15:30Is it true that once the lab-grown diamond has been created, if you place it next to a mined natural diamond, then even for experts it's difficult to tell them apart?
16:05If it looks exactly the same, why don't I just buy lab-grown?
25:13Your partner in sourcing your diamonds right now is De Beers?
26:25Is that something that concerns you after the Kimberly process?
Okay so here's the personal story after my son was born two years ago I felt the need to buy a piece of jewelry to mark that moment. I'm not someone who wears a lot of jewelry, so it sent me down a whirlwind of questions about what is a good diamond, ethical sourcing, lab vs natural. A lot of people are asking those same questions, so we partnered with Kish to send over Ajoy Chawla, who's the CEO of jewelry at Titan, looking after Mia, Tanishq, Zoya. The idea is to ask every silly question about buying diamonds. I hope you find it useful. Remember you can use chapter breakup to find the question in your mind. Leave a comment if useful. We can do more for you in the diamonds space.
Diamonds are actually an Indian legacy. The first diamonds were discovered in India. Most women today are unabashedly saying jewelry is for adornment and expression. Each of the 4Cs has to be understood: carat, color, clarity, cut. No jeweler takes someone else's diamonds because they cannot test validity without breaking the piece. Tanishq only takes back its own diamond-studded jewelry. The advent of lab-grown diamonds and the ethical argument: there is a structured Kimberly process for conflict-free diamonds.
Thank you so much for speaking with me. We're going to put out the ultimate guides to buying diamonds. Let's talk about jewelry. You said the customer is changing drastically. Younger women are doing weddings differently, their approach to style is different. What have you noticed in the market when it comes to diamonds, gold, and jewelry? What trend change has struck you the most?
Jewelry is an old category in India. Indians and jewelry go back centuries. Most think it's gold, but diamonds are also a legacy. The Kohinoor and other historic diamonds. Trends: precious jewelry becoming less occasion-driven, more everyday wear. People want lighter pieces and layering. Diamonds penetration in India is still only 5-8%, but growing. Younger people are happy to take their first piece as diamond-studded. Also interest in colored stones and different gold colors. As for investment, most women today say jewelry is for adornment and expression. The business is about adorning women and giving joy.
Not really. The other shift is that most women today are unabashedly saying jewelry is for adornment and expression. Gold as investment is an old thought. Yes, jewelry is a store of value, but if you want pure investment, you can invest in other instruments. We are in the business of adoring the woman, giving her joy, enabling her to express herself, celebrating precious moments. That's our business.
I want to talk to you about choosing a diamond. The centerpiece diamond gets a lot of effort, but what about the smaller stones? How do we make sure we're doing the best job? There are the 4Cs, but what is the real trick to choosing a good diamond?
Each of the 4Cs has to be understood. Carat is the weight and size. Color ranges from white to yellow to brown. Clarity refers to inclusions, like birthmarks. Cut determines the light reflection and sparkle. For a round diamond, the symmetry and depth ensure maximum light reflection. So color is graded D to Z, clarity has grades, and cut is about light performance.
How important is the certificate? And how reliable is that certificate? Because when you're sitting across the counter, everything looks good under the lights.
I covered the known parameters of quality. There is also quality and consistency. When you buy a piece with many diamonds, they may be mixed quality. Certification is for individual large stones. For small stones, you rely on the jeweler. You cannot determine quality after the stone is set. For value retention, no jeweler takes someone else's diamonds; Tanishq exchanges only its own diamonds at today's price. Lab-grown diamonds: they are grown in a lab. Is it true that even experts cannot tell them apart without special equipment? Yes, it needs special equipment because of trace elements.
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Chawla, A. (2025, January 18). Behind the Sparkle: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying Diamonds | Ajoy Chawla | Faye D'Souza [Interview transcript]. Faye D'Souza. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1031507/
MLA
Ajoy Chawla. "Behind the Sparkle: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying Diamonds | Ajoy Chawla | Faye D'Souza." Faye D'Souza, 18 Jan. 2025. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1031507/.
BibTeX
@misc{chawla2025_1031507,
author = {Ajoy Chawla},
title = {Behind the Sparkle: Everything You Need to Know Before Buying Diamonds | Ajoy Chawla | Faye D'Souza},
howpublished = {Interview transcript, Faye D'Souza. CEOInterviews.AI},
year = {2025},
month = {jan},
url = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1031507/},
note = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}
