Sawanajewels AfricaReviews of sawanajewels-africa.com

We worked with Sawana Jewels Africa on a bespoke sapphire ring and overall had a mixed experience. We are happy with the centre stone of the ring, which was quite specific in terms of the colour and look we were trying to find. Throughout the process, the team were responsive and quick to answer our questions. However, there was often a sense of urgency around making decisions, which I don't think is ideal for a purchase of this value

My experience with Sawana Jewels Africa was mixed. I am happy with the sapphire they sourced, which came close to the specific colour and look I wanted, and the team were professional and responsive throughout. As there was no local showroom where we could view the stones, we selected the sapphire based on photographs. The team did visit us at home to understand our preferences and take specifications, which we appreciated. However, I would have liked these touchpoints to extend further into the actual design process. We did not have an intermediate mould or design-review stage before seeing the completed ring. For example, our original design included 16 accent stones, while the finished ring had eight. We were told this was necessary due to the shape and design of the centre stone, which may well have been the right design decision, but we only learned of the change after noticing it ourselves. When we asked whether the unused stones could be deducted from the price, we were told they had been batch ordered and that we would need to keep the extras. This was disappointing, particularly as we had paid an additional amount to upgrade them from moissanites to lab-grown diamonds. I also found the sales approach quite persistent, with a frequent sense of urgency around making decisions. Overall, I like my ring and am happy with the stone itself. However, given the pricing, I would have expected a more transparent and collaborative bespoke-design process, particularly around design changes and their cost implications.