Engagement Ring - FACTS, not fiction

Emerald Lass

Hi All,
I am new here. This thread is really useful in particular. I have one comment and one question to ask.

Firstly, by comment - I notice some people were asking about alternatives to the traditional diamond E-ring, and also the possibility of the male getting a ring. I live in turkey and here things are done the opposite. Here when the couple get engaged, both get a ring. This is usually a band - what we would consider the wedding band. Often they are more fancy than our traditional plain gold ones - with engraving, or stones. Both parties wear the ring. Some people choose to wear it on their right hand, and then upon marriage they swap it to their left. (Being a muslim country, some choose to leave it on their right hand, due to the left being the 'dirty' hand in Islamic culture). Often a diamond ring is not even bought. If it is, it is sometimes bought as the wedding gift to the bride. As Turkey becomes more European a lot of ladies are choosing the traditional diamond option, but it is still not the general thing to do. It certainly keeps the cost down! And it includes the man in it which is nice.

Now, my question. Being here in Turkey we are going to buy my ring in Turkey. We have a reputable relative in the trade, but I am concerned about being sure its a diamond we get. I don't mind a Cubic zircona if that is what I pay for, but I don't want to pay for a diamond and get a CZ! we were in Kusadasi a few months ago, and this gentleman in a jewellers showed me a ring in a flower design, with 5 small diamonds in it. It did suit my hand and sparkled like mad. But the price went form over 2000 lira to 600 lira in a matter of 20 minutes. (aprox €1000 to €300!). Much as I love a bargain it did seem odd and I was suspicious of being able to buy even a bad diamond at that price!

he had this little machine which he touched to various stones - supposedly when it contacts a diamond it beeps, when it touches any other stone, it doesn't. Being the sceptic I am it didn't convince me. Was I wrong - is there such a device which can prove a diamond is indeed a diamond and not cut glass? and is it possible for a diamond, which seemed of good quality (ie sparkled, no obvious inclusions with naked eye, nice and fairly bright white) to be available for €300? or did we miss the bargain of a lifetime?

keyes

Emerald Lass wrote: »

he had this little machine which he touched to various stones - supposedly when it contacts a diamond it beeps, when it touches any other stone, it doesn't. Being the sceptic I am it didn't convince me. Was I wrong - is there such a device which can prove a diamond is indeed a diamond and not cut glass? and is it possible for a diamond, which seemed of good quality (ie sparkled, no obvious inclusions with naked eye, nice and fairly bright white) to be available for €300? or did we miss the bargain of a lifetime?

it sound like you're describing a diamond tester. they measure the termal conductivity of the stone, and beep if it exceeds a certain threshold. they are useful for telling diamond from CZ and from glass, but not totally reliable.

they give a false result for moissanite, beeping as though it was diamond. also, they can give dodgy results if they are not warmed up for 30 seconds, or if you move quickly from a diamond to another stone, as the tip has not had time to cool down. also, they beep if they touch metal. (such as the claws of the ring)

the best way to tell diamond from any simulant, including CZ and moissanite is with a 10x glass and a bit of training!

as for your query on the price of that ring, if you had something "worth" 1000, would you sell it for 300? i thought not......

Emerald Lass

thanks for the advice keyes - at least the diamnd 'tester' was not a complete scam! but I will be eagle eyed in future if one is poduced - I will be counting 10 second intervals and making sure they don't est the claws! lol

keyes wrote: »

as for your query on the price of that ring, if you had something "worth" 1000, would you sell it for 300? i thought not......

I understand your point, but here in Turkey a salesperson would be prepared to sell something for only €20 profit rather than loose the sale, particularly in off season which is when we were looking. Also €20 buys a lot more in turkey than it would in Ireland! Its not like Ireland where there is a cut off point for the bargaining - in Turkey any profit is better than no profit, so the fact that he dropped his price doesn't bother me so much (In Turkey things are priced initially at about the same level as the same product in Ireland/UK, but that is just a startng point for the haggling! you always offer WAY below that, about 25%, and usually come to an agreement at about 40-50% of the original price!).

What I was concerned with was if it is even possible to get a diamond cluster of about .10 carats for €300 - even wholesale? This is where I am a complete novice! I don't wear much jewellery, except for my mothers engagement ring, and i have never bought a diamond in my life, so I have no clue. I guess I am one of those people who always held the (perhaps incorrect) assumption that all diamonds were expensive!

keyes

Emerald Lass wrote: »

thanks for the advice keyes - at least the diamnd 'tester' was not a complete scam! but I will be eagle eyed in future if one is poduced - I will be counting 10 second intervals and making sure they don't est the claws!

