Hello friends! I write to you today from the comfort and safety of my living room. Like most of you, the Evorden team has taken steps to minimize our "pandemic footprint," a term which is crazy to use. For us, that means working from home where we can, while still being sure to keep up with our orders and production timelines. Our wonderful team is often able to work in isolation, so we're very lucky to be able to continue working through the duration of this wild, wild time.

Like most of you as well, we're doing what we can in our personal lives to mitigate the possibility of contracting COVID-19, and to mitigate the possibility of contributing further to its spread. This means, where appropriate we're ordering goods and services online. 

Shopping for fine jewelry—especially engagement rings—is a big, emotionally taxing purchase. When you can't see those rings in person, it's even more nerve-wracking to place that big order. So for those of us practicing social isolation or stuck in quarantine, these are our top 5 tips for ring shopping online.

Three views of our Adah Ring. Make sure you'll love your ring from every angle!

Check the specifications

So you've found yourself ring shopping during a pandemic. You've done your window shopping and your research, and you've found a ring that makes your heart leap, and it's within your budget. This is the hardest part! Next up, make sure you know what you're in for. 

How? Check the specifications on the product page. Every jeweller should have information posted about the metal and its alloys, its construction, as well as the description of any stones and how they are mounted. Keep in mind the durability of the metal: 10k gold is best for people that might bang their hands around at work, 18k gold is softer and can be scratched. 

The most important (read: costly) specifications you must know inside and out are those of the diamond, or centre stone. Note the carat size, the amount of inclusions, the cut, and the colour (the 4 Cs). These specifications are why your diamond will cost what it does. The most important things to focus on are cut and clarity, followed by colour. Check out our guide on the 4 Cs for more insight!

Ask for extra photos or video

If you're not totally sold on the ring, and you need a few extra photos, ask! This is why it's great to work with boutique shops like Evorden, or our friends at Foe & Dear, because we love to show off our rings. Request photos of a specific angle, or ask for a quick video clip showing off how the ring reacts to light. You can also request a ring to be stacked with a wedding band, to get an idea of how it looks when actually worn like it will be in real life. 

This is not likely to happen if you're ordering from a larger company. Another great reason to buy local or support small businesses!

Ask about production timelines

For now, many businesses are unstable. Everyone is having to figure out how to best serve their customers while also keeping their employees and customers safe—including working from home. This means production timelines—from sales through accounting, design and production, packaging and shipping—may see disruptions. 

Right now, it's important to ask before you place your order. Be sure that your ring will be ready for you on your schedule. Many businesses may be unaffected (we are still on schedule!) but you don't want to be caught by surprise and wind up having to delay your proposal.

Check return policies

Like every purchase you get online, make sure you take a look at return policies. Many jewellers will allow a 30 day return window, but be sure to check before hand. Even with videos and photos of a ring, you still might not love it in person. Make sure you're able to get your money back if this winds up the case.

Make sure you've got the right ring size

When ordering online, most companies will offer one free resizing (we do!) should your ring not fit. We love resizing for the perfect fit, but it's definitely easiest when our customers are local—they can drop off their ring, we resize it and turn it around quite quickly. If you purchase online and need to resize the ring and want to take advantage of a free service, you may need to mail your ring back to the company, wait for the resize, and then wait as it is mailed back to you.

This can easily be avoided by ensuring you've got the right ring size in advance of your order! Grab a ring that your partner wears on their ring finger on their right hand and measure the interior diameter (there are several methods to do this). Then send that information to the jeweller, along with the name of the ring you'd like to purchase. They can give you the closest estimate to the perfect fit, and will save you that boring turnaround time.

There you go! Happy shopping, and always feel free to get in touch with us. We hope you're all healthy and comfortable, and are maybe even enjoying this bit of self isolation time. 

Take care, everyone. We're thinking of you. 

xo Evorden