Buying an Engagement Ring

alottodo

Hey guys,

The time has come to finally get on bended knee, the thing is I've only a budget of €1,000, where should I be looking?

Thanks in advance.

bored and tired

firstly congratulations,
secondly you can look in any jewlers in your area or the internet, some people travel abroad to buy cheap, but it kind of negates the savings adding back on the cost of travel and accomodation.

you know that 1000 isnt going to buy you a massive rock, and really its not about the size or cost of the ring but what it represents, so you have to think where you can save,
you could get a smaller stone,
you could get 4 small stones set in a square to give you the show of a larger carat at a fraction of the cost,
you could get 3 small stones set in the trilogy setting, again cheaper than 1 big carat stone,
you can go for a plain gold band instead of one that has expensive diamond studded shoulders, or instead of platinum band
you can go for a standard claw setting rather than something fancy and more expensive,
you could get a ring with a cubic zirconian stone if you really want the show, no one needs know its not a real diamond, and it can always be replaced in years to come for a real diamond when finances allow.

best of luck hope that helps a bit,

BroomBurner

As the previous poster said, travelling can negate the cost. Then again, it depends where you travel to. A cheap holiday to Amsterdam (Aer Lingus do very reasonable flights) or Antwerp will pay dividends when it comes to getting cheaper diamonds, if it's definitely a diamond you are after.

Captain Slow IRL

Or alternatively, try the diamond district in New York - me and the missus picked up her engagement ring last week for about a third of the cost in a high street jewellers.
You could also use the holiday to propose!

shapez

Go to Coster Diamonds in Amsterdam and you'll get a fair trade, top class and cheaper diamond than anywhere.

bstar

if the poster only has €1000 of a budget for the ring i doubt he has the budget to be travelling around.

how set are you on getting a diamond? I can send you a link to a site that does very high quality cz rings which to be honest no one would know the difference with and you could replace with a diamond at a later date.

Or if you know wat she'd like have you tried a website to build your own ring they are normally alot cheaper like buying from a wholesaler.

alottodo

bstar wrote: »

if the poster only has €1000 of a budget for the ring i doubt he has the budget to be travelling around.

how set are you on getting a diamond? I can send you a link to a site that does very high quality cz rings which to be honest no one would know the difference with and you could replace with a diamond at a later date.

Or if you know wat she'd like have you tried a website to build your own ring they are normally alot cheaper like buying from a wholesaler.

If you could send me on that link that would be great

bstar

PM'd you it

John Mason

Does it have to be a diamond?

There are some beautiful non-diamond rings around

diamonds are not very PC or ethical

shapez

irishbird wrote: »

Does it have to be a diamond?

There are some beautiful non-diamond rings around

diamonds are not very PC or ethical

No very many ladies that don't like diamonds as an engagement ring.

shapez

If you have a 1000 to spend. Do your homework on diamonds first. Here's one link I used when spending almost a year researching. http://www.thediamondbuyingguide.com/

Within my research I found that Amsterdam in Holland and Anterp in Belgium were the diamond capital of the world at one stage. A lot of diamond factories and trading still goes on their today. The vast majority of diamonds in other places around the world are traded or pass through these two cities.

I also found that the diamonds are far cheaper here than anywhere else in the world. Within the Coster Diamond http://www.costerdiamonds.com/ factory in Amsterdam where I purchased the engagement ring for my fiance, we were brought to a room by excellent and very friendly staff. They educate you in diamonds first so you know what to look for. Then show you a few diamonds and explain them to you. They work for you and what you want to work with. I mentioned my budget and they worked to the best of their ability to find a diamond and ring for the price.

While in Amsterdam we visited 3 factories and 5 shops. We came across some beautiful diamonds and rings. You are spoilt for choice over there. In the end my fiance picked an absolutely beautiful ring. I was delighted with it myself too. What I thought was excellent from Coster DIamonds was that you got all the certs and documentation (as you are ment to) but if we decided to go back and upgrade to a bigger diamond all we are required to do is pay the difference between the existing one and the new one!!

I wish you luck on your quest. My only advice is, don't rush it and educate yourself in what you are after. It's a lot of money to give away for something you and your finace will be looking at for many years to come.

jontom

I've just returned from a 4 day, diamond hunting trip with my fiancé to Antwerp. I must admit that I found it to be a daunting enough experience. Buying a diamond in Antwerp is not for the foolhardy or faint of heart! It requires a lot of nerve, effort - research (both theoretical and hands on), patience and finally a great deal of trust. I must confess I know little or nothing about diamonds. The best I could do was ensure that the diamond was certified (I was advised to go for GIA, IGI or HRD). I was also advised to ensure that the finish, proportion and polish were ALL certified as very good with a pointed culet. I stress the last sentence! After that we had to decide on the style of cut, size, colour & clarity. When you have chosen the model of diamond (for lack of a better word) that you want and have priced it in a number of shops here in Ireland you will know the monetary value of that model of diamond and hence the possible savings. From here on in it is simply a matter of TRUST. Which jeweler/person/individual do you trust to ensure that you get the diamond you paid for?!!! Cash is the best way to pay if you want a bargain but I admit it is daunting walking around a city with a couple of thousand euro or dollars cash in your pocket but well worth it if you got the Cahuna's.
I personally did not like Philippe Harold. I thought he was conceited and condescending and gave me false information regarding the implications of paying in cash. His diamonds were also more expensive. We also felt that Diamondland were expensive and more of a tourist attraction than a diamond dealing establishment. We didn't like Slaets either. Our decision finally came down to 3 diamonds that matched our budget in three different shops. Our decision was based on the individual we trusted the most to give us what we paid for. We left the diamond with the jeweler (which is not advised) but at the end of the day if they want to rip you off, they will, no matter how closely you watch them. We basically trusted him and that is what anybody has to do eventually.
We told him what type of diamond we wanted. We were shown the diamond which we agreed we wanted and he bought the diamond from his dealer and set it in a ring for us. We measured the diamond before & after the diamond was set in the ring and also viewed the inclusions before & after setting through the loupe. We purchased our ring & diamond from a small jewelers opposite Diamondland. The owner is Flemish and we found him more trustworthy than the other jewelers that inhabit the area. We have had the ring appraised since we returned and we saved in or around 50% depending on where you compare the prices with. Overall I'd say it was probably a worthwhile adventure but it was a stressful enough experience which requires considerable application. Foolishly rushing in and purchasing without careful consideration has a high price if a mistake is made (but you could be lucky). Thankfully both my fiancé and I are happy with our purchase.

shapez

Excellent and Congraulations!!

Yes, I agree it is a daunting and nerve racking experience. You also do require a lot of patience. It is worth it in the end though.

tattykitty

Hi, if you're on a tight budget, I'd recommend seeing if Barry Doyle in George's Street Arcade could help you. I got my engagement ring custom-made there for well under a thousand. He'll make it to your description and to a budget you set. He really knows his stuff too. One word of warning - if you go back to get it resized, be prepared for something other than a warm reception! I had my finger measured before the ring was made and it was a hot day, so when I received the ring, it was too big. I took it back and asked if they were able to resize it, and he got very angry with me indeed. That said, I think he was getting married himself a few days after so he was perhaps just stressed. His partner/wife is very pleasant though, and if you can deal with him being a bit arrogant with you, he does produce lovely jewellery. I had a white gold band with an amethyst and it's so lovely that I'm not even bothering with a wedding band!

http://www.barrydoyledesign.com/