What I was concerned with was if it is even possible to get a diamond cluster of about .10 carats for €300 - even wholesale?

it really depends on the quality of the diamonds, there's no way to answer that without seeing the ring.

as for the diamond tester, that wasn't a complete guide to how to use one, there's a few more pointers that are needed....

catspajamas

just quick note --I know nothing about Diamond quality - I only know I love my E Ring as My hubby choose it 17 years ago - Not trying to rain on yer parade - if you have money for a Fab ring & fantastic wedding with all bells & whistels then good for you - go for it!!
but remember its the marriage not the engagement ring or wedding that's important - Treasure each other - take time to remember why he/she makes you smile each day - now that's priceless!!

lisaree

Hi have absolutely no idea bout engagement rings but have seen one i really like there are letters next to it, if someone could explain id be really happy. it a four stone ring and valued 4,800 letters - 18CT 4 ST DI STR.1.35CT
THanks

mru

Hi guys - just a quick one on buying an engagement ring - do the jewellers usually offer finance packages when buying an engagment ring or is it cash up front?

mru

Perfect - thanks a mil. Wish me luck...:)

JBL

Hi, after 6 years with my girlfriend I have finally decided to pop the question this new year’s eve. Next step: buy the engagement ring. Honestly don’t know anything about rings, so I am looking for a good jewelery shop where I can buy the ring and not getting ripped of…..basically where I get value for money my budget is around 1k € ……I find it enough as I see this more like a symbolic present rather than anything else, I would rather spend extra money for the honeymoon, etc.


Also, what characteristic would a platinum or gold ring need to have in order to be a “nice one”? To me they all look the same, so I can’t really understand why some cost 50€ and others 5k €

Thank you for your advice!

Mich2

Hi Guys,

One of the previous posts about Turkey reminded me that years ago I was in Istanbul and met a salesman from an Antwerp diamond dealer in the lobby of our hotel and we happened to meet again in the jeweller's bazar of Istanbul. He told me all the bazar's diamonds are purchased from Antwerp, same goes for New York he explained they (Antwerp) sell for billions of dollars to the USA! So a couple of weeks ago, when I needed the E-ring, I went to Antwerp but couldn't find that guy but anyway it was great and really worth it! The huge difference is that you get to talk to people who spend their whole life in that trade, familiy business, real pros. Jewellers with a passion and no hard sale pressure. Highly recommended!

Mich

evie08

Does anyone know anywhere where I can get my mam's engagement ring sized and cleaned. It is very dear to me and my DP and I have decided this will be my engagement ring.

butty24

Hi,is it worth it to go to ANtwerp?how much do u really save?

LowOdour

I just purchased my engagment ring today.
it was an 18ct white gold 3 stone diamond (0.35). I paid **** for it from a good jewellers.
The ring is lovely, and the band is standard but it has a kind of groove in it. The jewellers were pushing me towards it over other slightly more expensve ones.

Now, my problem is that I loved one particular ring that was **** euro, but couldnt afford it. The diamonds on the one I got seem tiny compared to it.

Im not looking for help, just hoping someone can humour me that the ring I got will be fine. Nort sure I even want to propose now. I hate been broke

John Mattioli

Well, I'm sure she will like it...

Look, if you really want to get our opinion, how about you take a picture and post it online so we can give you our honest opinion about it?

The size of the diamond doesn't matter that much. It's more a question of how much it sparkles (combinaision of good color, good shape, few inclusions, etc.)...

LowOdour

John Mattioli wrote: »

Well, I'm sure she will like it...

Look, if you really want to get our opinion, how about you take a picture and post it online so we can give you our honest opinion about it?

The size of the diamond doesn't matter that much. It's more a question of how much it sparkles (combinaision of good color, good shape, few inclusions, etc.)...

I tried taking pictures of it this morning but camera is playing up, so can't get a good zoom in on it. Took a look at it again this morning, diamonds are begiing to look smaller and smaller!! I know my partner isnt matarialistic (sp?) but still hope she loves it. Ive even thought, when I get my next wages we can take back the ring and let her pick out something more expensive. I need a drink ha ha

keyes

bensoneb wrote: »

Hi,

I had read alot of the other threads about having 'foreign' engagement rings valued and contacted the companies that were recommended. I called ESL to find that you had to have the original certificate for them to carry out the valuation. Unfortunately I had lost this so they couldn't proceed with the valuation. What type of jeweller are they if they can't value a ring based on their own expertise???

of course you should have the lab cert. what if the stone is hpht treated?

seamus

bensoneb wrote: »

I had read alot of the other threads about having 'foreign' engagement rings valued and contacted the companies that were recommended. I called ESL to find that you had to have the original certificate for them to carry out the valuation. Unfortunately I had lost this so they couldn't proceed with the valuation. What type of jeweller are they if they can't value a ring based on their own expertise???

To the best of my knowledge, the official certification of the ring is completely unrelated to the valuation. Official certification takes a good deal longer than valuation and requires a certified lab.
Valuations take a very high-level look at the diamond, note the major features, then compare that to what's on the cert. This is how they confirm that you have presented the diamond that is listed on the cert. Then they can give you a proper valuation.

I might be wrong though.

Peckham

Was in New York a short while back and purchased our wedding bands and necklace there. The store was heavily discounting items as they were having cashflow problems, so got some good deals.

Two questions:

1) One of the wedding bands (plain platinum) is slightly too large. I presume I can get this resized in any reputable jeweller in Dublin city centre? What sort of price should I be expecting to pay?

