Our Quality Promise
From the diamonds we select to the hands that set them, every decision we make is in service of a piece that will outlast a trend.
Diamond Quality Standards
Every diamond in a Nine Carats piece is selected to a standard that places it in the top few percent of all diamonds graded worldwide. We do not offer a range of diamond qualities. We do not offer a lower-grade option at a reduced price. Every piece we make starts from the same benchmark.
Colour
We use only D, E, and F colour grades — the three highest available, collectively known as colourless. At these grades, the stone is effectively without colour, allowing maximum light return and the characteristic brilliance that defines a fine diamond.
Clarity
All our diamonds are graded VS1 (Very Slightly Included, first degree) or higher. At VS1, any inclusions are minor and invisible to the naked eye under normal viewing conditions. We do not use VS2 or SI-graded stones.
Cut
We select for Excellent or Ideal cut grades, where the diamond's facets are proportioned and aligned to reflect light most efficiently. Cut is the most important factor in a diamond's visual brilliance — a well-cut stone will always outperform a poorly-cut stone of higher clarity or colour.
Craftsmanship Excellence
Every Nine Carats piece is made by hand in our Hong Kong atelier. We do not outsource production. We do not use a third-party manufacturer. The master jeweler who sets your diamond is the same person who will repair it under warranty.
Made to order
We do not hold finished inventory sitting in a display case. Every piece in our collection is made fresh to your specifications — your ring size, your choice of metal, your engraving if you want one. The two-to-three week production window is not a delay; it is the time required to do the work properly.
Our metals
We work in 14-karat gold across white, yellow, and rose, and in platinum 950. 14-karat gives the right balance of durability and precious metal content for fine jewelry intended to be worn daily and to last a lifetime.
Setting by hand
Stone setting is the most skilled part of making a piece of jewelry. Our setters work under magnification, positioning each stone by hand and securing it with prongs or bezel calibrated precisely for the individual stone. We do not use automated setting processes.
Quality control
Before any piece leaves our atelier, it passes through a multi-point quality check: the setting is tested for security, the metal surfaces are inspected for finishing quality, and the piece is photographed for our records. We do not dispatch anything we would not wear ourselves.
Sustainability in Mind
The single most significant sustainability choice a jewelry brand can make is the decision to use lab-grown diamonds. A lab-grown diamond is physically, chemically, and optically identical to a mined diamond. It is not a simulant. It is not cubic zirconia. It is a real diamond, grown above ground under controlled conditions.
The environmental argument is straightforward: mining a single one-carat diamond disturbs approximately 250 tonnes of earth and consumes significant energy and water. Lab-grown diamonds eliminate this entirely. They are grown using a fraction of the energy — and increasingly, that energy is renewable.
Made to order, not made to stock
We produce nothing speculatively. Every piece is made because someone ordered it. This means no unsold inventory, no waste production, no pieces that will never be worn. In an industry defined by overproduction, made-to-order is one of the most meaningful commitments we can make.
Packaging
Our packaging is designed to last. The Nine Carats jewelry pouches are not single-use. They are made to be kept, reused, and passed along with the piece.
Certification & Provenance
For every diamond 1ct and above in our collection, the IGI grading report travels with the piece. This is a document issued by an independent laboratory — not by us — confirming the stone's weight, colour grade, clarity grade, cut grade, and any treatments it has or has not received.
We do not issue our own certificates in place of third-party certification. When we say a stone is D colour VS1, the IGI agrees.
If a grading report is lost, a replacement can be obtained directly from IGI. A replacement certificate fee of HK$1,200 applies if the report is not returned with a piece being sent back to us. We recommend keeping the original report in a safe place — it is part of the piece's provenance, and will matter if you ever insure, sell, or pass down the jewelry.
Questions about a specific piece?
Our team is happy to walk you through the specific diamond and metalwork in any piece before you buy.
Email: info@ninecarats.com
WhatsApp: +852 9861 1934