Engagement Rings (merged)

LEJC

London...the eyeglass thing is called a jewellers loupe...and since you bought your ring.. high end prices have increased..it also goes to show what a good ring you got for your money....and I'm glad your both still enjoying positive congratulations!

LankyMoneySaver

LEJC wrote: »

Have you asked the jeweller to show you examples of lower spectum rings ie lower down the colour scale...

They did have a similar style ring to Ring 2 with a H (.40 I seem to remember I think) for £1750 but the cheaper rings only had the shop's own certificate rather than IGI so I discounted them as not worth the paper they were printed on as it meant I had no idea of the cut which seems to be one of the most import factors for the actual look of the diamond.

I assumed with it being high street they'd only have a limited selection, most of which would be on display anyway so I asked to see all that were in the the style I'm after.

LEJC wrote: »

....how about trying to achieve ring 2 for ring 1s price...its challenging...
You may find that if a diamond has been instock for a while then it could attract a higher discount than one that is new in simply because the prices have fluctuated between purchase by the jeweller and now.

LEJC wrote: »

For what its worth an IF diamond in my opinion is a truly stunning thing!

The certificate for Ring 1 was dated Oct 2010.
Ring 2 I think was Nov 2006 but can't remember for sure.

My thoughts were similar - I like the idea of having a stunning ring and knowing it has a virtually perfect but smaller diamond rather than a 'massive lump of bling' and I'm pretty sure my gf would feel the same. If I can get them to drop Ring 2 down to the Ring 1 price (they're from different shops by the way) then it would be even more tempting!

london00 wrote: »

I'd recommend saving money on the colour and the clarity.

I agree with what you're saying and I know I could go bigger/cheaper by reducing Colour and Clarity rating as only an expert could tell the difference between D, F and G but I'm not sure size is the most import factor for me. I wasn't originally planning on going that high rating for either but it just so happens that those are the diamonds in the style rings I like.

Is an .31 D/IF/Very Good - at this price (or £2299 if they'll drop lower to match Ring 1) on the high street reasonable?

At the moment I'm only really comparing the 2 rings on the high street to lower quality ones off the high street so don't really know how much of the premium is due to high street prices vs diamond quality. I'm curious how much would something similar spec cost elsewhere?

I'd like to have gone to Birmingham JQ or Hatton Garden and compared lots in a similar style or get one made but it's going to be a surprise next week so unfortunately I've not got time to fit a trip in and I'm not comfortable with ordering one online without seeing it first.

LankyMoneySaver

I've just found this which is a bit like the style I'm after:

http://www.samarajames.com/acatalog/certified-diamond-round-brilliant-engagement-ring-9.html

With a .30/D/IF/Hearts and arrows (I'm assuming that since on this thread this sounds like the best it's equivalent to excellent) for £1672.52.

Still not convinced about buying online though so it looks like I'd be paying about £650 - 700 more on the high street for something similar depending on my haggling ability , less a bit for it only being .30 (Ring 2 is .31) but guessing this wouldn't make a massive difference.

About a 35% mark up - is this about standard for high street prices?

london00

LankyMoneySaver wrote: »

I've just found this which is a bit like the style I'm after:

http://www.samarajames.com/acatalog/certified-diamond-round-brilliant-engagement-ring-9.html

With a .30/D/IF/Hearts and arrows (I'm assuming that since on this thread this sounds like the best it's equivalent to excellent) for £1672.52.

Still not convinced about buying online though so it looks like I'd be paying about £650 - 700 more on the high street for something similar depending on my haggling ability , less a bit for it only being .30 (Ring 2 is .31) but guessing this wouldn't make a massive difference.

About a 35% mark up - is this about standard for high street prices?

From my (limited but in depth) experience of looking, high street chains do have a fairly hefty mark up and the diamonds weren't always the best.

Likewise, the online ones are cheap but I found they were often a little too deep or a little too shallow. When a diamond has those proportions, even if they have high clarity or a good carat side, a lot of light is lost out of the sides and the bottom, and they don't sparkle as much.

Is there a smaller independent jewellers near you? They're apparently more flexible on price.

Ultimately though, she'll love whatever ring you've taken the time to research and buy and things like clarity or colour will be pretty redundant compared to the emotional value. Pay whatever you're comfortable paying and you can't go wrong.

As an after thought, you could buy a cheap token ring from a shop like Argos, propose with that and then whisk her off to Hatton Garden or Birmingham JQ to choose a ring together. You'll likely save hundreds and she'll get a ring she's 100% happy with.

