Best place to buy an engangement ring.

aliciaoggy

Hi, I work in a jewellers and just wanted to give you a bit of help with choosing a good diamond. When buying a diamond always ask about the 4 c's colour, clarity, cut and carat. Obviously some diamonds are bigger than others and this reflects in the price but always consider the colour of the diamond, you may find a ring that is a decent price but that may be because of the colour of the diamond. Also the clarity most diamonds have tiny black marks in them(inclusions) these are a natural occurence but if there are too many inclusions the diamond may look milky and wont reflect the light as well.Before you go to buy a ring have in mind the amount you would like to spend, the carat of the diamond you would like, whether you would like 9or 18ct gold. I would also say don't rush into buying the ring have a look around try some rings on and then go and have a thik about it. Also don't be pursuaded to buy a ring by a pushy sales person, a good sales person should help you to leave the shop feeling like you have chosen the right ring for you. Sorry to wafle hope this helps. Ps definately wouldn't recommend buying an engagement ring off the internet.

sukysue

My advice unless you are Rockerfella (if so then totally ignore me) is to not get carried away and keep a good amount of cash put aside for the future you will be very surprised how dear having a baby is (but wonderful and congratulations)!

redroo555

hi there
just to say that it shouldn't matter where it's been purchased, and also why should it cost so much? as long as you both like the ring, (mine was from argos, and only about £20.00 - 20 years ago!) and i absolutely love it!!! that's all that matters, its the meaning of it! also, baby is going to cost loads!!!
anyways good luck for the future!!:beer:

Woby_Tide

draw the ring she wants, take it to an independent jeweller, get them to make it, everyones a winner

poodlehorse

Have you tried Costco? They have some lovely rings and within your budget definitely. Not a huge range though but definitely the classics.
What I would say is remember to think about your wedding rings before deciding, ie are you going to have matching wedding bands? I wanted matching bands and DH just didn't suit a yellow gold so that limited me to white metal which thankfully I wasn't bothered about. Also the shape and size of your engagement ring can affect the wedding band, a friend of mine had to get a wedding ring that went round her "Princess Di" type rock and I really didn't like the idea of this ring with a bend in the middle of it so I am glad I didn't go for anything as oval as hers. I know the wedding might be a way off but useful to have a think about how her finger will look with the added band and if she might fancy an eternity in the future (is that usually the present she gets for having her first baby?), I didn't fancy a stack of rings so went for full on bling with my engagement.

Whitefiver

BargainJunky wrote: »

I second and third the recommendation for Birmingham's jewellery quarter - I'm not biased honest but I am a Brummie!. My engagement ring and both our wedding rings were bought there.

Good luck.

Jewelery quarter is good, but my wife swears by Roberts of Corporation St in Birmingham. She has bought diamonds there, my son and now DIL took us round the quarter twice before ending up at Roberts for their engagement ring. All diamonds certified, and they are thoroughly nice people too.

Don't be put off by the web site - they do sell plenty of new rings.

Regards,

White

(Merely a satisfied customer and not a Brummie either, but only a train ride away!)

lily_the_pink

Try an auction - you can both go an view beforehand (to try on and check quality of the stones).

http://www.wellers-auctions.co.uk/ - they have an auction this friday but also a special diamonds only auction on November 24th (which I imagine will include a lot of new rings as well as antique rings). Stuff usually goes either slightly below estimate or under mid-estimate. There is usually new rings though some of the antique rings are fantastic for the price. Dont forget to add on buyers commission (approximately 20% in the case of Wellers once VAT has been added but this varies from saleroom to saleroom). IMHO it is a good auction house who are interested in building a business and not ripping off retail punters.

There is also fellows in Birmingham but I have not been to one of these. www.fellows.co.uk

gk172

aliciaoggy wrote: »

Ps definately wouldn't recommend buying an engagement ring off the internet.

Why dont you recomend an internet purchase? We looked for months both in shops and online before making our purchase and found most shops over priced for what you got, we found stores were at least 1/3 if not more pricey than online and thats going with Fraser Harts prices. Ive had my ring independantly valued and its true to the certificate and worth 3 times what i paid for it and i know its undergone the kimberley process and is not laser drilled.

SootSoot

John Lewis may be associated with being expensive, but some of their jewellery departments have 2nd hand/antique rings for sale at reasonable prices and unique styles. They're usually much cheaper than a 'new' ring in jewellery shops such as Ernest Jones.
Are you hoping to be married before your baby arrives or after? If you can wait, you could hold out til the Jan sales and get her an eternity ring to match (some people say this is given to your loved one at the birth of your first born).
Also, an engagement ring does not always have to be a diamond solitaire (although mine is). Anyway, its not all about the cost of it, rather the sentiment.
HTH

zappomatic

Second hand or "antique" jewellery can often be of higher quality than more modern, mass produced stuff - added bonus!