A few years in the past, Don Siah seen a recurring theme amongst his buddies: engagement rings have been simply too costly, and lots of ended up settling for off-the-shelf items that didn’t fairly replicate their model.
Wanting to supply reasonably priced, customisable alternate options, Don determined to attempt his hand on the commerce by beginning Diamond Ateliers.
Coming from a household of jewellers, he tapped into his father’s manufacturing experience—his father owns a manufacturing unit in Hong Kong—and started specializing in lab-grown diamonds as an alternative choice to conventional gem stones.
Don initially provided digital consultations at residence in 2019. On the time, he nonetheless held a full-time company job and juggled customized orders on the facet.
As orders grew, he made the choice to depart his job in 2022 and totally concentrate on rising his model. He started in a modest 50 sqft studio at Areas, Triple One Somerset, managing operations independently till 2024, when Diamond Ateliers formally opened its first spacious showroom at The Centrepoint, in Orchard.
A childhood spent in a jewelry store
Don spent his childhood serving to out at his grandfather’s store, Magnificence Goldsmiths & Jewellers. His father was additionally within the commerce, however had step by step shifted away from retail to concentrate on manufacturing.
By the point Don was 18, he was already attending main commerce reveals—but, he nonetheless selected to enterprise into the company world to achieve real-world expertise outdoors the household enterprise and show he may stand on his personal.
Now 32, he brings each trade publicity {and professional} expertise to the desk. In 2020, Don additional deepened his technical data by incomes a Graduate Diamonds Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), solidifying his basis within the commerce.
At Diamond Ateliers, prospects are capable of customise each element of their ring, from the diamond’s form to ring settings, facet profiles, embedded gems, engraving, band thickness, and even prong model.
Other than engagement rings, the model additionally creates wedding ceremony bands and different tremendous jewelry with a myriad of configuration choices.
Following an in-depth session, Don creates a 3D mannequin of the jewelry to visualise the ultimate design. As soon as the client is proud of it, the piece strikes into the crafting part.
General, each bit takes about two to 3 months to finish—an intentional timeline that ensures precision and high quality craftsmanship.
A shift in shopper habits
As a producer, Diamond Ateliers manages each step of the jewellery-making course of. This strategy eliminates pointless markups, permitting for vital value financial savings—a key motive behind the model’s rising attraction.
That attraction is clear within the numbers: the enterprise now claims to supply 80 to 100 customised rings every month, and far of this demand is pushed by a rising choice for extra sensible engagement ring choices.
Historically, shopping for an engagement ring got here with an unwritten rule: you have been anticipated to spend at the very least two to 3 months’ price of wage on it.
However Don has noticed a transparent shift in shopper habits, particularly after COVID-19. “Persons are much more sensible now. They’d fairly spend much less on a hoop and use the financial savings on a honeymoon or different milestones.”
There’s additionally rising consciousness and acceptance of lab-grown diamonds. For a very long time, they have been surrounded by misconceptions, with many assuming they have been faux. In actuality although, lab-grown and mined diamonds are chemically and visually similar.
Furthermore, lab-grown diamonds supply a extra moral and environmentally acutely aware various, interesting to trendy shoppers who worth transparency, sustainability, and affordability with out compromising on high quality.
That mentioned, for individuals who nonetheless favor pure diamonds, Diamond Ateliers affords a curated choice, too.
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Immediately, Don is supported by a devoted group of jewellers at Diamond Ateliers, every contributing to the model’s progress.
Although he’s pleased with how far Diamond Ateliers has come, he stays grounded: “I’m not the highest bespoke jeweller in Singapore—but,” he mentioned with a smile. “However I hope to get there sometime.”
- Discover out extra about Diamond Ateliers right here.
- Learn different articles we’ve written on Singaporean companies right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Diamond Ateliers
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