Best place in Dublin to get engagement rings

trotter_inc · 14-11-2006 3:05pm #1

Hi guys,

Just got engaged to my girlfriend/fiancé last Saturday night

Dont think its hit me yet really...

Planning on going up to Dublin on Friday to pick out a ring together. I held off buying a ring beforehand as I would prefer my fiancé to pick it seeing as she is going to be wearing it the rest of her life...

I know there are a couple of jewellers around the Grafton Street area, namely Applebys and Weirs. Where would be the place with the biggest choice and price range in Dublin?

Also, if we do find one we like, could they re-size it on the day for us? Seeing as we're travelling up from Cork it would be nice to be able to take it home with us that day.

Thanks for your help!

Tommy

Fey! · 14-11-2006 6:26pm

Trotter - as I said in the other thread, don't rule out buying locally. Cork has some very good antique shops (a lot of antique shops will and the likes of Egans who have excellent reputations also do a range of new jewellery).

A lot of people have the misconception that they can't get the range, quality or value locally that they'll get in Dublin, wheras the opposite is often true.

Also bear in mind that shops that offer huge discounts to civil servants and their ilk have to mark the prices up to give the discount, which can cost everyone else more.

trotter_inc · 15-11-2006 9:29am

Fey! wrote:

Trotter - as I said in the other thread, don't rule out buying locally. Cork has some very good antique shops (a lot of antique shops will and the likes of Egans who have excellent reputations also do a range of new jewellery).

A lot of people have the misconception that they can't get the range, quality or value locally that they'll get in Dublin, wheras the opposite is often true.

Also bear in mind that shops that offer huge discounts to civil servants and their ilk have to mark the prices up to give the discount, which can cost everyone else more.

Thanks again for that Fey, we're going to be in Dublin on Friday anyway for a look, will call in to Egans on the way back down...

Do you know of any places in Dublin?

Thanks

Fey! · 15-11-2006 1:25pm

Have a look in Powerscourt - there are several jewellery dealers in there with a good selection.

Certain jewellers will turn around with rubbish such as "if it doesn't have a cert it's not a diamond" (one Dublin jeweller actually said that to me!!!); this is rubbish. Not all stones are certified, and even Weirs (or was it Wests?) went on the radio a few months ago on a show about spending SSIAs and pointed out that certs were just another marketing tool. As I have said on another thread, not all certs are worth the paper they're printed on.

The other thing which you may have thrown at you is Conflict Diamonds or Blood Diamonds. Basically the revenue from these is used to fund wars in Africa, and the trade of them is illegal. It's highly unlikely that you'll find them in any high street shop in Ireland.

My own backround is that I've worked in the antiques industry for the past 12 years, the last 9 of them full time, and we're members of both the IADA (Irish Antiques Dealers Association) and CINOA (the International Antiques Dealers Associations). I'm a qualified diamond grader (one of those who trains to sit in a lab and grade the diamonds for certification), which I studied in Antwerp several years ago, and I also hold a Diploma in Scientific Studies (Gemmology) from NUIG. About 80% of my work revolves around diamonds in one way or another.

trotter_inc · 15-11-2006 2:18pm

Fey! wrote:

Have a look in Powerscourt - there are several jewellery dealers in there with a good selection.

Certain jewellers will turn around with rubbish such as "if it doesn't have a cert it's not a diamond" (one Dublin jeweller actually said that to me!!!); this is rubbish. Not all stones are certified, and even Weirs (or was it Wests?) went on the radio a few months ago on a show about spending SSIAs and pointed out that certs were just another marketing tool. As I have said on another thread, not all certs are worth the paper they're printed on.

The other thing which you may have thrown at you is Conflict Diamonds or Blood Diamonds. Basically the revenue from these is used to fund wars in Africa, and the trade of them is illegal. It's highly unlikely that you'll find them in any high street shop in Ireland.

Thanks for the warnings Fey...must call in to Egans at some stage as well...

foz_e_bear · 16-11-2006 4:08pm

Just got engaged last month, and went in with the good lady to town, we started in Appelbys. The service there was fantastic, and they had a super range, just went in gave the price-range and an idea as to what kind, and we were really well looked after. Herself picked out the ring she wanted, but we said we'd have a wee look about, so popped into two shops in the area, one right beside the westbury...but didn't see anything like the ring in appelbys.

