Frequently Asked Questions

We are all about your story and crafting a special piece that is truly one-of-a-kind.

Unlike other jewellers, we do not focus on diamonds as a centre stone, but rather we specialise in rare sapphire engagement rings.

With one of the largest collections of rare sapphires in Australasia, you can associate us with a non-conventional jeweller whose focus is to handcraft a truly one-of-a-kind engagement ring inspired by the ideas closest to you.

We are a proudly New Zealand owned brand and our design studio is located in Auckland, New Zealand.

All our rings are proudly manufactured right here in Auckland, New Zealand, by expert master jewellers & gemstone setters with more than 20 years of experience.

All the sapphires we offer are 100% natural (no synthetic or lab-created stones), well saturated in colour, excellent cut with little to no inclusions seen from the naked eye.

In simple terms, they all are of AAA quality and handpicked on the basis of their gorgeous colour, brilliance & lustre.

We only handpick and sell sapphires we would want to purchase for ourselves. When purchasing a sapphire from us, you can be assured that our sapphires are either untreated or treated only by trade-accepted practice of heating.

We disclose whether a sapphire is heated or unheated on their product page, and encourage consumers to ask about enhancements. Not disclosing enhancements is not only an unethical practice, but also against the rules of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Nolan and Vada do not sell sapphires treated in non-standard ways like:

• Glass Filling
• Lasering
• Bulk Diffusing
• Coatings

All the emeralds we offer are 100% natural (no synthetic or lab-created stones), with excellent colour and transparency, and expertly cut to enhance its lustre and brilliance. Known for their unique inclusions, we handpick emeralds which feature fewer naturally occurring inclusions, categorising their clarity as 'slightly included', as compared to A or AA emeralds which are 'included' or 'heavily included'.

In simple terms, they all are of AAA quality and selected on the basis of their gorgeous colour, brilliance & lustre.

We believe it’s not only ethical, but the right of the consumer to know about any enhancements their emerald has undergone.

At Nolan and Vada we carefully handpick emeralds that have been oiled to enhance clarity, in line with industry accepted standards.

An estimated 99.9% of all emeralds have been oiled to enhance their overall clarity and brilliance.

Unlike diamonds, tracing a gemstone's origin is not always possible. However, we work with reputable suppliers who share the same values and standards as set by the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and do our best to ensure that every gemstone we sell is mined ethically.

In regards to diamonds, we have a zero-tolerance policy towards conflict diamonds. Our diamonds are proudly sourced from global manufacturers that comply with the United Nations Kimberley Process in order to ensure all of our diamonds are ethically sourced.

Sapphires:

We source our sapphires from a variety of locations, including Sri Lanka, Australia and the USA. All of our sapphires are sourced from miners, small-scale businesses, with safe working conditions, fair labour, and responsible practices.

Emeralds:

We source our emeralds from Zambia, Africa, the second largest producer of emeralds in the world. Our emeralds are ethically mined by Gemfields - a world leading responsible miner of emeralds, or by reputable, small-scale miners and vendors who share the same values and standards as set by the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO).

We only work with precious coloured gemstones that we have sourced ourselves as centre stones. This ensures the quality, our warranties, free ring sizing, 60 day returns and a certificate of authenticity, which we are unable to provide if the centre stone is not purchased from us. We are able to use diamonds or gemstones you provide as side stones. For more information please get in touch with our team on design@nolanandvada.com.

Yes we are able to source ethical Lab Grown Diamonds for use in your special piece. To enquire about a Lab Grown Diamond please email us on design@nolanandvada.com.

Absolutely! We manufacture rings here in Auckland, and ship rings all over New Zealand, Australia and the USA.

For your peace of mind, the order is securely packaged & completely insured by us until the time they are delivered at your door.

Yes, there is no mention of jewellery or Nolan and Vada’s branding on the packaging, however for shipping purposes our name & address is mentioned in the sender's block.

In order to make sure your Nolan and Vada order remains a surprise, we can also ship your order to your workplace.

For security reasons & insurance purposes, we do not ship to PO Boxes at the moment.

Absolutely! We ship worldwide and offer FREE Global FedEx priority shipping on all our orders.

Absolutely, we stand behind our craftsmanship & proudly offer a lifetime manufacturing warranty & complimentary lifetime cleaning & prong tightening service on all the rings we make.

