Engagement Rings (merged)

Simon2k11

LEJC wrote: »

On the face of it that does seem to be a good deal however its probably not the only deal out there...but if thats gone then you need to indeed find something else...there are rings around for that price but it really depends on the heritage of the ring and what your specifics are

There are online retailers that you could have a look at...they sell at below the high street price as they can buy in bulk and have few or no high street outlets

There is the smaller independant jeweller who will possibly have a selection of pre owned rings which may match you requirements...all will look like new as they will have been repolished...but reperesent good value for money as you do not pay VAT on second hand jewellery

There is the option of ebay...good if you know what you are after but its best to stick to a seller with good feedback...you need to do your research ...but again there are some very good examples that you can pick up there

You could try a jewellery quarter....such as birmingham...hatton gardens in london or the lanes in brighton...again all will have rings around your budget

A final option is to go to a high street jeweller and see what they have in a sale...similar to the way you found your original ring...they do have sales frequently....high street can be expensive but if you find the ring you want there then its been worth it...
It is always good to see the ring in the flesh as many of the stock photos created for online retailers are greatly magnified and so the actual ring may not seem as robust or large once you actually see it....
Also if you do decide to buy online check quidco for cashback....h samuels for example are currently offering 12.5% cashback and there does seem to still be a sale online for them at the moment...whilst there is nothing matching your spec exactly there may be something you would consider as an alternative.

The price of jewellery has really risen in the last year gold in particular is at an all time high so there are less deals to be got...again though a polite is that your best price or what discount can you offer for cash will usually bring the price down by about 10%

Diamonds come in all clarities and specifications....its perfectly possible to get a .5 c ring for your budget...you may not have the top rated clarity or colour but there will definately be a sparkle to the stone....go out and have a look further than h Samuels, and I am sure that by exploring other options and widening your search you will find the ring with which to propose....

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I know I have a lot to research, I'm on my own as I havn't told anyone, and will only tell her mum (dad passed away last year) the day before we go away.


I wish I had got that ring though, as it 'looks' perfect for what I wanted.

Love the ring you have Sammy, but little out of budget for me .

I've managed to save £650 from matched betting so she doesn't see the money go out of our account and at least i can say ive bought it 100% and not through our joint account.

we go away middle of august, so need to get something sorted.

I've been looking for 18c white gold, something like my picture and sammys. not that bothered about carrot been .5, but dont want a really small stone either.

Got a couple of ours saturday on my own, so will go have alook at a few shops. but will try ebay/amazon also, but like you said, pictures can be deceiving.



W

LEJC

Simon...Have looked around a bit and found this on ebay...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-2-CARAT-WHITE-GOLD-18CT-DIAMOND-RING-SIZE-K-SOLITAIRE-/110713192947?pt=UK_JewelleryWatches_WomensJewellery_Rings_SR&hash=item19c70541f3

Very possibly the ring you were looking at....its quite a small finger size...k...but its not too much of a problem to resize up by upto 3 sizes...and could be done for under £30
Obviously something like this is a private sale and will come with no guarantee.... but it goes to show that what you are looking for may still be around


Another option to consider is buying something like this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/White-Gold-plated-crystal-solitaire-ring-various-sizes-/150550941046?pt=Women_s_Accessories_UK&var=&hash=item68c72f732

as a means of proposing and then letting your fiancee choose the actual ring or go shopping together whilst you are on holiday....Giving a token or trinket ring means that it doesn't have to fit perfectly and it does give your girlfriend the option to choose something else...sometimes it can be a bit of a minefield choosing something that will mean so much to someone especially if you are unsure of what you are buying.
Although I know a few people who have been proposed to with a token ring (and even in one case one made from tin foil )and its still the most special ring they ever received...even though they then went on to choose a different engagement ring.



Whatever you decide...Good luck with your proposal...

cardy83

Hi All,

i am planning to propose to my girlfriend in September so i have been looking around for the perfect ring. i have been looking around these forums and i have decided to make the journey to Hatton Gardens in London. I have read a few peoples posts that mention they made appointments at some stores and spent a while looking at various designs. now i am only there for the day so i am wondering if it would be better to stick to looking at a few stores or just to try as many as i can on the day. after looking around online and doing some research i have a good idea of the kind of diamond that i want.

Any help or advice that anyone could offer would be appreciated.

Sam

LEJC

If there are a few shops that you definately know you want to go to then theres no harm in booking appointments....but there are so many shops in the area that I would certainly suggest that you also visit a few on spec...

If you have an idea of what you want and the price you want to pay then that will narrow your search down considerably and ultimately hopefully save you time and allow you to focus....

Good luck with your purchase

Simon2k11

Hi,

Been doing a bit of research.

I've have picked a custom ring from diamondsfactory

I have been looking at this http://www.diamondsfactory.co.uk/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?productid=57528

I wanted a .5 carat, but have moved down to a .4 carat so I can increase the clarity from I1 to SI2

I have moved the colour grade to H

Now, is the downsize worth it for better clarity, is I1 obvious to the naked eye and is SI2 much better?

I don't want a diamond that has obvious inclusions to the naked eye.

