Purchasing an engagement ring
Discussion
Hi there,
From what I can tell my girlfriend really likes the classic 'Tiffany® Setting' engagement rings. I think maybe 1.5 carat which is looking at approx £20k on the Tiffany website.
http://www.tiffany.co.uk/Engagement/item.aspx?Grou...
If purchasing a ring with this setting it seems to make sense to buy it from the Tiffany brand. Would be a good purchasing experience too as I could take her there and make sure she is totally happy, etc.
However, does anyone have any idea how much an equivalent diamond (size, quality, etc) & setting + ring, would cost from an independent dealer? If it's only a small percentage difference it's not really worth it, but if the same ring essentially could be purchased at a notable discount I'd really love to investigate further!
Thanks for any advice - I am really very uneducated in diamonds & rings, so will be very helpful.
From what I can tell my girlfriend really likes the classic 'Tiffany® Setting' engagement rings. I think maybe 1.5 carat which is looking at approx £20k on the Tiffany website.
http://www.tiffany.co.uk/Engagement/item.aspx?Grou...
If purchasing a ring with this setting it seems to make sense to buy it from the Tiffany brand. Would be a good purchasing experience too as I could take her there and make sure she is totally happy, etc.
However, does anyone have any idea how much an equivalent diamond (size, quality, etc) & setting + ring, would cost from an independent dealer? If it's only a small percentage difference it's not really worth it, but if the same ring essentially could be purchased at a notable discount I'd really love to investigate further!
Thanks for any advice - I am really very uneducated in diamonds & rings, so will be very helpful.
Mattt said:
It won't be a tiny percentage different but a whole s
tload different!
I'd like to echo this, someone like nightmare will be able to let you know exactly but I'd expect a huuuge saving off getting an identical ring made elsewhere than getting a tiffany one. Tiffany = more money than sense to me.tload different!I paid the equivalent of 6.5k for a 1.59 carat that also had two dinky 0.25 carat on the shoulders in Sep 2013 in Jakarta. Wasn't in a Tiffany setting, but how much more expensive can it be to present the stone in a particular manner?
Tiffany are very expensive for what you get. She will just want the biggest diamond you can get, whether it's made by Tiffany or Eddie linked above or Gerald Ratner, I doubt she would really be concerned.
Tiffany are very expensive for what you get. She will just want the biggest diamond you can get, whether it's made by Tiffany or Eddie linked above or Gerald Ratner, I doubt she would really be concerned.
Blue Nile is an online diamond retailer that can give you a good idea of the current diamond prices. Diamond value varies with weight, clarity, colour and cut. A 1.5 carats diamond of good clarity and colour cost about £8k + Vat on Bluenile. The ring will add a bit more to the cost but not much.
Examples can be found here:
http://www.bluenile.com/uk/diamond-search?elem=tex...
Examples can be found here:
http://www.bluenile.com/uk/diamond-search?elem=tex...
Edited by 996c2 on Monday 11th May 08:02
sealtt said:
Hi there,
From what I can tell my girlfriend really likes the classic 'Tiffany® Setting' engagement rings. I think maybe 1.5 carat which is looking at approx £20k on the Tiffany website.
Depending on diamond quality (read up on the three Cs), you will save plenty by shopping elsewhere. From what I can tell my girlfriend really likes the classic 'Tiffany® Setting' engagement rings. I think maybe 1.5 carat which is looking at approx £20k on the Tiffany website.
You can also make the experience a whole lot more individual and enjoyable.
We worked with a designer at a local jeweller to create something bespoke, from an initial meeting about what we liked, through reviewing designs printed on paper, looking at a variety of stones to our 'rough' spec, then having waxes made up of some exact ring designs. Our stone was brought in especially for us and then the ring was built.
Whilst time consuming (almost as much or as little as you choose it to be), a good jeweller makes the whole experience memorable and a complete pleasure. My fiance and I enjoyed all the stages, and we know exactly what went into the ring. An engagement ring is a personal piece, that will have so much meaning to you both, so going the extra mile to personalise it is very worthwhile.
We also ended up with a ring that cost so much less than off the shelf (including at the jewellers we bought from) and way less than its insurance valuation.
Thank you for the advice thus far. That's great news, as I know she would be perfectly happy with it coming from an independent brand, it's just the style & size she was decided on.
Anyway, I went to a jeweller in Winchester and a ring with a 1.5 carat stone in a tiffany style setting was £25k!!
So I suppose the tricky thing now is to find someone reliable to buy from. Are there any reliable names who are going to always give a fair deal? I'd rather a UK based company, ideally one I can meet with in person.
Anyway, I went to a jeweller in Winchester and a ring with a 1.5 carat stone in a tiffany style setting was £25k!!
