Jewellery Quarter Birmingham for engagement ring

manfromouterspace

Firstly Ive had to create a new id as my wonderful OH uses this site and hopefully she now wont suspect anything.

After deciding to take the plunge and propose :j I read all the threads on here about buying an engagement ring and decided to check out the jewellery quarter in Brum. We arent exactly local but its not hard for us to get there.

From knowing a bit about OH's preferences and tastes, I knew I was looking for a solitaire diamond ring with a platinum band and a claw setting.

I found a lovely jewellers in the quarter who would create the exact ring I wanted from my own design and they even made a wax replica of what the ring would look like so I could confirm it was exactly what i wanted. And it was - it was perfect!! :j

Then the problem of picking a stone came. She has quite petite fingers so a huge rock will look out of place. I think something between 0.75 and 1 carat would be perfect. In terms of the other C's, I was more flexible but wanted a good quality stone.

The jeweller suggested a 0.73 carat, D colour, very good cut, SI diamond with certificates which looked lovely.

I asked about a price for that diamond in the platinum band and he said around £3k but if I liked it a price could be agreed. I said I needed some time to think about it and left it at that.

I have two questions which Im hoping someone can help with:

1. I understand that there are different places that do diamond cert's. This one is ICI (I think) . Is that good, bad or does it not really matter who does the cert?

2. How much discount should I expect to get when he says a price can be agreed? How much should I be looking to pay for that stone in that setting?

Thanks in advance for any help. :beer:

Doom_and_Gloom

It's not really the stone that you would be paying for the most. A considerable amount will be the platinum as it's hard to come by for jewellers to do any jewellery other than watches. Saying that the stone is also quite a bit of money. Then there are the hours involved as well as the complexity of what you want (although if it’s a mould and a claw grip keeping the stone on then it doesn’t sound that complex to be honest). A claw grip from what my partner said to me is the jeweller using brute strength to bend the pieces of chosen metal over the stone to keep it in place. My partner does jewellery so I know rather a lot about it.

The D colour is EXACTLY what you are after I'd say as that is one of the purest ones you can get that will still catch the eye rather well. I would say the carat is good if as you say she has rather small fingers as a huge stone will just look stupid. Bigger is NOT always better. Platinum is great and I would love my engagement ring to be that but finances just aren’t that forgiving as it stands. It’s a very precious metal and very beautiful. Don’t let them cheat you by using white gold as if done up enough they can easily be confused by the untrained eye. Some jewellers will tell the guy to get white gold polished up enough if they can not afford the platinum and tell them to say to their partner that it is platinum while it’s not. They need different treatments and care so it is not helpful. Sometimes even my partner has to have a second or third look to make sure so I’m not joking about it being confused.

With regards to the SI I don’t know if you are on about a SI1 or SI2 as they are slightly different. SI1 means the inclusions in the stone will be noticeable if you are looking for them and SI2 will be even more noticeable to see if looking for them. When looking for inclusions though you have to make sure the rack is as clean as possible so you know you are judging the stone itself.

I think you mean IGI (International Gemmological Institute) not ICI. They seem to be a world wide company and I’m not sure but I do not think it makes a difference who certificates the stones to be honest as they have to be to a certain grade to get certain certificates anyway as long as the certifier is legitimate mind. My partner may say otherwise but he isn’t here to question.

I’m not sure about the pricing as it is really different from shop to shop, as well as sometimes you may think you’re getting a bargain just to get a shoddy job that you don’t realise for a while until the clasp goes or it tarnishes as it wasn’t done to the right standard. Easy enough to get fixed but is rather bothersome. Saying that someone may offer you a price that you just should not pass up with the quality they provide. I think that 3K is a bit steep though even for a custom made platinum with diamond ring. Maybe that’s just me as I have a partner that could easy get more training and do it himself though. Maybe 2.5K or less although that may be too cheeky I’m not sure. It can take days even with a mould to do everything and it is a HIGHLY skilled trade your looking into. Platinum is not an easy metal to work with.

Hope that helps you a bit.

PS I'm very sure about the information I have given you however there are some areas that may not be correct and I am sorry if that is so. I am not a jeweller so some of the information may be off some what. I hope it isn't though as I do wish to help.

Horace

One thing in the Jewellery Quarter is they are not con-artists and certainly won't pass off platinum as white gold. All the workers there take great pride in their work and it wouldn't be beneficial to them if they passed something off as something else.