I have also seen this, which I can obviously see in person, but the price is abit more than I hoped,

http://www.hsamuel.co.uk/webstore/d/4984722/18ct+white+gold+1%2f3+carat+solitaire+ring/

It doesnt state the clarity etc, but its 1/3 which I believe is slightly smaller than .4

any help or advice appreciated

Thanks

**Edit** Having looked closer, ive changed it from a 6 claw to a 4 claw as i think it might suit her taste more....


Whats helping me is about 3 years a go she circled a few pictures in a H samual magazine of which rings shes likes, she never knew I kept it.

london_saver

cardy83 wrote: »

Hi All,

i am planning to propose to my girlfriend in September so i have been looking around for the perfect ring. i have been looking around these forums and i have decided to make the journey to Hatton Gardens in London. I have read a few peoples posts that mention they made appointments at some stores and spent a while looking at various designs. now i am only there for the day so i am wondering if it would be better to stick to looking at a few stores or just to try as many as i can on the day. after looking around online and doing some research i have a good idea of the kind of diamond that i want.

Any help or advice that anyone could offer would be appreciated.

Sam

My fiancee bought my ring from Hatton Garden. He trawled all the shops, looked at loads of rings, got an idea of size stone and what he could afford. In the end he didn't see anything "perfect", so he approached a jeweller with a workshop and had my ring made with a bespoke design. The price was competitive and the experience was more personal as there wasn't a fancy shop with flashy sales assistant. He had a chat with our jeweller, choose the stone, created the design and the jeweller went away and made it.
A bit like having a bespoke suit made rather than buy off the peg from Next or John lewis.
Buying online is hard though, you want to see the stones and the designs of the ring.
You can negotiate in Hatton Gardens too, dont be afraid to haggle hard or just try another shop. You wont be stuck for choice. You dont really need to make appointments for HG. Either go early on saturday AM or weekday when its quieter and the sales people have time to serve you and you can take your time to choose and decide.
Everyone is different with how they would like to buy their rings, but shop around as much as you can and then you can make your decision about how and where you want to buy.
My friend went shopping in Hatton Garden, went to loads and loads of shops, in the end he toddled off to Tiffanys, no messin'! (ok, not mse, but it was easy)

Good luck

london_saver

Bluenile is also a very good website to gauge price and what you get for your price.

bluenile.co.uk

london_saver

oh, another thing. Make sure you buy a diamond with GIA certificate so it guarantees the diamond quality. Other certification affects the price of the stone (cheaper)

LEJC

Simon2k11 wrote: »

Hi,

Been doing a bit of research.

I've have picked a custom ring from diamondsfactory

I have been looking at this http://www.diamondsfactory.co.uk/Products/ProductDetail.aspx?productid=57528

I wanted a .5 carat, but have moved down to a .4 carat so I can increase the clarity from I1 to SI2

I have moved the colour grade to H

Now, is the downsize worth it for better clarity, is I1 obvious to the naked eye and is SI2 much better?

I don't want a diamond that has obvious inclusions to the naked eye.

I have also seen this, which I can obviously see in person, but the price is abit more than I hoped,

http://www.hsamuel.co.uk/webstore/d/4984722/18ct+white+gold+1%2f3+carat+solitaire+ring/

It doesnt state the clarity etc, but its 1/3 which I believe is slightly smaller than .4

any help or advice appreciated

Thanks

**Edit** Having looked closer, ive changed it from a 6 claw to a 4 claw as i think it might suit her taste more....


Whats helping me is about 3 years a go she circled a few pictures in a H samual magazine of which rings shes likes, she never knew I kept it.

OK Simon....I wont tell you which ring is better...that all comes down to the factors of personal taste and budget....but in terms of whats the difference in the colour and clarity then I can possibly explain the differences...

The colour scales will run from a D colour being colourless and very bright white through the letters...an H colour will still be light in colour and on its own will appear white...you probably wouldnt notice too much difference in any colour until it was put up against a different diamong of a whiter colour....F or G are still very white so in terms of an H colour its nowhere near the bottom of the "white" scale...
In terms of clarity then an I1 could have slightly visable inclusions...most inclusions are only visable under a jewellers loupe which will magnify 10x...its unlikely that you carry a loupe with you so its perfectly possible that you wouldnt notice anything when looking at the diamond with just you eyes...
With all clarity issues it really is best to see the diamond as each one really is different ...sometimes the inclusion will show in the form of something like a minute black spot and othertimes it will manifest itself as a slight clouding on the diamond....again its all a matter of taste...some people will see the natural black pin spot as a "feature" and what makes their diamond special and others will see it as a flaw...personally the cloudy diamond for me is a "no"...as it can really affect the sparke ...but that is just my personal opinion...which is why you possibly need to view the quality of the diamond before purchase to see that YOU are happy with the way it looks...


please dont get too hung up on the quality of the diamond...at the end of the day its about purchasing something that your fiancee will love and cherish for the rest of her life.....and thats the most important thing.....

Diamonds come in all shapes styles and prices its a case of buying what you like.....and I am sure you fiancee will love the choice you make....

The ring you have seen in H Samuels....what did you think of that in terms of its sparkle...?
Its possibly rated around the colour FGH..but ive no idea what its clarity would be...I would take a guess at possibly SI1-2 but to confirm that you would need to ask in the shop....all diamonds with a weight of over .25c should be graded so they will be able to confirm the range that particular ring falls into...

again the HS ring is as you say slightly over your ideal budget...but dont forget to ask if thats the best price....or to buy online through quidco or a cashback site...you can get 12.5% back which would bring the ring back down much closer to your original budget..

The HS ring is also smaller in terms of size of diamond that you originally looked at...having a larger diamond would make it slightly easier to see imperfections than a smaller diamond

Hope that helps

davidalexandre

Generally, people like diamond rings for engagement ceremony… but the price of diamond rings so high and not mandatory everybody affords it, so today various other metal rings also available with unique design such as gemstone rings, platinum rings, white gold rings and many more… According to worth each ring patter will be giving a worthy return in the future.