swaye2010
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2015
- Messages
- 1,194
Hi everyone - I am carrying over my moissanite and lab diamond interviews that I have been doing on Reddit for the last year. There were several good reviews from Vijay from Golden Bird Jewels. I was asked to speak to them by a few people. Since I am over here as well, I know there have been a few bad reviews and I have been speaking to him a bit about expectations. I have not ordered from this company but please do your own due diligence before ordering. Thanks!
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Thank you for taking the time Vijay to speak to us on r/moissanite. We have seen your company, Golden Bird Jewels, mentioned a few times with positive review’s recently and we like to highlight some of those companies here.
Tell us a little bit about how you got started. I see you are in Surat, India which is known for being a diamond and jewelry hub around the world. Was this part of a family business?
Hello Everyone! Actually my educational background is an IT Engineer. I grew up watching my father making polishing wheels for diamond polishing units. He taught me everything about cutting diamonds but this was not enough for me. I was curious, though, about everything related to the whole process of making jewelry. From the birth of the diamond all the way to it being set in a piece of jewelry. After completion of graduation, I joined my uncle’s jewelry manufacturing unit to make a website and create the software to handle the jewelry manufacturing operations. To understand the work flow, I learned each step in the process thoroughly while also designing the website and software for his company. This experience with my Uncle’s company really motivated me to learn and work through each phase of jewelry making until I broke off and started my own journey...
You mentioned that your father made diamond polishing wheels but this business was not enough for you. Why did you decide to follow your own path?
It was important to me to learn each step in the process carefully and with that it increased my interest in jewelry manufacturing. I started selling online within India in 2015 by local e-commerce marketplaces like flip kart, amazon, etc. At the same time, I also started doing freelance work for marketplace listings, order handling, customer handling for more than 5 other jewelry firms which were all in India. In 2016, I started selling on marketplaces outside India. In June 2016, I’ve started my own firm called Golden Bird Jewels for selling moissanites outside India. Currently I sell loose moissanite, lab grown diamonds and natural, semi-precious gemstones and jewelry. In January 2019 I started selling Lab Grown diamonds and jewelry with a registered new firm name of Ouros Jewels.
Did you decide to switch from your Uncle’s business and work with moissanite after you knew that the Charles & Colvard patent was expiring in 2015?
No, I choose this one because Surat is the only place in world where I can easily make moissanite, lab grown diamond, real diamond and also make jewelry with best cost and faster way. At that time, the jewelry e-commerce market was growing so it was a good time to enter into it. I’m not competing with Charles & Colvard or any local, national or international brands. Though some jewelers take me as a tough competitor, I don’t feel it’s true at all. I’m just making my own path. Working and creating a piece which gives me pure satisfaction to my clients from my corner of the world. I’m just focusing on creating the pieces of my imagination and to fulfill my client’s imagination about their own dream piece. Sometimes when it comes to diamonds, the prices maybe much higher then the client’s budget and they would leave the design. I was continuously in search of a substance which can satisfy the client’s needs in both optical and a very close chemical way and that is Moissanite. I had started trial and error on moissanites and I got a very positive result. It also has a Moh’s hardness of 9.25 which is good for everyday jewelry. So, I launched nearly a 100 different designs in moissanites and got a very positive response from my regular clients and then they recommended it to their friends.
Do you consider yourself a wholesale business or is custom moissanite rings and jewelry the main focus of your business?
I mainly specialize in custom moissanite and lab grown diamond rings and jewelry. I am also available for wholesale orders to deliver the best quality moissanites and lab grown diamonds.
I noticed on your Etsy page that you really like vintage cuts like the Old European and Old Mine Cuts. Are vintage cuts a popular choice?
In 2018, one of my buyers from eBay asked me about an OEC round. He was from Florida and considered an expert in the jewelry industry for the last 25+ year. I’ve learned a lot from him and he still teaches me so many things. He has taught me how to cut and facet OEC, Old Mine Cuts and all the old vintage cuts. I started selling the OEC round moissanites on eBay first and then on Etsy. Vintage cuts are very unique and the UK/ USA people like them a lot. Old cut jewelry are my favorite all time cuts.
Are you cutting your own moissanites from rough? Many of the people on our site are already well educated on moissanite. Are you still using the older Forever Brilliant (6h sic) moissanite rough or the newer (4h sic) moissanite rough?
Yes, I do cut my own moissanites from rough. I’m using 4h Sic moissanite rough for making my sparkling stones.
What has been your favorite moissanite cut so far? Can a customer request any sort of shape?
OEC Old European Round Cut is my most favorite moissanite cut. Yes, a customer can request any sort of shape in moissanite.
If a customer asks for the most diamond like cut, what do you usually suggest?
Round brilliant is the most diamond like cut. It has maximum number of facets and so it has the most brilliance over any of the other shapes.
Crushed ice cuts have been very popular on this sub but people often times say they can look milky. What’s your opinion on the crushed ice cuts compared to the brilliant or antique cuts in moissanite? Do you offer crushed ice cuts?
Crushed ice cuts are on demand nowadays but I would like to suggest antique cuts instead. There might be a chance that the stone may look milky under some lighting conditions while in the case of antiques, you’ll find the same sparkle throughout any lighting conditions. I do offer crushed ice for just two shapes though (Oval and Cushion).
Thin pave shanks have also been very popular for some time now. We usually suggest nothing lower than 1.8 mm on this sub because of the risk of losing pave. This advice is usually given if the rings are purchased abroad as it can be difficult to find jewelers to work on them more locally. What is the thinnest you are willing to go on a shank with pave?