If she has petite fingers then a small stone would be ideal and I would take the jewellers advice about the stone itself. Stones should ideally be certificated (usually you will need this if you are getting insurance) and all good jewellers should offer a certificate. D is the best stone for clarity and ideally you would want one that is perfect (a lot rarer) rather than one that has a small inclusion (a flaw). You would be looking at cut, colour and clarity and weight. Diamonds can come in all sorts of colours but white is the purest (it doesnt look white by the way its clear).

£3K for a platinum ring with a perfect diamond doesn't sound overly expensive to me especially as it is being custom-made.

I have often had rings and earrings made in the Jewellery Quarter and I have never had a problem - I have even taken my own stones (purchased in Holland) to be made up into jewellery (their grades are slightly different e.g. I had a white top wesselton - one perfect and one vvs [very very small inclusion]). I am sure that the jeweller will explain the terminology for your particular ring if you ask - they're usually very approachable. He should also be able to show you the stone or stones depending on the number that you are having. A claw setting is just that - basically claws holding the stone in place. She will need to get the claws checked occasionally just to make sure that they are not becoming loose - otherwise she will lose the stone. Personally, if I was having a diamond ring made I would prefer a claw setting because I do have a ring that isnt claw set and although it looks nice its a bloomin' pain because I always think that the stone has moved and have to make regular trips to the Jewellery Quarter so that they can check it (this ring was not bought there but in Bangkok). A stone certified by the International Gemmology Institute is the best - and it is an internationally recognised certificate.

You could visit various other jewellers within the Quarter to ask how much they would charge. Previously, I have used The Diamond Centre, E. L. Chaplain, G.H.Moore & Son as well as Mylords - all of these are in the Jewellery Quarter.

HTH

manfromouterspace

Ive replied to a bit of what you were saying below. Hope thats ok.

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

With regards to the SI I don’t know if you are on about a SI1 or SI2 as they are slightly different. SI1 means the inclusions in the stone will be noticeable if you are looking for them and SI2 will be even more noticeable to see if looking for them. When looking for inclusions though you have to make sure the rack is as clean as possible so you know you are judging the stone itself.

Its SI1 and the inclusions were only visible through the loupe (well at least they were to me). To be honest he showed me VS2's which seemed to have more inclusions but I guess thats why he's the expert and Im not!

I think you mean IGI (International Gemmological Institute) not ICI. They seem to be a world wide company and I’m not sure but I do not think it makes a difference who certificates the stones to be honest as they have to be to a certain grade to get certain certificates anyway as long as the certifier is legitimate mind. My partner may say otherwise but he isn’t here to question.

It may be IGI - all I have is a hand scribbled note and my writing isnt good. The cert he showed me was plain white with a blue header if that helps.

I’m not sure about the pricing as it is really different from shop to shop, as well as sometimes you may think you’re getting a bargain just to get a shoddy job that you don’t realise for a while until the clasp goes or it tarnishes as it wasn’t done to the right standard. Easy enough to get fixed but is rather bothersome. Saying that someone may offer you a price that you just should not pass up with the quality they provide. I think that 3K is a bit steep though even for a custom made platinum with diamond ring. Maybe that’s just me as I have a partner that could easy get more training and do it himself though. Maybe 2.5K or less although that may be too cheeky I’m not sure. It can take days even with a mould to do everything and it is a HIGHLY skilled trade your looking into. Platinum is not an easy metal to work with.

The guy has been in the trade for 42 years. I was in the shop for a couple of hours and he was pulling out bits and pieces from a scrapbook type of thing. Im sure it was marketing on his part to an extent but it really did help to emphasise that he knows the trade.

Hope that helps you a bit.

It does - thanks.

manfromouterspace

Ive replied to a few of the things you have said below. Hope thats ok.

Horace wrote: »

One thing in the Jewellery Quarter is they are not con-artists and certainly won't pass off platinum as white gold. All the workers there take great pride in their work and it wouldn't be beneficial to them if they passed something off as something else.

The shop I went to was Vault 88. It was run by a man and wife who didnt appear to be sales people at all. They just seemed to be people who genuinely enjoyed what they did for a living. The guy had 42 years in the trade and took great pleasure in showing me old pieces etc and talking me through his scrapbook from the past.

£3K for a platinum ring with a perfect diamond doesn't sound overly expensive to me especially as it is being custom-made.

Thats what I thought but when he said something about doing a deal and agreeing a price I assumed that the £3k was a price that I could haggle with. I just dont know how much haggling.

I am sure that the jeweller will explain the terminology for your particular ring if you ask - they're usually very approachable. He should also be able to show you the stone or stones depending on the number that you are having.

