Secondhand Engagement Rings

cheapskate66

Hey all
Iam looking for a secondhand engagement ring, Does anyone know of any reputable secondhand jewellary dealers in the southeast?
Having just got engaged :jand i want a good quality ring and for the money we have the only way of getting that is by buying second hand...its lucky iam not superstitious

The only thing is is that i just dont know where to start looking, you dont know what your getting with online auctions or private ads and alot of the 2nd hand shops around london charge a premium coz its a "vintage" ring or similar.

any ideas?
Thanks guys :T

Fire_Fox

Welcome! There are plenty of reputable dealers on Etsy, eBay and Ruby Lane, many even have bricks and mortar shops. The key is to look at their stock to see what they specialise in, read the feedback, research the materials, examine the photos in detail and ask loads of questions. Most reputable sellers have a moneyback guarantee so you can take the ring to be examined by a local jeweller when it arrives. Obviously that is more of a PITA if it's not a UK seller. If it's a Buy it Now price and a UK seller you are covered by the Distance Selling Regulations but not if it is an auction. eBay and Paypal are very protective of the buyer.

Currently 1500 vintage diamond rings at Buy it Now prices
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_nkw=vintage+diamond+ring&LH_PrefLoc=1&rt=nc&LH_BIN=1

Thrillho

I'd reconsider looking online. There are plenty of professional sellers on ebay that would list ring size and include a lot of detail. You'll have much more choice and can get a really lovely ring for a lot cheaper than if bought new. If you buy in a shop you're paying for their rent, lighting etc. etc.

This is all very MSE! Engagement rings are really not worth buying new. I've heard several men complain about selling ones they bought new and getting hardly anything for them.

Seanymph

I sort of see 'good quality' - but surely 'something she'd love' is more important.

We trawled around secondhand shops and bought one we both loved. It isn't conventional (fire opal and diamonds) and wasn't expensive at all - but we both loved it.

You just have to find something you both like.

LEJC

a lot will depend upon your budget as to where to point you to look....Independant jewellers sometimes have a small selection of secondhand rings so it may be worthwhile looking there, have you tried pawnbrokers? again there is usually a varied selectoin somewhere like that..

A little bit further afield would be a day or possibly a weekend visit to Brighton...lots of mixed shops around the Lanes area which will have an array of items that may be suitable...from jewellers to more of an antiques market type trader.

Also just because you see a price doesn't mean you cant haggle a little...up to 20% or so in some cases...so go back and relook at some of the things you've seen with a view to lowering the price with an offer....its worth considering that that "premium price" you mention for a vintage ring may seem more realistic if you can haggle a discount.

Overall though you will possibly get lots more ring for your money if you do buy second hand rather than new....the quality of the stones and the gold is likely to be better than the same amount spent on a new ring. You will need to have a realistic budget of at least a couple of hundred pounds as you are unlikely to get something for much less due to the price of gold being so high.

Yes you do need to be careful what you pick on ebay...but there are a lot of very good and reputable sellers there, check feed back and go for a dealer and you will soon be able to start to spot the good sellers from the others....a good seller will always be happy to aqnswer your questions clearly about anything you are interested in....so I wouldnt just dismiss ebay as a place to purchase if I were you!

InsideInsurance

It is worth looking online at new rings too.

What style are you looking for? What sort of budget are you looking at?

If you want a "classic" solitaire style ring then one of the distributors turned online direct sales can work out very good value (eg Blue Nile). You select your individual diamond(s) and the ring and they put it together for you (but the ring selections arent massive).

I did see a secondhand item very similar to one I bought online from them (but the second hand one wasnt from them) that had an asking price of more than what I paid despite the stone being slightly worse grading. Obviously there would have been haggling so may have been cheaper in the end but certainly wasnt going to be massive saving

The Lanes is a good place to look for secondhand items though