We offer one complimentary ring resize with all the rings we make. If you are based in Auckland, you can simply bring it back to us for a ring resize.

If you are based out of Auckland, get in touch with your consultant and they will send out shipping labels/instructions on shipping the ring back to us securely for a ring resize. Please note resizing more than 2 sizes up or down may incur an additional fee*.

At Nolan and Vada, we stand by our craftsmanship, design and transparency - that’s why we believe you’ll love your new piece. In the rare event you don’t, we offer a simple 60 day return or exchange, starting from the date you receive your item.

Simply initiate your return or exchange within 60 days of receiving your item and you’ll receive a refund of your original purchase price less a 10% restocking fee.

If you have purchased a ring from our design collection through our website then we will gladly exchange your piece for another item, or process a refund of your original purchase price less a 10% restocking fee within 60 days of purchase.

If you have purchased a customised piece and you would like to modify or change the design, you will still be eligible for an exchange, however it won’t be eligible for a refund.

For more information on our returns policy please click here.

Please see the manufacturing timelines and cut off dates for delivery before Christmas.

• Custom Orders: 19th November
• Online Orders: Order by 24th November
• Ready to Ship Rings: 5th December

For urgent orders and inquiries please get in touch with our team on design@nolanandvada.com.

If you are travelling overseas and are flying out of Auckland then you can save on GST and buy the ring tax free. For more information on buying duty free please get in touch with our consultant on 09 888 0707 or mail us on design@nolanandvada.com

At Nolan and Vada, you can either begin by selecting one of our timeless designs from our online collection, or share your inspiration with one of our design consultants and go from there. We strive to get your engagement ring just right, so our process is flexible and catered to you.

Absolutely! Most of Nolan and Vada’s customers already have a set budget in mind and our design process enables you to handcraft your dream engagement ring within your budget.

In the context of timelines, in case you have bought the piece using buy now and paid the balance in full, the order takes approx. 4 weeks to complete and 3~5 working days to reach you from the time of shipment.

In case you have ordered the piece using our NV Flexible Payment Option, we will begin manufacturing once 50% of the balance is paid and ship the ring within 2 weeks from the time your balance is paid in full.

Get in touch if you have any strict timelines in mind and we’ll try our best to meet the deadline.

We know finding the perfect ring size can be a bit tricky, email us on design@nolanandvada.com and we can help you out, or alternatively you can check out a few helpful tips here.

Due to rarity & availability of sapphires and fluctuations in metal pricing, all custom quotes are valid for 7 days from the time of quotation. We recommend reserving the sapphire to secure your chosen gem while finalising your ring design.

While we specialise in creating stunning one-of-a-kind engagement rings with unique gemstones, we can absolutely handcraft a unique diamond engagement ring too. Reach out to our design consultants to enquire about diamond options.

Absolutely! All our loose rare gems are beautifully presented in an ethically sourced wooden box. You can purchase a loose gemstone by getting in touch through the ‘enquire now’ form on the sapphire page, or by getting in touch via email at design@nolanandvada.com.

Yes. As a standard option, we offer Platinum, 18k White Gold, 18K Yellow Gold and 14K Rose Gold options.

Nolan and Vada also offers 14K White Gold, 14K Yellow Gold or Palladium metal options, simply get in touch with our team at design@nolanandvada.com.

Engraving is complimentary and yes, we can add engraving to most designs, get in touch if you have any ideas in mind and we’ll help you out.

Yes, all purchases come with a complimentary insurance appraisal from an accredited third-party jewellery valuer.

Absolutely, we would love to help you keep the whole process under wraps by making special arrangements. Please let us know what we can do to help you maintain the surprise.

Absolutely, a lot of couples usually look for a centre stone first and proceed with getting the ring made once they are ready. Hence, we have recently introduced NV Flexible Payment Options where you can simply reserve a sapphire for a NZD$500.00 deposit and pay the remaining balance over a period of 3 months.

For more information about our NV Flexible Payment Option click here, or get in touch with one of our consultants on design@nolanandvada.com.

As of now, we accept the following payment methods during checkout:

VISA, Mastercard and American Express Credit Cards

PayPal

Feel free to get in touch with us in case you would like to pay via bank transfer or any alternative payment method.