For the pave setting I can make them 1.75mm with assured safety if the customer demands. The thinnest I am willingly to go will not be below 1.75mm.
___________________________________________________
Thank you for taking the time Vijay to speak to us on r/moissanite. We have seen your company, Golden Bird Jewels, mentioned a few times with positive review’s recently and we like to highlight some of those companies here.
Tell us a little bit about how you got started. I see you are in Surat, India which is known for being a diamond and jewelry hub around the world. Was this part of a family business?
Hello Everyone! Actually my educational background is an IT Engineer. I grew up watching my father making polishing wheels for diamond polishing units. He taught me everything about cutting diamonds but this was not enough for me. I was curious, though, about everything related to the whole process of making jewelry. From the birth of the diamond all the way to it being set in a piece of jewelry. After completion of graduation, I joined my uncle’s jewelry manufacturing unit to make a website and create the software to handle the jewelry manufacturing operations. To understand the work flow, I learned each step in the process thoroughly while also designing the website and software for his company. This experience with my Uncle’s company really motivated me to learn and work through each phase of jewelry making until I broke off and started my own journey...
You mentioned that your father made diamond polishing wheels but this business was not enough for you. Why did you decide to follow your own path?
It was important to me to learn each step in the process carefully and with that it increased my interest in jewelry manufacturing. I started selling online within India in 2015 by local e-commerce marketplaces like flip kart, amazon, etc. At the same time, I also started doing freelance work for marketplace listings, order handling, customer handling for more than 5 other jewelry firms which were all in India. In 2016, I started selling on marketplaces outside India. In June 2016, I’ve started my own firm called Golden Bird Jewels for selling moissanites outside India. Currently I sell loose moissanite, lab grown diamonds and natural, semi-precious gemstones and jewelry. In January 2019 I started selling Lab Grown diamonds and jewelry with a registered new firm name of Ouros Jewels.
Did you decide to switch from your Uncle’s business and work with moissanite after you knew that the Charles & Colvard patent was expiring in 2015?
No, I choose this one because Surat is the only place in world where I can easily make moissanite, lab grown diamond, real diamond and also make jewelry with best cost and faster way. At that time, the jewelry e-commerce market was growing so it was a good time to enter into it. I’m not competing with Charles & Colvard or any local, national or international brands. Though some jewelers take me as a tough competitor, I don’t feel it’s true at all. I’m just making my own path. Working and creating a piece which gives me pure satisfaction to my clients from my corner of the world. I’m just focusing on creating the pieces of my imagination and to fulfill my client’s imagination about their own dream piece. Sometimes when it comes to diamonds, the prices maybe much higher then the client’s budget and they would leave the design. I was continuously in search of a substance which can satisfy the client’s needs in both optical and a very close chemical way and that is Moissanite. I had started trial and error on moissanites and I got a very positive result. It also has a Moh’s hardness of 9.25 which is good for everyday jewelry. So, I launched nearly a 100 different designs in moissanites and got a very positive response from my regular clients and then they recommended it to their friends.
Do you consider yourself a wholesale business or is custom moissanite rings and jewelry the main focus of your business?
I mainly specialize in custom moissanite and lab grown diamond rings and jewelry. I am also available for wholesale orders to deliver the best quality moissanites and lab grown diamonds.
I noticed on your Etsy page that you really like vintage cuts like the Old European and Old Mine Cuts. Are vintage cuts a popular choice?
In 2018, one of my buyers from eBay asked me about an OEC round. He was from Florida and considered an expert in the jewelry industry for the last 25+ year. I’ve learned a lot from him and he still teaches me so many things. He has taught me how to cut and facet OEC, Old Mine Cuts and all the old vintage cuts. I started selling the OEC round moissanites on eBay first and then on Etsy. Vintage cuts are very unique and the UK/ USA people like them a lot. Old cut jewelry are my favorite all time cuts.
Are you cutting your own moissanites from rough? Many of the people on our site are already well educated on moissanite. Are you still using the older Forever Brilliant (6h sic) moissanite rough or the newer (4h sic) moissanite rough?
Yes, I do cut my own moissanites from rough. I’m using 4h Sic moissanite rough for making my sparkling stones.
What has been your favorite moissanite cut so far? Can a customer request any sort of shape?
OEC Old European Round Cut is my most favorite moissanite cut. Yes, a customer can request any sort of shape in moissanite.
If a customer asks for the most diamond like cut, what do you usually suggest?
Round brilliant is the most diamond like cut. It has maximum number of facets and so it has the most brilliance over any of the other shapes.
Crushed ice cuts have been very popular on this sub but people often times say they can look milky. What’s your opinion on the crushed ice cuts compared to the brilliant or antique cuts in moissanite? Do you offer crushed ice cuts?
Crushed ice cuts are on demand nowadays but I would like to suggest antique cuts instead. There might be a chance that the stone may look milky under some lighting conditions while in the case of antiques, you’ll find the same sparkle throughout any lighting conditions. I do offer crushed ice for just two shapes though (Oval and Cushion).
Thin pave shanks have also been very popular for some time now. We usually suggest nothing lower than 1.8 mm on this sub because of the risk of losing pave. This advice is usually given if the rings are purchased abroad as it can be difficult to find jewelers to work on them more locally. What is the thinnest you are willing to go on a shank with pave?
For the pave setting I can make them 1.75mm with assured safety if the customer demands. The thinnest I am willingly to go will not be below 1.75mm.
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