Ps. LEJC - thanks for your tips when I was choosing a ring. They were hugely helpful.

PPS. Lanky - also, seriously forget getting D colour. It'll look exactly the same as F but it costs more. And you can come down on clarity and there will be no visible difference. The jeweller is the only one who benefits from an IF diamond, because he makes more money.

LEJC

london00 wrote: »

PPS. Lanky - also, seriously forget getting D colour. It'll look exactly the same as F but it costs more. And you can come down on clarity and there will be no visible difference. The jeweller is the only one who benefits from an IF diamond, because he makes more money.

.....Last year I bought an IF D colour pair of earings using the haggling method that even I was astounded at the price I managed to get them for ...so the jeweller must have been on my side that day!

Because of the vast differences in diamonds theres always one for you...sometimes people want the big stone and are happy to compromise on other factors,sometimes its the flawless stone and you may need to compromise on size and sometimes its just the fact that they want the Tiffany,Cartier,Boodles etc etc...everyones requirement is different. With that in mind its difficult to tell you ball part what you will get from other retailers it is just a case of lots of research and lots of looking until you find the stone you want.

Over the years ive collected a spectrum of diamonds and I have branded and unbranded certificated and uncertificated.. possibly the only ones I stay clear of are the cloudy or milky ones..but they are still commercially acceptable to someone its just my personal "dislike"...you can indeed in my mind move quite far down the colour scale to an almost "yellow" diamond if you want a "different" look they ar'nt to everyones taste but thats the way of diamonds but in reducing the colour so much then you really cant compromise on the cut and clarity without affecting the overall appearance of the stone.So the advice would be to choose a balanced stone as opposed to going for one that varies too much either way on all the C's

Its always good to have a look at different cuts as each type will produce a different result.
The brilliant is a very sparkly one as is the "old cut"...other cuts such as emerald may make the stone appear bigger but is more of a flash than a sparkle...again its personal preference and therefore its not about one type of cut beiing better than the other.

Large high street chains do only have limited stock and unless they have the package (stone and setting) you want then it may be worthwhile looking at the independants...especially the type that repair/manufacture on the premises...they often hold a stock of loose stones that can be interchanged into settings if the ones on display are not quite your requirement.Its a simple process to swap stones and usually done in a few hours...in my mind this is an area where they beat the large chains hands down as the service is far more personal.

The 2 diamonds you list are super...the number 2 would possibly be the easiest to haggle further but thats purely based on the fact that the diamond is older as I suspected in my previous post...

I tend to stay away from online retailers..for much the same reasons you've said but having said that..I know my stuff and am not afraid of the odd ebay purchase...although unless I know exactly what I'm after theres no subsititute for seeing holding touching the stone in my opinion...

Independants are brilliant and the small manufacturing jeweller most towns will have one or possibly a few..and Ive spent many a happy hour in Hatton Garden..BJQ and the Lanes in Brighton...ive also been known to purchase abroad and without hesitating will also recommend the good second hand antique markets most of my recommendations would probably be southern england but thats based on my location rather than therer being a lack of them up north....High street can at times be expensive and there sometimes is a smaller room for movement on price. Ive found that its difficult to get much more than 10 % using the large high street chain mainly due to the fact that they like to offer their own in house incentive like free cleaning for the lifetime of the ring 10% on future wedding ring purchase or indeed the 36 month interest free option...which in certain circumstances can be good but it depends on the individual.
A page or so back on this thread there is a bit of discussion about hearts and arrows...so no need to repeat what I said suffice to say I believe the man from Samara James put up a very indepth summary of it...have a read ...

I REALLY hate saying if I think a price is reasonable...but assuming that its a platinum band of a good thickness and quality then I will go as far as to say I dont think your being taken for a ride...of course the price could be better but every price could be better...the thing is ...its not about if I think you have a good price its how you view your purchase in terms of what it means to you and your future wife...and even if you were overcharged then its none of my business really how much you choose to spend on a ring...I dont want to sound judgemental either way...and to that effect I hope you enjoy your ring irrespective of the price you pay...it is afterall the gift of love and commitment that is equally important...
coincidently my engagement ring has a reasonable monetry value and other pieces I have far exceed it...but is priceless to me in terms of what it represents...

