Diamond engagement rings
Discussion
It's come to that point where I'm looking.
I hear it's cheaper to buy a diamond separately from a setting and then its insurable value after being made will be higher than the sum of the parts.
Are there any other costs to think about. Say the stone costs £1000 and the setting £600, will it cost me £1600 (+VAT) or are there extras?
And finally, I've heard that diamond prices have fallen recently, is this reflected in the market for loose diamons for jewellery?
I hear it's cheaper to buy a diamond separately from a setting and then its insurable value after being made will be higher than the sum of the parts.
Are there any other costs to think about. Say the stone costs £1000 and the setting £600, will it cost me £1600 (+VAT) or are there extras?
And finally, I've heard that diamond prices have fallen recently, is this reflected in the market for loose diamons for jewellery?
I just got my diamond from Blue Nile.
As soon as you figure out what's important in a diamond then using the scales make it easy to find what you want within budget.
http://www.bluenile.com/international_landing.jsp?...
I had just the diamond sent over and will pick the ring in person, i'm not entirely sure it was much cheaper for me but it meant that I spent what I believe is the best amount on the lasting part, the diamond.
Dave!
As soon as you figure out what's important in a diamond then using the scales make it easy to find what you want within budget.
http://www.bluenile.com/international_landing.jsp?...
I had just the diamond sent over and will pick the ring in person, i'm not entirely sure it was much cheaper for me but it meant that I spent what I believe is the best amount on the lasting part, the diamond.
Dave!
Howitzer said:
I just got my diamond from Blue Nile.
As soon as you figure out what's important in a diamond then using the scales make it easy to find what you want within budget.
http://www.bluenile.com/international_landing.jsp?...
I had just the diamond sent over and will pick the ring in person, i'm not entirely sure it was much cheaper for me but it meant that I spent what I believe is the best amount on the lasting part, the diamond.
Dave!
+1As soon as you figure out what's important in a diamond then using the scales make it easy to find what you want within budget.
http://www.bluenile.com/international_landing.jsp?...
I had just the diamond sent over and will pick the ring in person, i'm not entirely sure it was much cheaper for me but it meant that I spent what I believe is the best amount on the lasting part, the diamond.
Dave!
365 diamond as well
I bought 3 emerald cut diamonds (1.6 carats in total) in NY when the exchange rate was favouable and had them set by a local jeweller. In the end the ring cost me about £3.5k, I reckon I saved about a couple of grand compared to just buying a ring off the shelf here in the UK. It's really worth doing!
Make sure you get a recognised certificate with the diamond. Here in Dubai, you can buy the diamond and the ring and setting is free (same shop though - so you probs end up paying for it).
My Mrs keeps nudging me for an engagement ring, nothing less that TWO (2) carats! Frrk me, there is a recession/credit crunch on women! hahahaha
My Mrs keeps nudging me for an engagement ring, nothing less that TWO (2) carats! Frrk me, there is a recession/credit crunch on women! hahahaha
I used a local independant jeweller (google Ian Blowers to find them).
They sent for a couple of sets of diamonds and I chose which ones I wanted. Then they sent them off to Hatton Gardens to have the ring made.
Price wise it cost me £2000 and was valued at £2600. Its a .51 carat centre stone with a .12 carat stone on either side on a White Gold ring. The diamonds are all certificated and good clarity / colour.
Make sure you check the colouring etc as it makes a lot of difference to the appearance and price.
Si
They sent for a couple of sets of diamonds and I chose which ones I wanted. Then they sent them off to Hatton Gardens to have the ring made.
Price wise it cost me £2000 and was valued at £2600. Its a .51 carat centre stone with a .12 carat stone on either side on a White Gold ring. The diamonds are all certificated and good clarity / colour.
Make sure you check the colouring etc as it makes a lot of difference to the appearance and price.
Si
Simon813 said:
I used a local independant jeweller (google Ian Blowers to find them).
They sent for a couple of sets of diamonds and I chose which ones I wanted. Then they sent them off to Hatton Gardens to have the ring made.
Price wise it cost me £2000 and was valued at £2600. Its a .51 carat centre stone with a .12 carat stone on either side on a White Gold ring. The diamonds are all certificated and good clarity / colour.
Make sure you check the colouring etc as it makes a lot of difference to the appearance and price.
Si
Yes - always make sure that the colour is right (D,E,F) - this can be more important that VVS vs Flawless IMO.They sent for a couple of sets of diamonds and I chose which ones I wanted. Then they sent them off to Hatton Gardens to have the ring made.
Price wise it cost me £2000 and was valued at £2600. Its a .51 carat centre stone with a .12 carat stone on either side on a White Gold ring. The diamonds are all certificated and good clarity / colour.
Make sure you check the colouring etc as it makes a lot of difference to the appearance and price.
Si
I got mine(hers) from Boodles.
yorky500 said:
My Mrs keeps nudging me for an engagement ring, nothing less that TWO (2) carats! Frrk me, there is a recession/credit crunch on women! hahahaha
IMO 2 carats is a bit ostentatious, but it's a cultural thing - American women seem to go for huge rocks without worrying about it.I think 1 carat is a perfect size for a round diamond, if you have money to burn spend it on nice colour and proportions.
