Dubai jeweler recommendations - engagement ring

[Cblair246]

Gents, off to Dubai in a few days and want to get an engagement ring for the Misses. It looks like the Gold & Diamond Park is the place to go but there are literally dozens of jewelers in the place. Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks.

[Enda78]

"Cara" seemed to get lots of good reviews when I looked into it.

[ecain63]

You realise in this day and age the 'Dubai' pricing is the same as UK thanks to demand / rose glasses etc?? Gone are the days of cheap gold and diamonds. Prove me wrong.

[Lorne]

ecain63 said:

You realise in this day and age the 'Dubai' pricing is the same as UK thanks to demand / rose glasses etc?? Gone are the days of cheap gold and diamonds. Prove me wrong.

No proof as I tend not to go into jewellery shops on my own, but looking through the windows in the malls of Abu Dhabi (60 miles up the road from Dubai) I think the prices here are still 30% less than the UK. With gold it's easier to judge as they sell them on weight - make sure you check the inside of the clasp and any other areas that might not be solid 18ct though, but with diamonds you really need to be able to spot a good one from a bad one. Good ones of course are clear, white and have no inclusions or marks so a jewellers loop or the magnifying glass on a swiss army knife, and back ground reading on google are required. Don't fall for 'black' diamonds as they're worthless, and yellow or blue tinted ones are expensive but pointless. Why buy a blue diamond when a blue sapphire is cheaper, nicer and very nearly as hard (sapphire is 9 on the mohrs hardness and diamond is 10), and why yellow?? it looks like wee.

[Cblair246]

No I realise that most places a carat costs the same, the saving comes from taxes and the setting costs. I'm on holiday anyway and where I live in the UK choice is limited to see loose diamonds.

[ColdoRS]

I bought a piece from the Cara store in the Gold & Diamond Park, just off Sheikh Zayed Rd.

Only good things to say about them, price was competitive, service was good. I'd use them again. I never bought an engagement ring but they do seem to be the people to buy from down here.

[Cblair246]

Cara do seem to be mentioned a lot but I have heard they ship bus loads of tourists in and it's a bit of a meat market of jewelry?

[ColdoRS]

Cblair246 said:

Cara do seem to be mentioned a lot but I have heard they ship bus loads of tourists in and it's a bit of a meat market of jewelry?

Never seen or heard that but it is the favourite among the expats and westerners.

I don't know much about gold or diamonds but if you take a stroll in the gold and diamond park and compare the different shops, you'll quickly see the difference between those targetting westerners and those catering for the Arab taste, very different styles and colours going on there.

[Cblair246]

ColdoRS said:

Cblair246 said:

Cara do seem to be mentioned a lot but I have heard they ship bus loads of tourists in and it's a bit of a meat market of jewelry?

Never seen or heard that but it is the favourite among the expats and westerners.

I don't know much about gold or diamonds but if you take a stroll in the gold and diamond park and compare the different shops, you'll quickly see the difference between those targetting westerners and those catering for the Arab taste, very different styles and colours going on there.

Will pop in and see what they are like then, thanks.

[ecain63]

Lorne said:

ecain63 said:

You realise in this day and age the 'Dubai' pricing is the same as UK thanks to demand / rose glasses etc?? Gone are the days of cheap gold and diamonds. Prove me wrong.

No proof as I tend not to go into jewellery shops on my own, but looking through the windows in the malls of Abu Dhabi (60 miles up the road from Dubai) I think the prices here are still 30% less than the UK. With gold it's easier to judge as they sell them on weight - make sure you check the inside of the clasp and any other areas that might not be solid 18ct though, but with diamonds you really need to be able to spot a good one from a bad one. Good ones of course are clear, white and have no inclusions or marks so a jewellers loop or the magnifying glass on a swiss army knife, and back ground reading on google are required. Don't fall for 'black' diamonds as they're worthless, and yellow or blue tinted ones are expensive but pointless. Why buy a blue diamond when a blue sapphire is cheaper, nicer and very nearly as hard (sapphire is 9 on the mohrs hardness and diamond is 10), and why yellow?? it looks like wee.

Sapphire is indeed very hard, but it's easily damaged by heat and chemicals.