CRYSTAL CLEAR

For modern brides, picking their diamonds is as much a matter of planning and foresight as picking their life partners—and timing might be everything, finds JYOTI KUMARI

- By JYOTI KUMARI

When Mona Patel got engaged, she chose to skip the big diamonds. For the US-based entrepreneur, this wasn't a sacrifice. It was a strategy. "My husband Chintan had just finished his doctoral residency, and I was building my business from scratch. We were focused on creating something real," she says. While she did dream of an Ashoka-cut diamond—which she describes as "an extraordinarily rare, 72-faceted cut crafted exclusively by William Goldberg"—Patel did not want her partner to spend his money on something so extravagant. So, instead of a diamond engagement ring, she got Chintan to invest his savings in blue chip stocks. She also asked her father to put the "big wedding" money into her ventures.

Patel has since founded multiple businesses across global markets. "There's a famous psychology study, the Marshmallow Test, where kids are offered one marshmallow now or two later if they can wait," says Patel. "I've always been that kid—the one who waits."