So I suppose the tricky thing now is to find someone reliable to buy from. Are there any reliable names who are going to always give a fair deal? I'd rather a UK based company, ideally one I can meet with in person.
www.equinoxjewellery.co.uk/
As said before there is a PH user called 'Nightmare', he works for/with them.
You're probably extrememly nervous about dealing with large amounts of cash and diamonds via the internet and post. So was I.
Their service was/is first class.
As said before there is a PH user called 'Nightmare', he works for/with them.
You're probably extrememly nervous about dealing with large amounts of cash and diamonds via the internet and post. So was I.
Their service was/is first class.
sealtt said:
Thank you for the advice thus far. That's great news, as I know she would be perfectly happy with it coming from an independent brand, it's just the style & size she was decided on.
Anyway, I went to a jeweller in Winchester and a ring with a 1.5 carat stone in a tiffany style setting was £25k!!
So I suppose the tricky thing now is to find someone reliable to buy from. Are there any reliable names who are going to always give a fair deal? I'd rather a UK based company, ideally one I can meet with in person.
I can recommend the jeweller I used in Cheltenham, PM me if you would like the details. They would beat the hell out of that price I am sure :-)Anyway, I went to a jeweller in Winchester and a ring with a 1.5 carat stone in a tiffany style setting was £25k!!
So I suppose the tricky thing now is to find someone reliable to buy from. Are there any reliable names who are going to always give a fair deal? I'd rather a UK based company, ideally one I can meet with in person.
A lot of people recommend Eddie (ecain63 on here). I exchanged emails with him before settling on using the local place and I found Eddie and his wife very knowledgable and exceptionally helpful. It was only location that made it easier to use the local place.
Zoon said:
Showing a woman how much you love her by the value of a diamond ring.
Who says romance is dead.
That seems a pretty odd comment to make about a relationship you do not have any idea about. If you had even the slightest clue, you would know how irrelevant the price of the ring is to her. Who says romance is dead.
Regardless of the value, a diamond ring is a lovely gesture that is recognised by society, is a beautiful piece of jewellery and is a great surprise that she will never be expecting.
That's good enough for me, now I just need to make sure I don't pay too much for one.
sealtt said:
That seems a pretty odd comment to make about a relationship you do not have any idea about. If you had even the slightest clue, you would know how irrelevant the price of the ring is to her.
Regardless of the value, a diamond ring is a lovely gesture that is recognised by society, is a beautiful piece of jewellery and is a great surprise that she will never be expecting.
That's good enough for me, now I just need to make sure I don't pay too much for one.
Well said :-)Regardless of the value, a diamond ring is a lovely gesture that is recognised by society, is a beautiful piece of jewellery and is a great surprise that she will never be expecting.
That's good enough for me, now I just need to make sure I don't pay too much for one.
Have a look on the Pricescope forum and also look on Whiteflash. I'm also looking at buying something and Whiteflash come with consistently high reviews. Their cut and finish are excellent especially if you look at their A Cut Above range.
Ignore what people say about tax and import duty. I've had prices from the UK that can't get anywhere near the equivelant spec from them.
There's also Brian Gavin too (who set up whiteflash).
$14.500 gets you this stone. At a guess the setting would be another $1400. VAT and duty need to be added but as an estimate you're looking at £13k.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut...
Ignore what people say about tax and import duty. I've had prices from the UK that can't get anywhere near the equivelant spec from them.
There's also Brian Gavin too (who set up whiteflash).
$14.500 gets you this stone. At a guess the setting would be another $1400. VAT and duty need to be added but as an estimate you're looking at £13k.
http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut...
Edited by CRB14 on Monday 11th May 13:11
Edited by CRB14 on Monday 11th May 13:11
If she really wants a Tiffany ring then get it from Heathrow or a tax free place like Dubai. For some people the brand will matter and others will just want the biggest ring for the money so there's no right answer.
But an £8k Blue Nile ring will not be the same as the £20k Tiffany one. Just browsing the Blue Nile website, a 1.5 carat signature ideal, better than G, better than VVS2 is around £15k, plus the setting. If you compare it to a tax free Tiffany ring the difference is not nearly as big as some people make it out to be.
Cut is probably the most underlooked and arguably most important of the 4 C's so do your research.
But an £8k Blue Nile ring will not be the same as the £20k Tiffany one. Just browsing the Blue Nile website, a 1.5 carat signature ideal, better than G, better than VVS2 is around £15k, plus the setting. If you compare it to a tax free Tiffany ring the difference is not nearly as big as some people make it out to be.
Cut is probably the most underlooked and arguably most important of the 4 C's so do your research.
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