Jewellery Quarter recommendations wanted

lettice

Hi

We're newly engaged and looking to book a mini break to the Jewellery Quarter to go shopping for an engagement ring.

First, can anyone recommend a hotel? I really like the look of Hotel du Vin but a personal recommendation would be excellent.

Also, does anyone have any tips to share when it comes to getting a great deal? We are looking for a simple platinum ring (6 prong Tiffany-style) around 0.25 carats. I think most shops should stock this style.

My fianc! is from (near) Birmingham and we're marrying where I'm from so that's why we specifically want a ring from the Jewellery Quarter. However, we don't want to spend too much money - I just want something sparkly to remind us of our engagement! I don't wear a lot of jewellery and feel uncomfortable at the thought of wearing something very expensive. We're hoping to spend less than £800 - is this possible?

Looking forward to hearing your recommendations!

Pinzy

Can't help with hotel recommendations but we got our rings from the Jewellery Quarter.:D It is just a case of wandering in as many as you can until you're ringed out! I'd recommend taking a pen to write down prices on the back of their cards (only one shop actually had a card with a set space to write quotes!). We ended up going with Warstone Jewellers, because we wanted an engraving done, and they've got a machine that can scan anything you want and put it on the ring! (Other shops had said it'd have to be half machine/half hand, or it'd be sent off somewhere and take a while.)
Their rings were initially costlier than other places, but when we said we wanted to use them but it was too expensive, they sorted us out with some lighter weight rings (ideal because neither of us wear jewellery) at a price that was in line with the cheapest quotes in other shops. We liked the people there too, and they've got a display by the door showing all the different types of weight/ring types (court, flat, etc.) which was handy.

You'll also find a lot of places tell you one price, then say in a hushed voice "but we'll give you a special discount so it's x price". We called it the special "you walked in the door" discount. :rotfl:

gadgeteer_2

We got ours from Premier Diamonds. There are so many shops though. Some are better than others. We liked their store, choice and the fact they could put the diamond we'd chosen in the ring we wanted the same day and would replate the white gold for free in the future. It meant my fiancee could leave with the ring rather than wait a couple of weeks for it to arrive in the post.

Their prices were very keen and you can haggle a bit as I'd recommend for all the stores there.

In fact we returned and bought our wedding rings from them too. The only downside was despite telling my fiancee to play it cool, she announced quite loudly that this was the ring she liked the most which torpedoed my negotiating strategy somewhat!

NoelleV

We got mine from diamond heaven, they were very friendly, had a great choice and we got a good deal. They also had a really good website, I wanted an oval stone and it was the only place I say with a big variety of oval rings.
Hope that helps ......

Dekazer

I've never been to Birmingham's JQ, but when we visited Hatton Garden we just browsed everywhere! I'd had a look online to see what sort of styles I liked. I used the London version, but Birmingham's quarter also has a website: http://www.jewelleryquarter.net/

When we got there it was a case of pounding the streets! We're not so MSE in that we want to enjoy the shopping experience as well as get the best deal. The shop we bought from was great, friendly and helpful. Be aware that you may need to visit a second time to collect the rings.

Haggle everywhere! It's awkward at first (even for an MSEr) but it's the done thing.

As for Hotel du Vin, we've stayed at their Bristol and Henley on Thames hotels. Bristol was amazing, Henley less so but still very good. The staff in those two hotels were top notch, so I would expect the same standard at the Birmingham one. The food tends to be good too.

Have a great time!

lettice

Thank you everyone!

Dekazer, thank you in particular for the Hotel du Vin comments. I think I'll go ahead and book it as soon as we've picked a date to have a look around. Haven't eaten there before but think we'll book a table as a pre-ring shopping treat. Sounds like it might be a bit of a slog until we find the right one at the right price but I'm really excited all the same!

We've been to the JQ before to have a look around before we got engaged so we've got a rough idea of the lay of the land. We both felt a little shy and awkward though but this time, no such worries!

Glad to hear the prices are competitive - hopefully we'll find something that's pretty and I feel comfortable wearing!

gadgeteer_2

Price's are amazing if you compare them to the high street. To get the same ring as we got on the high street, we'd have paid at least 2x as much. Typically high street jeweller's diamonds are nowhere near the same quality as those found at the JQ.