He did. He explained everything in a lot of detail. I had done a lot of reading on the net before shopping but he told me a lot of new things. He also had trade books and magazines so it wasnt just his word I was taking. He had a very large number of diamonds in all shapes and sizes for me to try. He put them in the wax replica of the ring so I could gauge sizes etc. He even let me look at a 5.01 carat £70k stone!!

A stone certified by the International Gemmology Institute is the best - and it is an internationally recognised certificate.

The ICI I mentioned could easily have been IGI. All I have is a hand written note which I scribbled down as the guy was talking etc. The C could easily be a G. If it helps the cert was white with a blue heading. What makes the IGI cert's better than others?

You could visit various other jewellers within the Quarter to ask how much they would charge. Previously, I have used The Diamond Centre, E. L. Chaplain, G.H.Moore & Son as well as Mylords - all of these are in the Jewellery Quarter.

I did visit a few others (I was there all day) but everything about Vault 88 just seemed right - especially the wax model bit. I know that if they were to make the ring to the model it will be perfect. The others I visited didnt offer the wax model option so I would have to rely solely on my descriptive skills and my drawings which given my level of artistic talent is a bit worrying!!

All in all I think I am basically decided that I am getting the ring from there. The questions that remains are should I go with the stone I have picked out and if so how much should I aim to pay for it?

The_Good_Fairy

I was just wondering, is your design a very unusual one? Would it be worth looking at rings that have already been made up to see if there is something similar? Personally I think £3k is too much for an engagement ring, I'd rather pay £1k, and go on a belter of a holiday. You will always have great memories of your engagement holiday That is of course just my opinion, you can spend what you like lol

You are very sure she doesn't want to choose her own ring? Have you asked her?

manfromouterspace

The_Good_Fairy wrote: »

I was just wondering, is your design a very unusual one? Would it be worth looking at rings that have already been made up to see if there is something similar? Personally I think £3k is too much for an engagement ring, I'd rather pay £1k, and go on a belter of a holiday. You will always have great memories of your engagement holiday That is of course just my opinion, you can spend what you like lol

You are very sure she doesn't want to choose her own ring? Have you asked her?

Its not massively unusual but the idea of having "our own ring" that nobody else on earth has is quite appealing.

The choice of the ring is definitely down to me. We have had many conversations about it which in the beginning centred around me trying to persuade her to tell me what she wanted. Eventually I realised that her perfect ring would not be one she has picked herself but one I had picked for her, hence the added bonus of it being my own special design.

kats9lives

Hi, I recently got engaged (4th Jan 08).

My husband to be picked the ring and i am soo pleased he did. Mainly as it makes the ring he bought mean so much more to me and showed he has really put alot of thought into me being his wife and spending the rest of his life with me. It also adds to the surprise! I had NO idea he was going to propose, and him doing it WITH a ring he'd picked was ace. He still says now he'll always have the memory of my face when i saw the ring!

He bought the ring from the jewllery quarter. 1/2 carat. platinum setting, 4 claw. Princess Cut. Its not set square on the ring and i've never seen any ring like it. They gave him a very good price - and it has been given a good valuation (i'm guessing as he hasn't told me the cost etc). Its in the best colour and clarity groupings also. A whole carat does make a big rock!! Bicknells comes highly recommended from us and many of my other halfs friends also...........p.s they do have a website also, so check it out.

Horace

Manfromouterspace.

Haggling is easy to an extent, the jeweller quotes a price, you will most likely have an idea of what you want to pay (it may not be the same as the jeweller) and then you compromise and meet somewhere in the middle.

A small jobbing jeweller is better than the bigger stores. I think the price quoted for the diamond is reasonable. I bought two diamonds (loose stones that I carried home zipped in a pocket) from Amsterdam in 1999 and these cost me (at the time) £250 each - both are brilliant white, one is perfect and one is classed as vvs (very very small inclusion - basically you need a trained eye and a loupe to see it) and they are slightly smaller than the one that you are buying.

I always think that it is better to have an item of jewellery that you have designed yourself as opposed to an off-the-peg item that you can pick up in any jewellery store. None of the stuff I have had made (barring one ring - which I had made to match a pendant and earring set) have I seen anywhere else because they have been designed by me and the jeweller has only had a scribbled drawing to work from (I can't draw to save my life). I am sure your fiancee will love the ring that you have designed for her.

At least the jeweller made a wax model for you to get an idea of what the ring would look like - not many of them do that. IGI certificates are the best, as I said before they are internationally recognised and all gems certified by them are gems of quality (this certificate is trusted worldwide) - so I hope this helps too?

Hope this helps?