Engagement Rings

[NickHKent]

I'm guessing that this is a subject that is broached fairly regularly on here but please go easy on me as I haven't got a clue about what I'm doing (ring selecting, not proposing! haha)

One of my friends recommended this place: www.diamondmanufacturers.co.uk any other ideas?

Cash aside, how the hell do you decide what size of diamond to get etc- don't want anything that's too gaudy or equally anything that looks puny!

Gah!

[ecain63]

Speak to somebody who knows what they are talking about. Hint.

I'll message you tonight.

Edited by ecain63 on Monday 9th September 15:22

[Shaw Tarse]

PHer Nightmare usually gets recommended when the subject of engagement rings is brought up.

[sjj84]

Shaw Tarse said:

PHer Nightmare usually gets recommended when the subject of engagement rings is brought up.

Nightmare is the chap to talk to. Bought one from him last year, significantly cheaper than what's available on the high street.

[michael gould]

check out Blue Nile.....largest diamond dealer in the world with very competitive prices .......suggest you do what I did and do your homework......3 main things to consider

Carat….ie the size
Colour…..important suggest you keep it to “G” or better
Clarity …….less important but keep it “eye clear” which means you need a jewellers hoop to see any imperfections …..Anybody just looking at it wouldn’t be able to see and inclusions or slight imperfections

What your budget?

[5harp3y]

Cannot recommend Pher Nightmare enough. Just taken delivery of a unique engagement ring that was made by his shop. absolutely over the moon with it and so was my (now) fiance. VERY reasonable too

[RudeDog]

My best tip is not to learn anything about diamonds. When you ignore me and learn about them anyway, you will understand why.

Good luck and future congratulations though

[ecain63]

RudeDog said:

My best tip is not to learn anything about diamonds. When you ignore me and learn about them anyway, you will understand why.

Good luck and future congratulations though

Actually pretty good advice. Knowledge is not always power. It does make me cringe when customers come into the shop spouting their Internet knowledge and its a sure way to get me off on the wrong foot. Why not just buy what you like??

[Perec]

michael gould said:

check out Blue Nile.....largest diamond dealer in the world with very competitive prices .......suggest you do what I did and do your homework......3 main things to consider

Carat….ie the size
Colour…..important suggest you keep it to “G” or better
Clarity …….less important but keep it “eye clear” which means you need a jewellers hoop to see any imperfections …..Anybody just looking at it wouldn’t be able to see and inclusions or slight imperfections

What your budget?

You've missed out the most important "C", Cut.

[waterwonder]

+1 for nightmare. Top bloke and went the extra mile for me when I was looking for a ring.

[RudeDog]

Perec said:

michael gould said:

check out Blue Nile.....largest diamond dealer in the world with very competitive prices .......suggest you do what I did and do your homework......3 main things to consider

Carat….ie the size
Colour…..important suggest you keep it to “G” or better
Clarity …….less important but keep it “eye clear” which means you need a jewellers hoop to see any imperfections …..Anybody just looking at it wouldn’t be able to see and inclusions or slight imperfections

What your budget?

You've missed out the most important "C", Cut.

...and don't forget the 'C'ertificate if you're going to plough a load of money into one

[Perec]

RudeDog said:

Perec said:

michael gould said:

check out Blue Nile.....largest diamond dealer in the world with very competitive prices .......suggest you do what I did and do your homework......3 main things to consider

Carat….ie the size
Colour…..important suggest you keep it to “G” or better
Clarity …….less important but keep it “eye clear” which means you need a jewellers hoop to see any imperfections …..Anybody just looking at it wouldn’t be able to see and inclusions or slight imperfections

What your budget?

You've missed out the most important "C", Cut.

...and don't forget the 'C'ertificate if you're going to plough a load of money into one

Agreed, but Michael was struggling with three "C"s and I didn't think he'd cope with a fifth. Unless it was "Cost" perhaps.

[michael gould]

Perec said:

RudeDog said:

Perec said:

michael gould said:

check out Blue Nile.....largest diamond dealer in the world with very competitive prices .......suggest you do what I did and do your homework......3 main things to consider

Carat….ie the size
Colour…..important suggest you keep it to “G” or better
Clarity …….less important but keep it “eye clear” which means you need a jewellers hoop to see any imperfections …..Anybody just looking at it wouldn’t be able to see and inclusions or slight imperfections

What your budget?