Their quality of service is without comparison...dunno about prices, I mean they all charge a load, but they seemed better value than allot of others. They go through the 4 C's with you and help you pick a goodun.

Oh and ask for a discount, you'll be surprised how much they can knock off em, without even having to haggle!

Good luck with it, and congrats.
Foz

trotter_inc · 16-11-2006 4:17pm

foz_e_bear wrote:

Just got engaged last month, and went in with the good lady to town, we started in Appelbys. The service there was fantastic, and they had a super range, just went in gave the price-range and an idea as to what kind, and we were really well looked after. Herself picked out the ring she wanted, but we said we'd have a wee look about, so popped into two shops in the area, one right beside the westbury...but didn't see anything like the ring in appelbys.

Their quality of service is without comparison...dunno about prices, I mean they all charge a load, but they seemed better value than allot of others. They go through the 4 C's with you and help you pick a goodun.

Oh and ask for a discount, you'll be surprised how much they can knock off em, without even having to haggle!

Good luck with it, and congrats.
Foz

Thats brilliant Foz, thanks for that info...

Plan is to go to O' Connors in Harolds Cross first and then in to Grafton St... hopefully we'll find something she likes

trotter_inc · 20-11-2006 10:03am

For anyone else that comes across this thread Id strongly recommend O' Connors in Harolds Cross. We got a gorgeous ring in there for a fraction of the prices on the high street.

We didnt go there because we were cutting costs, we went there coz we were getting a lot more for our money. The ring we bought would have cost double what we paid for it on the high street.

Also, Bernadette, the Managing Director is lovely, extremely helpful and friendly, showroom is very nice too.

Helmet · 29-04-2009 8:25pm

trotter_inc wrote: »

For anyone else that comes across this thread Id strongly recommend O' Connors in Harolds Cross. We got a gorgeous ring in there for a fraction of the prices on the high street.

We didnt go there because we were cutting costs, we went there coz we were getting a lot more for our money. The ring we bought would have cost double what we paid for it on the high street.

Also, Bernadette, the Managing Director is lovely, extremely helpful and friendly, showroom is very nice too.

We were in with Bernadette as well, delighted with the ring, went back for wedding bands, very friendly/professional!!!

Ropo · 29-04-2009 9:38pm

Hi
If your looking for something antique , I would recommend Delphi's in upstairs in Powerscourt, some really gorgeous rings. Also Weldons on claredon Street

For new rings, I found great Rocks on grafton st great, they really spent time going through the styles and gave some really good discounts.

Another good shop that I saw a gorgeous solitaire in was Lorcan Brereton on St Annes Street just of Grafton.

Best of luck

!!!

genie_us · 30-04-2009 2:13pm

Hiya

I got engaged last August and same as, the other half decided to let me pick my ring myself

We went to Appleby's and as someone already pointed out, their service was brilliant, they really made us feel like we were their most important customers! We dealt with a girl called Melanie, she was so nice, brought us into a little room and had a quiet word with himself about how much he wanted to spend, and then only showed me what was available in that budget. I can't stress enough how nice they were in there, really made us feel like they were genuinely happy for us (not just cos we were spending money there!!). They even gave us a voucher for complimentary Champagne in the Westbury afterwards, it was such a nice touch and really helped make the day that extra bit special!

I wish I could go and do it again!! Make the most of it and best of luck

wally79 · 20-10-2010 6:08pm

We picked up our ring last Saturday from Voltaire Diamonds. Having read a lot of the posts recommending them here on boards.ie I dont think there's any need to say how delighted my fiance is. It's tough to get her attention when she's lost in the sparkle.

Seamus Fahy is an absolute gentleman to deal with. Unlike a lot of the other people we met he never tried to push us in any way. He simply answered any questions we had, made recommendations when we asked him too and sat back and left us to it when we didn't.

Once we'd made our decision he asked us our budget range and made my fiances dream ring come true. For a lot cheaper than similar rings elswhere I'll add. He even gave us €50 back when I paid him to get ourselves a drink. Not a big amount of money but a nice touch. We enjoyed some champagne in the Shelbourne. Thanks Seamus.

I have no affiliation to Voltaire Diamonds and hadn't heard of them until a month or two ago when I started looking seriously but to anyone who is looking for a beautiful ring do yourself a favour and at least meet with Seamus. I will definitely recommend them to all my friends when they get engaged. PM me if you want more info. I'll answer any questions you like.

