coordinate a time and date with you. They’ll text you when they are on route, and once they’ve arrived. We will wear a mask and gloves, and hand the package to you from a distance to follow social distancing guidelines.
Every diamond, and every ring, is inspected and subject to a 10 step quality control process to ensure it is spectacular, and something our founders would be proud to have for themselves and their partners. Our rings have a lifetime warranty, so you can be sure it will remain as beautiful as it is the day it arrives for the rest of your life.
Post-proposal Support
Our team is available 24/7 to help with resizing, exchanges, repairs, and returns. We want every customer to have a wonderful experience, and are here to help no matter how big or small your purchase is. Every one of our customers is a VIP client.
Looking to get started finding the perfect engagement ring, or just have a few questions we can help you with? Message us on the website chat and one of our friendly Diamond Concierge will be happy to help!
