Engagement Rings (merged)

moogle87

Hi guys,

I was wondering if I could get some advice.

My boyfriend is about to propose (finally after nearly 10 years!) & he wanted us to go & pick the ring together.
After trying on about 50 different rings in The Trafford Centre I found one that I fell in love with:
http://www.fraserhart.co.uk/p-1511-18ct-white-gold-040ct-diamond-ring-colour-gh-clarity-si.aspx

I know that the cut seems to make the biggest difference to a stone and this one has been certificated (by them) at being SI, but it is very sparkly and knocked the socks off eveything else we saw up to the same price range. The inclusions are also only at the bottom of the stone which hasn't seemed to have detracted from it in any negative way.

However, even though we got £300 knocked off it taking it to £1300, I am aware that the high street is a bit of a rip off.
I'm incredibly fussy & I know exactly what I want & that fits the specs but ideally I would have liked a slightly larger stone (about 0.45-0.5).

I've been looking online and found diamondmanufacturers.co.uk and they do a similar ring (it MUST have a band that is as small as possible as I have dainty hands & the one that I picked is tapered in by the stone) but with a better and bigger stone for around £1100.

The specs are the following:
Your Ring
Your Own Created Ring with Loose Diamond - Marquise Cut - 0.44 Carat F/VS1 in Classic Tapered Four Prong Engagement Ring Setting in 18k White Gold

Item Number: 5006-14/LD767109
Diamond Quality: F Colour VS1 Clarity
Ring Size: M


LD767109
5006
Loose Diamond - Marquise Cut - 0.44 Carat F/VS1
Classic Tapered Four Prong Engagement Ring Setting in 18k White Gold
796.00
299.00
Quantity
1 Item Price
£1,095.00
For the cut I selected Ideal, there wasn't anything available with the cut Super Ideal.

But I'm a little apprehensive to buy it, we can afford to buy the ring & then compare them & then I can obviously pick the one that I like the best, but I know that online retailers don't really have a great reputation.

The other thing I'm not sure about is that it was the same price for a diamond with an E colouring but it was a VS2, I figured that the VS1 would be better as you wouldn't really be able to tell the difference between an E & F but you might between a VS1 and VS2.

We can afford the ring from Fraser Hart but we are only in our early-mid twenties and whatever we spend on a ring we wont have for a deposit on a house.
I also want to get the very best for our money so If we can get a ring with better specs but cheaper it seems to be a bit of a no brainer.

What do you guys think?

We live in Cheshire so can get around the Manchester area but BJQ would be a massive pain to get to.

Thanks so much for all the advice!

heartbreak_star

River Oak Diamonds are beautiful and I'd love a BB Becker wedding ring *sigh*

HBS x

ThinkingOfLinking

I've not got one yet, and short of winning one or winning vouchers for a jewellers, I won't be getting one either!

clarethere

Can't help looking at loads of these rings and admiring, just need the proposal now though!

Happylittlecomper

My partner proposed to me a month ago and he spent £500 on the ring. At the end of the day, she will love you however much the ring costs, it's the thought that counts.

arteh

Does anyone have any opinions on the choice between Samara James and Blue Nile? I've heard decent things about both of them, looking at some quotes, BN are a bit cheaper for the sort of ring that I would like, but they are based in Canada as far as I can tell, which doesn't seem as easy/convenient as SJ.

johannalf88

My OH went for SJ for my ring. He said that blue Nile gave him too much choice (more than the 4 cs) which he didn't know anything about. SJ was more simple, and there customer service was excellent.

arteh

Thanks for the reply, the SJ site is definitely a bit easier to use! I do sort of like being able to choose the exact diamond that you want, and see its certificate etc on blue Nile thought too

Does anyone know if you have to pay import duty and vat on the item when it's sent from overseas? That could add a significant amount onto the price!

CompBunny

Bit late to help arteh as you probably have a ring by now (!) but for those that are worried about buying loose diamonds on the internet there are a couple of guidelines that should help you get a good diamond for the money without seeing them in person!

1) Certification Get one with a GIA certificate. There are other grading labs such as EGL that may look like they offer the exact same stone for cheaper, but in reality their standards are much less strict, don't be tempted!! eg a VS2 clarity H colour diamond by EGL may be more like a SI2-I1 J-K coloured diamond by GIA.With the GIA certificated ones you know what you are buying.

2) Cut Go for an "Excellent" cut. Don't compromise in this area. Cut is everything. It can make a J coloured diamond look more like an H, a smaller diamond sparkle more than a larger one making it appear more expensive, makes sure a diamond is a good diameter for its carat, etc etc

3) Clarity With buying online, stick to VS2 or above or take a risk on an SI1 which are most likely to be "eye clean". If you are trying an SI1 or SI2 diamond make sure the online shop has a good returns policy.

4) Colour If you want to maximise the carat of the diamond, drop down as low as you feel comfortable with in colour. Tiffany stock no lower than "I" coloured diamonds, many are happy with J coloured but in my opinion H or I diamonds are the best bargains. I would suggest that you visit a real life jewellers to see different coloured diamonds first to help you in this decision.

5) The final test - http://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca This tool is a fantastic help, it looks at the angles and proportions of your diamond. If your diamond gets a score of 2 or below then you have found a diamond that will most likely sparkle beautifully and last a lifetime. It tells you of any potential problems such as fisheye or extra chipping risks. Its a free tool, use it!! You can get the information required by viewing the GIA certificate for the diamond you are interested in online.

Hope this helps someone

bowledover81

We are about to buy a diamond from 77diamonds as we need to spread the cost of the ring by buying the diamond and then having it set, but searching online it seems impossible to find out the cost of a platinum ring mount and cost of setting. Did anyone on here have their ring made for them?