Here's a link to the website but personally I think you get a better idea of what Voltaire Diamonds is all about when you meet Seamus for yourself.

[URL="[URL]http://www.voltairediamonds.ie/"]http://www.voltairediamonds.ie/[/URL[/URL]]

Thanks Seamus for all your help and guidance along the way.

Oh and thanks for a beautiful ring too.

K09 · 24-10-2010 9:59pm

Hi,
Could you recommend a place in Dublin to buy engagement ring? I have heard applebys recommended. Are they good?

Where could I learn about different types, etc? I have very little knowledge of rings. And is 1500 considered a good price to pay?

Thanks!

bills · 25-10-2010 6:21pm

+1 for voltaire diamonds

You wont regret going & checking voltaire out. Loads of recommendations on boards for a reason.

greenbicycle · 07-11-2010 10:17am

I COMPLETLY agree with the two posts about applebys,everything they said is completly spot on. of course you will want to try ou other places but make sure you go there, you want to have a proper experience picking out the rings and applebys gives this.

07-11-2010 6:00pm

I highly recommend Weirs on Grafton St. Especially a lovely chap in there named Bob.

magneticimpulse · 07-11-2010 11:54pm

Jaysus all sounds so complicated. Id be happy to walk into the 1st shop myself and just pick out anything. Wouldnt fancy having to travel to other cities just to pick up a ring. Any jewellery i ever bought myself, never put much thought into it. Just walked into jewellers...thought...i need a pair of ear rings...or ring...picked it and walked out. And im a girl...one thing buying a pair of jeans, thats painful enough...having to look a rings snoooz...whereas makeup now we're talking

millertime78 · 08-11-2010 10:55am

My fiancee and I recently purchased from Seamus Fahy of Voltaire Diamonds http://www.voltairediamonds.ie/.

We cannot speak highly enough of Seamus. From the start he advised us to get as much information and visit as many shops as possible before coming to see him. When we set up an appointment ( at his offfice on Stephens Green) he took us through the process without once putting any pressure on us to purchase. Within an hour we had decided exactly what we wanted, it was all so easy and relaxed. Seamus gave us a 3 week delivery time (and kept his word!!). I think regardless of your budget Seamus will give you the best possible value for money and you will leave with satisfaction.

In summary, this was a very pleasant buying experience and we will definitely be back to Seamus for the wedding bands.

Tom & Anne

greenflash · 06-12-2010 7:40pm

I'll join in and give my vote to Seamus and Voltaire Diamonds.

I did a lot of my research on the internet and his name kept coming up but I have to admit I was sceptical. We visited Appelby in town just to get a feel for what we were looking for and the type of pricing to expect for new rings. We also traipsed around the Antique jewellers in town and paid visits to Blackman as well as a jewellery shop local to us in Malahide but we never did get the feeling that everything was exactly right for us.

While all this was going on, I decided to give Voltaire a call and arranged a meeting with Seamus. On arrival I was impressed with the absence of expensive chocolates and the lack of any hard sell pressure. Seamus took time to educate me on diamonds and the business that surrounds them. He didn't avoid questions or attempt to steer the conversation the only thing even remotely gimmicky he did was to whip out the occasional stunning diamond as a reminder of why I was there.

After the initial meeting I arranged another and returned with my fiancé. This time we went through ring styles, metal choices, stone options etc. and discussed the all important budget constraints. We made our decision, placed the order and asked Seamus if he would be able to deliver slightly within the three week period he'd specified. In fairness to the man the ring came in bang on time and is absolutely stunning. The quality of the craftsmanship and the sparkle of the stones is easily as good as if not better than any of the more expensive pieces we'd looked at elsewhere.

Along with the ring, we got a valuation from Irish Jewellery Valuation Services (David Dupuy). In other circumstances I would have been suspicious of such an arrangement as the ring was valued at considerably more than I paid Voltaire. However, David Dupuy is the brother-in-law of a very old friend of my fiancé's so we did a bit of discreet checking and were satisfied that we really had got a quality piece of jewellery at a very good price.

If anyone else has doubts (as I did at first), there's no harm in at least giving Voltaire a call. Even if you don't buy from him, Seamus will take the time to give you a better understanding of what diamond are all about.

Thanks very much Seamus, you are a gent and it was a pleasure dealing with you.

Goldenegg · 06-12-2010 7:44pm

Really recommend applebys just off grafton st. I think I recommended here somewhere before. We purchased our ring there. We went to a couple other jewellers but really what made our mind up for us was how pleasant and helpful the staff where. We were quite clueless in regards to different style cuts and categories etc but we were put at ease. Could not recommend them enough! Best of luck with everything!

SSFG · 06-12-2010 9:40pm

shell53 wrote: »

Hi! Just wanted to say that seamus fahy and voltaire diamonds are amazing! I researched the country high and low for good quality diamonds, service and prices. I was completly put off all the normal! diamond suppliers in dublin and afar! Really try to pawn off a dodgy diamond for a high price! Unless you know your stuff on diamonds, you are in danger of getting a poor quality diamond (and are oblivious until you put your ring next to another). I wanted a very unusal ring! Oval with about 100 smaller diamonds on a very thin band. I wanted diamonds on the shoulders and walls of the band. Every shop told me it wasn't possible and if it was it would be very expensive and would have to wait 3 months for it be made!
Seamus sat down with us on a sat afternoon during the summer, and 2 weeks later i was presented with my perfect ring, valued at double the price my bf paid! unbelivable service and quality! i would never go to a conventional diamond supplier after visiting seamus fahy

Oooh shell53 would love to see a pic it sounds gorgeous!

xalot · 07-12-2010 4:31pm

Didn't get my ring there but Appelby's were fantastic, really great service. Can also recommend Weirs for service thought didn't think they had a great range, Rocks on Grafton street were fantastic too

Wasn't too pushed about the place in Harolds cross, felt a bit like visiting a warehouse, but that's just my opinion, know loads of people who had great experiences there.

Heyes · 12-12-2010 11:39pm

John Brereton on O'Connell street is excellent.

montac · 14-12-2010 1:40pm

xalot wrote: »

Didn't get my ring there but Appelby's were fantastic, really great service. Can also recommend Weirs for service thought didn't think they had a great range, Rocks on Grafton street were fantastic too

Wasn't too pushed about the place in Harolds cross, felt a bit like visiting a warehouse, but that's just my opinion, know loads of people who had great experiences there.

I went to visit O'Connor's on Saturday, but it was closed. I subsequently heard from a neighbour that it has gone into receivership. Seems to be quite a few places that are closing down at the moment. Sign of the times I suppose.

BC · 14-12-2010 2:39pm

montac wrote: »

I went to visit O'Connor's on Saturday, but it was closed. I subsequently heard from a neighbour that it has gone into receivership. Seems to be quite a few places that are closing down at the moment. Sign of the times I suppose.

They only open saturday mornings. AFAIK they're still there.

montac · 14-12-2010 2:44pm

Well it was around mid-morning on Saturday. No answer on the phone either on Sat. Maybe it was a one-off. Fingers crossed it was.

Joeyjoejoe43 · 11-01-2011 11:59am

Jeff Gear on Parnell street or Brereton's on O'Connell st. If you buy the ring on Grafton st, expect to pay extra as the rent for shop fronts here is extremely excessive and this cost will be factored into the cost of the ring. Another option would be Ronan Campbell out in Citywest Business park. Trust me on these 3 been the best value around, as I did my research.. Best of luck with the hunt

marsay · 19-01-2011 8:57pm

Does anyone know if O'Connor Jewellers in Harolds Cross have closed?

weiland79 · 20-01-2011 3:21pm

Yes O'Connors closed their doors just before Christmas.

According to one of my reps at the last count approx 48 jewellers have closed their doors in Ireland in the past year.

Buy Irish!

carrickcolin · 19-07-2011 12:41am

can anyone give me some advice as to whats a decent price budget for an engagement ring.
thanks

EimearM · 19-07-2011 2:20pm

carrickcolin wrote: »

can anyone give me some advice as to whats a decent price budget for an engagement ring.
thanks

Hi there!

My mother always said 4 week's wages was the fair amount for an engagement ring. So that is relfective of how much you earn and I guess you can decide.

My fiance and I bought ours in Corr's in the powerscourt shopping centre just off Grafton street. The ring we got is an antique from 1920's with a Sapphire and 12 diamonds surrounding. For the same price in fields, appleby's etc we would have gotten a much smaller ring. I have big(ish) hands so a dainty ring just doesn't suit me.

Good luck!

Best place in Dublin to get engagement rings

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