It's often hard to understand cause and effect. Retailers have seen a surge in online diamond sales as a direct result of coronavirus restrictions. But how much of that will stick if and when things ever return to "normal"? Our underlying desire to buy a gem online may not be as strong as some headline figures would suggest. Signet saw e-commerce sales surge 61 per cent across its brands over the holiday season. For Tiffany the figure was 80 per cent. And across the US online sales of all jewelry soared by 62 per cent in January. Digital sales may be the silver lining of the global pandemic, but are we really embracing online sales, or is it merely a question of needs must? I say that because only a small minority of consumers actually want to but their jewelry online, according to a survey by the business consultants Bain & Company.