You could spend the next 12 months of your life looking around, swotting up on carats, clarity, cut etc, travelling around (and surfing) all over the place just looking. Just get an idea of what she wants, go to a small, exclusive British jewellers, and get the full ring with stone and have done with it. OK, it may be a bit more expensive, but to me the % of your life saved by doing it this way is worth the extra cost.
Good luck btw
g
Good luck btw
g
HundredthIdiot said:
yorky500 said:
My Mrs keeps nudging me for an engagement ring, nothing less that TWO (2) carats! Frrk me, there is a recession/credit crunch on women! hahahaha
IMO 2 carats is a bit ostentatious, but it's a cultural thing - American women seem to go for huge rocks without worrying about it.I think 1 carat is a perfect size for a round diamond, if you have money to burn spend it on nice colour and proportions.
You see some huge rocks that look a bit like something they've found at the bottom of a fish tank.
jollygreen said:
I bought 3 emerald cut diamonds (1.6 carats in total) in NY when the exchange rate was favouable and had them set by a local jeweller. In the end the ring cost me about £3.5k, I reckon I saved about a couple of grand compared to just buying a ring off the shelf here in the UK. It's really worth doing!
Nightmare on here should be able to help you out to this extent. We had a ring made by Matt @ Equinox (Nightmares Business partner) and it cost
I always buy my wife's diamond jewellery in Turkey. Found a couple of very trustworthy jewellers and have always saved well in excess of the cost of the first class holiday.
She loves being spoiled on holiday too!
Prices in High St jewellers (Goldsmiths, Ernest Jones etc) are scarily high and the gems very rarely come with any kind of supporting quality information.
The only place in the UK which claims to offer outstanding value is Costco, which guarantees that a valuation on any of their diamond jewellery will be double the price they charge. They have a reasonable range too: from less than a grand to £25k plus.
She loves being spoiled on holiday too!
Prices in High St jewellers (Goldsmiths, Ernest Jones etc) are scarily high and the gems very rarely come with any kind of supporting quality information.
The only place in the UK which claims to offer outstanding value is Costco, which guarantees that a valuation on any of their diamond jewellery will be double the price they charge. They have a reasonable range too: from less than a grand to £25k plus.
I bought mine (hers!) from whiteflash in the US BUT that was when the e/rate was over 2 to the pound. Cost me about £1200 for a 0.52c VS1 F round, certificated by them. Had the stone valued by the jeweller I used (Matt at Equinox as mentioned above - based in Hoddesdon in Herts) and he reckoned the stone alone on the open market would be over 2k sterling. £600 for a custom platinum setting (I designed it), total cost to me about £1800 and an insurance value of 3.5-4k.
Matt also has a very good source for his own diamonds so with a dodgy e/rate it may be worth a chat to him. Very friendly and knowledgeable with the bonus of being a bloody good goldsmith/jeweller.
Matt also has a very good source for his own diamonds so with a dodgy e/rate it may be worth a chat to him. Very friendly and knowledgeable with the bonus of being a bloody good goldsmith/jeweller.
Edited by Zippee on Tuesday 30th December 13:20
The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham is a good place to look. There are loads of jewellers, goldsmiths, craftsmen that will handcraft a ring at a fraction of the high street price.
www.the-quarter.com
www.the-quarter.com
Edited by lottie on Tuesday 30th December 13:22
Another vote for Matt at Equinox. 
You could try getting the stone from e.g. http://www.whiteflash.com/ but with the exchange rate it probably isn't such a saving at the moment. A good place to look anyway, all the info on the Cs and lots of diamonds- if you find one you like, at least take a print out to the jewellers.
You could try getting the stone from e.g. http://www.whiteflash.com/ but with the exchange rate it probably isn't such a saving at the moment. A good place to look anyway, all the info on the Cs and lots of diamonds- if you find one you like, at least take a print out to the jewellers.
Zippee said:
I bought mine (hers!) from whiteflash in the US BUT that was when the e/rate was over 2 to the pound. Cost me about £1200 for a 0.52c VS1 F round, certificated by them. Had the stone valued by the jeweller I used (Matt at Equinox as mentioned above - based in Hoddesdon in Herts) and he reckoned the stone alone on the open market would be over 2k sterling. £600 for a custom platinum setting (I designed it), total cost to me about £1800 and an insurance value of 3.5-4k.
Matt also has a very good source for his own diamonds so with a dodgy e/rate it may be worth a chat to him. Very friendly and knowledgeable with the bonus of being a bloody good goldsmith/jeweller.
Does anyone have an e-mail address for him?Matt also has a very good source for his own diamonds so with a dodgy e/rate it may be worth a chat to him. Very friendly and knowledgeable with the bonus of being a bloody good goldsmith/jeweller.
Edited by Zippee on Tuesday 30th December 13:20
oyster said:
Does anyone have an e-mail address for him?
Not sure about an email, but their website is http://www.equinoxjewellery.co.uk/Tel: 01992 448544
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff