The Indian Weekender, 27 October 2023

6
NEW ZEALAND
Friday, 27 October, 2023
Read online www.iwk.co.nz
Crafting dreams in lab
grown diamond jewellery
Four Words
co-founder
Vineet
Chauhan
SUPPLIED CONTENT
When buying engagement rings
and fine jewellery, often you
have to choose among quality,
affordability and something unique.
With Four Words, you can have all three.
The brainchild of Vineet Chauhan, Hamish
Parbhu and Vivek Kumar, this New Zealandbased
company has carved a niche for
itself in the art of crafting custom-made
fine jewellery using lab-grown diamonds –
redefining approachable luxury.
The First Four Words
Vivek’s journey into the diamond
business is marked by a desire to fulfill
a personal quest for getting a bespoke
designed engagement ring.
“My wife had a very clear idea of what she
wanted in her engagement ring when I was
looking to propose.
“At the time, New Zealand did not have
a jeweller that sold high-quality lab-grown
diamonds, let alone a jeweller that would
design a custom engagement ring for you
unless you spent more than $10,000,”
recalls Vivek.
Where the business found its start was a
visit by Vineet to Surat, India – the diamond
capital of the world, for his own wedding
shopping. It unveiled the new but fast
growing world of lab-grown diamonds –
where one could obtain precisely what they
wanted without compromising on quality,
price or design.
Inspired by this ethos, Vineet, Hamish and
Vivek set out to introduce this concept to
the fine jewellery industry in New Zealand,
giving birth to Four Words.
A journey across continents
The co-founding team of Four Words trace
their origins to Fiji and India. Their parents
had shared a journey of migration from Fiji
to New Zealand around 1990. None of their
families had been involved in the diamond
business. Their family backgrounds are
primarily in textiles and footwear.
A Diamond is a Diamond – Lab or
Natural
The heart of Four Words lies in the
concept of lab-grown diamonds which
are physically, optically, and atomically
identical to natural diamonds.
“Not even trained gemologists can tell the
difference,” explains Vivek. “We like to think
about it like ice. Ice from the freezer is the
same as ice from a mountain. There are just
different ways to make it."
Lab diamonds even come certified by
GIA and IGI – the same organisations that
grade natural diamonds.
However, lab grown diamonds aren’t to be
confused with ‘American Diamonds’ which
are cubic zirconias, a type of diamond
simulant that often get very cloudy and
crack easily. Lab grown diamonds are real
diamonds, just made in a lab.
“When you talk to traditional jewellers,
often they will persuade you away from
buying lab grown because they don’t hold
their value,” says Vivek.
“But this is a common myth. If you try
to resell any diamond, natural or lab, you
will get approximately 40%-50% of the
value for it.
“For example, a good quality one carat
natural diamond will cost you about
$11,000. With lab diamonds, the exact
same thing would be $4,000. And even if the
lab diamond value went to zero (it won’t),
and you get full resale value for your natural
diamond (you won’t) you would still be
$7,000 better off.”
A unique custom design experience
One of the unique aspects of Four
Words is their personalised approach to
jewellery design.
Clients can either select from the online
collection or collaborate with the skilled
team to create a custom, unique design
from scratch.
Their thoughtful design process involves
one on one consultations, both in person
and virtually. It also includes the possibility
of incorporating other gemstones like
sapphires, rubies, emeralds, topaz, spinels
and alexandrite.
Once the brief is finalised, the design
phase commences, first with concept
sketches, then diamond selection -
diamonds hand picked by gemologists and
then detailed photorealistic 3D designs for
final approval. We go through a process
of back and forth to ensure our clients get
exactly what they want.
The final design is then brought to life
using modern jewellery making techniques,
right here in New Zealand, taking between
six to eight weeks.
Each client receives a diamond grading
certificate, an insurance certificate, free
worldwide shipping, and duty free shopping
for those who have an overseas trip planned.
More than just rings
While Four Words is renowned for their
engagement rings, the brand offers a
diverse array of options, including earrings,
bracelets, pendants, and necklaces,
available in a range of gold (white, rose,
yellow in 9k, 14k, 18k, and 22K) and
platinum.
In three years, the brand has already
crafted more than 1,000 unique designs
and grown into a team of seven dedicated
people.
Dreaming bigger
The price varies depending on the design,
size, and materials used. For a rough
estimate, a two-carat ideal cut, F colour,
VS1 clarity diamond solitaire in an 18K gold
setting would cost approximately $8,000.
The exact same thing made with natural
diamonds would be over $45,000.
RNZ
Every region of the country has
experienced population growth in
the past year, following two years in
which several shrank.
Statistics New Zealand data shows of
the 16 regions, Auckland was the fastest
growing in the year to June.
Estimates and projections manager
Michael MacAskill said Auckland grew by
47,000 people - 2.8 percent - in the year
ended June, “reversing a population loss in
2022”. About 78 percent of new Aucklanders
were recent arrivals to the country.
“Auckland gained people through
international migration, but lost people
through internal migration, continuing the
pattern since the late 1990s,” MacAskill said.
Nationally, the population grew 2.1
percent, about 105,900 people, in the year
ended June 2023 - 18 times higher than the
Jewellery by Four Words
No compromises
Four Words’ guiding philosophy is
clear– it is about fine jewellery without
compromising on size, quality or the
environment.
For more information, visit www.
fourwords.co.nz
Auckland led way as NZ population
grew 2.1% in year ending June
previous year, when it flatlined at 0.1 percent.
Otago, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty regions
also grew faster than the New Zealand
average. The fastest growing district by far
was Queenstown-Lakes, which went up 8
percent, or 3900 new residents, with 2500
coming from overseas.
Meanwhile, deaths exceeded births in
some regions.
“A record 16 out of 67 territorial authority
areas experienced natural decrease, or more
deaths than births, in the year ended June
2023,” MacAskill said. The areas with the
largest natural decreases included Dunedin
City (190 more deaths than births), Thames-
Coromandel District (170 more), Kāpiti Coast
District (160 more), Nelson City (100 more),
Whanganui District (90 more), and Timaru
district (80 more).
With the exception of Buller district, all
areas experiencing “natural decrease” still
had population growth, due to net migration.