Agree that the token ring for proposal is a good one....again its something I would always suggest unless you know exactly what you want the tin foil ring crafted with love and affection is again somrthing thats up with the best in the cherishing stakes of romantic proposals!....an engagement ring is a considered purchase and so deserves a bit of time devoting to it...your girlfriend will hopefully wear it for a lifetime..and it would be a shame just to pick something without investigationg fully whats on offer...albeit to return to your first choice!!

on a seperate point do make sure that you will be able to cover your purchase on your contents policy of Home insurance...lots of insurers will require you to specify single articles over a certain value some as low as £1500 so check that with your insurer as you may need to top up your premium to fully cover your ring....and most of all enjoy looking and enjoy what you buy...diamonds are very special...and your girlfriend will get a lifetime of pleasure from wearing it...

wywywywy

Hi all,

Basically I have a very specific requirement - my fiancee only cares about the size, not the clarity or the colour (shallow!!). So it is my mission to find the cheapest 2 carat diamond, then sell my convertible to buy it

Does anyone know what is the best place to look for such a thing please? In the distant past I have seen a couple of cheap ones from First Class Diamonds, but they don't seem to do those bargains any more.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks.

andthethreebears

wywywywy wrote: »

Hi all,

Basically I have a very specific requirement - my fiancee only cares about the size, not the clarity or the colour (shallow!!). So it is my mission to find the cheapest 2 carat diamond, then sell my convertible to buy it

Does anyone know what is the best place to look for such a thing please? In the distant past I have seen a couple of cheap ones from First Class Diamonds, but they don't seem to do those bargains any more.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks.

If she doesn't care about the cut / colour / quality - buy a cubic zirconia and keep the car!!
Smiles all round!

LEJC

wywywywy wrote: »

Hi all,

Basically I have a very specific requirement - my fiancee only cares about the size, not the clarity or the colour (shallow!!). So it is my mission to find the cheapest 2 carat diamond, then sell my convertible to buy it

Does anyone know what is the best place to look for such a thing please? In the distant past I have seen a couple of cheap ones from First Class Diamonds, but they don't seem to do those bargains any more.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks.

If you really are not bothered by any other factor than the size then why not use ebay...there seem to be lots to choose from if you use a key word search of 2 carat diamond ring...however I am unable to recommend any sellers who would sell on size only as its not a request I come across frequently...

Qickly grabbing 1 of the ebay listings...on the face of it this might be suitable or at least give you an indication on possible prices

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AWESOME-2-2-CARAT-DIAMOND-MOUNTED-WHITE-GOLD-RING-/260779331890?pt=UK_JewelleryWatches_WomensJewellery_Rings_SR&hash=item3cb7a8d132

Stephb1986_2

I agree with andthethreebears lol, or look on Tru Diamonds

http://www.trudiamonds.co.uk/index.php?page=item_detail&item=T2533PC

here you go whats up with this

I got some 1ct earrings for £69 bargain and they look pretty real.

Steph xx

LankyMoneySaver

london00 wrote: »

As an after thought, you could buy a cheap token ring from a shop like Argos, propose with that and then whisk her off to Hatton Garden or Birmingham JQ to choose a ring together. You'll likely save hundreds and she'll get a ring she's 100% happy with.

I did think of proposing with a cheap/tin foild ring but liked the idea of surprising her with the actual ring rahter than chosing it together afterwards.

After more research and shopping around I went with ring 2 in the end as it was the exact style I was after and the price did seem to be resonable compared with what else I saw. Through some futher haggling I managed to get £450 knocked off the price, pretty impressed with muself on that! Making me even happier with my purchase. I guess the fact it was older did help with this.


Anyway we're engaged now, she loved the ring, and we're looking forward to planning the wedding. Best of all it fitted prefectly without needing adjusting. I was expecting it to be slightly too big as I got a ring she wears on her right hand ring finger measured secretly, but she must be one of the few people who has the same size ring finger on both hands!

LEJC wrote: »

on a seperate point do make sure that you will be able to cover your purchase on your contents policy of Home insurance...

I'd already got insurance on my list and sorted this straight after buying as it was over the individual limit on our house insurance.

I have some questions about this though (appologies if they have been asked and answered elsewhere). I'm assuming it should be insured for it's value rather than the purchase price I paid? And also that the value will increase over time. Should I be increasing the value of it on my insurance each year, and if so by how much? If I did ever need to claim how would I prove the value, is the diamand certificate along with photos of the ring enough, or should I be getting it valued every so often and increasing the value on the insurance to match?


Thanks for all the advice!