2) One of the items we bought was a necklace with diamonds inserted into it. The only valuation certificate he provided was the shop receipt. Price was discounted so heavily (by 60-70%) that I'd like to get it checked-out. Have read some posts above about valuing diamond rings. What about necklaces?

gearoidc

Just back from Antwerp.
Overall v satisfactory experience. I'm happy we got value and most importantly herself loves the sparkler.
(Antwerp would be well worth an overnight anyway...lovely old town/cathedral)

freespirit96

Hi guys,

Have spent the last two months researching and looking at diamonds, lots of drama (such as our original choice apparently being lost in the post!!) which I will spare you.

Anyway, we decided to go for a loose diamond which we bought over the internet and it arrived on Monday. It is an absolutely beautiful .92 D VS2 GIA Certified stone. We are now trying to have it set/mounted in a band.

Our local jewler recommended a guy he uses and we met him today but I just was not in any way impressed by him and would not feel confident to entrust our diamond to him.

We were looking for a standard knife edge six prong setting in 18K yellow gold with platinum claws. He said we would be talking in the region of 850 euro. I was absolutely shocked as we had expected it to be more in the region of 4-500 euro. We could have had the diamond set from the website where we bought the ring for approx 350 euro and so I am wondering if he is a chancer - if anyone has had a loose diamond set and if there is anyone who can be recommended. We are living in Mayo but willing to travel.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

helimachoptor

Folks, was in NYC last week. Saw some fantastic deals there 1.5 carat (VS1 not sure on the rest of the details) for $1500.

sandy09

still thinking on the engagment ring...have started to think bout going to belfast?....have being looking at one website and they have some gorgeous rings. does anyone have any opinions on what they think? also if we paid cash would we be able to haggle with the price a bit?

Yoda08

Personally, I would put priority as follows:

Cut
Colour
Carat
Clarity

Cut is important as it will determine the amount of sparkle off the diamond, and colour will accentuate that. Carat size is less imporant, and once clarity is SI1 or above, it's not visible to naked eye.

My 0.02 anyway!

aviendha

helimachoptor wrote: »

Folks, was in NYC last week. Saw some fantastic deals there 1.5 carat (VS1 not sure on the rest of the details) for $1500.

wow, sounds almost too good to be true... but no info on colour, if colour is P then less surprising....

helimachoptor

aviendha wrote: »

wow, sounds almost too good to be true... but no info on colour, if colour is P then less surprising....

Afraid not, but the OH was impressed and she's done a lot of research into engagement rings :P

roseym

Hi everyone, am just wondering what price ye think the following ring should be? It's on a three stone ring with platinum band, two side stones of .20 carats each, both VS2 and G colour and not sure what their cut is. The middle diamond is .35 VS2 G colour Ex cut and is GIA certified.

I'm just nervous because I really had to push to get the info on 4c's etc, they kept glossing over by saying "all our rings have a lovely sparkle to them" and "we only stock the best". In a way almost felt more knowledgeable than the sales person on the subject of diamonds! That feeling makes me REALLY nervous because I know very little about them other than what I've gleaned from the internet lately, and this thread has been fantastic help. I know the GIA cert should calm my nerves but I know so little about diamonds, how would I know if the diamond on the cert is the one in the ring?

M007

Does anyone have the link to the sticky on buying engagment rings in NYC - not sure if i saw it here on boards.ie or on askaboutmoney.ie during the week

Any advice on engagement ring shopping in NYC appreciate - where to shop and where to avoid - thanks

looktowindward

Been looking at rings for a few weeks and we went to a jeweler in Kerry on Saturday. The jeweler was really nice. She liked one ring in particular, really liked it, rush of blood to head, put a deposit down (€200).

Now, she seems happy enough but I'm a bit worried.

1) Did we get value?
and
2) Should I have haggled on price?

The ring is an 18ct white gold, solitaire engagement ring. A single diamond set in six claws with diamond set shoulders.

The centre stone is 0.40 ct and is GH S1.

It's €2,000 (budget was 3.5/2k).

Now, my concerns are
A) that we're not being ripped off
and
that she won't regret not getting something with more bling.

Phototoxin

I know where I am at the moment in the UK you can get a .15c G VS1 18cGold diamond for about €400. Seeing as .40 is under the .5 mark I'd say welcome to Oirland

Muinis

Thanks for all the helpful advice on this thread.

I'd appreciate any advice on the following:

1. I'd like a three stone princess cut diamond ring with the centre diamond being larger and in a higher setting than the other two diamonds. Should I go for the same quality in terms of the 4Cs for all three diamonds or could I get away with the two side diamonds being of lesser quality without detracting from the centre diamond. Also, will I end up paying a lot more for a three stone ring than a solitare of similar quality?

2. Since money is a big issue I am wondering whether I would be better off going for another gem rather than a diamond. Any ideas on other stones that look special but are not as pricey as diamonds?

3. Is there any reason not to go for a yellow gold setting for a diamond ring other than personal taste?

Thanks in advance.:)