You've missed out the most important "C", Cut.

...and don't forget the 'C'ertificate if you're going to plough a load of money into one

Agreed, but Michael was struggling with three "C"s and I didn't think he'd cope with a fifth. Unless it was "Cost" perhaps.

Didn't want to complicate it further with cut and fluorescence...ect ......but I had a great experience with blue nile ......all their diamonds are certified......I purchased a 1.95 caret E colour VVSI diamond, fully mounted from them, it was almost 1/3 of the cost of a well known Liverpool based posh jewellers. The profit margin on some engagement rings is 300% + VAT ......the big disadvantage is you don't get a free glass of champagne

[yeti]

Of the 'C's, don't pay money for what you can't see

Carat - well, you'll see the size alright. Decide; proce4s kind of go up expenentially i.e.

Clarity - if you can't see the flaw with the naked eye easily, what's the problem?

Cut - for me this was everything. The OH's Canadian 1.02 carat has a triple A excellent cut, never seen better. It makes up for everything else

Colour - again, hard to see, don't spend a fortune. It will be seen on a finger, in isolation from other diamonds; being slightly less white than another diamond that it's not next to is bascically irrelevant.

Good luck

[michael gould]

yeti said:

Of the 'C's, don't pay money for what you can't see

Carat - well, you'll see the size alright. Decide; proce4s kind of go up expenentially i.e.

Clarity - if you can't see the flaw with the naked eye easily, what's the problem?

Cut - for me this was everything. The OH's Canadian 1.02 carat has a triple A excellent cut, never seen better. It makes up for everything else

Colour - again, hard to see, don't spend a fortune. It will be seen on a finger, in isolation from other diamonds; being slightly less white than another diamond that it's not next to is bascically irrelevant.

Good luck

wouldn't agree about colour.....if you see my wife's E next to an H you can tell the difference ...but agree about cut....symmetry is all about how the light is reflected back

[NickHKent]

Appreciate the help chaps, it's a minefield!

Looking to spend circa £5k, pennies to some and a lot of money for others I suppose. I'm also quite easily sold to so I would expect this initial budget to get increased by another few grand I'm sure.

At what point does the size of a diamond become vulgar? (I'm from Essex, she isn't! haha)

Edited by NickHKent on Tuesday 10th September 14:07

[yeti]

michael gould said:

wouldn't agree about colour.....if you see my wife's E next to an H you can tell the difference ...but agree about cut....symmetry is all about how the light is reflected back

Of course. But my point is a solitaire is seen in isolation on a finger. Not next to another diamond of a different colour. I think Mrs Yeti's ring (I think) is an H and I wanted an E or F.

Edited by yeti on Tuesday 10th September 18:00

[michael gould]

yeti said:

michael gould said:

wouldn't agree about colour.....if you see my wife's E next to an H you can tell the difference ...but agree about cut....symmetry is all about how the light is reflected back

Of course. But my point is a solitaire is seen in isolation on a finger. Not next to another diamond of a different colour. I think Mrs Yeti's ring might is an F and I wanted a B.

D is the best....it's colourless ......no such thing as a B

[michael gould]

quick look on Blue Nile for 5k you could have an engagement ring mounted in platinum or white gold ....H colour, eye clear, excellent cut and around 1.25 carat...that's a big diamond ......if nothing else its a good guide price ......remember when your looking at the Blue Nile site that prices do not include VAT.....I had a great experience with them......good luck

[ridds]

Did this myself last year.

Best bit of advice, get out there and look at as many as you can before you start to worry about what to buy.

Have a budget in mind and look a bit above and a bit below.

Don't be afraid to ask for a loupe and have a good look at the stone/s. Make sure you go to big chains in the high street and small independents.

You'll be able to spot st diamonds from the less kosher Jewelry stores.

Certification is good but imho not the be-all and end-all, you can get a diamond appraised later if you really want to.

I looked for at least a month, loads of research online and then found the perfect ring in a small Jewelry store near to where I live. Captured and reflected the light back out really nicely and was mounted slightly differently to most I had seen.

Don't do what I did and ask to see one ring where I didn't manage to see the final 0 on the price tag.... You'll think you have found the perfect ring only to realise you were a few thousand short!!!