Engagement Ring trip - Antwerp or Amsterdam?

trunko

Having been reading this forums for a week or so now, and I must say it is a BRILLIANT resource, some great ideas/discussions on all aspects of wedding/engagement planning. Very addictive once you start and your head starts racing!

After doing a bit of reading on here I am planning on taking my partner to either Antwerp or Amsterdam just after Christmas to propose to her and get her a ring.
I have read several people on here mentioning both Antwerp & Amsterdam as good places to go to get a good deal on a ring.
Could anyone say whether one place offers more value/variety than the other.
I’m guessing Antwerp, but would be interested to hear what people think.

Are there any downsides to buying a ring in this manner (ie out of the country)
Someone mentioned on here before that if there is a problem with a ring (eg. stone falls out), then it might be awkward to get repaired.
But could a Dublin based jeweller not sort this out or would you have to go back to the original guy?

I would appreciate any feedback on these questions.

Thanks a lot!

BroomBurner

I haven't been to Antwerp, so I can't comment on it, but we got my ring in Amsterdam. We were there for a holiday anyway and got engaged. Price-wise, it's a great savings. I would definitely recommend it.

As for the pitfalls, the only one (and it's minor) is getting the ring valued for the Irish market to include in your household insurance. This often requires sending the ring away to be valued, although a place in Dublin City will do it for about €90 (they used to be cheaper) over the counter. I think a few places in Cork do it aswell. However, if you don't want to do this, just tell your insurer how much it cost originally, once you have the receipts, they will just insure it for that price. It's really up to yourselves if you want it valued higher for your household insurance or if you need to send the ring away to be resized and need it insured against damage (although most places you buy from in Amsterdam will resize it there and then).

As a tip though, make sure the jeweller gives you the proper receipts and certificate of the cut/clarity of the diamond. You'll need this for insurance purposes, etc.

Good luck with the buying!! Oh yeah, and for the included holiday, you can't go far wrong with Amsterdam!! Love that city.

trunko

Cheers for the tip!

I hear ya about Amsterdam! I would probably rather go there for there trip as it is a great city and I was in Belgium once and although it was nice, it was a little boring.

I was just under the impression that there was better deals on diamonds to be had in Antwerp.

Leadership

Antwerp is the place for a ring, you only have to stay for a night and then get the hell out of dodge to another city.

I was going to do it and had the trip planned as well as the ring planned but in the end I did Dubai. Antwerp was was at least 15% cheaper for my quotes.

mike99

What about Turkey we got our ring in Turkey and when we came home and got it valued it was valued at twice what we paid for it. The ring was made up to our spec, we picked the diamond first and then the band and came back a few days later and the ring was made. Fantastic highly recommend it

xmas09

My boyfriend, now fiancee, got my ring in Antwerp. Saved a bundle and got a proper IGI certificate with it detailing the 4 c's. Would definitely recommend going there for a good deal although there is alot of variation in prices even there - i can post the place he got it from later if it'd help

trunko

HI Xmas09,
if you could post the name of the place that would be great.
Thanks everyone for their input so far!

Real ale madrid

You could quite easily do both on a weekend trip. Antwerp is only 2 hours on the train from Amsterdam - its about €50 return for the trip and trains go by the hour at 12 minutes past the hour! - shop around in both places and you'll find a ring that's right for you.

I live in Belgium at the moment and the Diamond street in Antwerp is, imo, the best. But you should buy the ring you like the most around your price range. Having said all that i ended up buying a ring at home about this time last year and got engaged last christmas - only because it was the one i liked the most.

But i would have no qualms whatsoever about buying a ring in antwerp and have bought other items of jewellery there.

Numbercruncher

I second the Antwerp. Went there from a Thursday morning to a Friday Night. There are 4/5 main jewellers - all part of the antwerp diamond jewellers association www.adja.com. Most of these make the ring for you as opposed to picking one in a shop. They choose the diamond with you within your budget and then set it. It was an amazing experience and your girlfriend will really love it. We got a great deal and an unusual ring that I haven't seen in any dublin jewellers.
We went with Joseph Katz as he could get the diamond we wanted (it was an asscher cut and not very common) however diamondland and Harold phillipe were both really nice too. Only diamondland had this stone in stock however it wasn't a great colour so when we asked Joseph Katz he said he could source some from the exchange and had about 20 different ones waiting for us on friday morning and set the stone for us the same day.
My Fiance e-mailed all of these in advance and told him the budget and they came back and told him what they had in that range and had the stones ready for us. Unfortunately he didn't realise I'd fall in love with this other stone and end up causing a lot of hassle!!!
Also Katz gave me a valuation to use for insurance purposes. I'm with BOI and all they asked was did I have a valuation, they didn't want a copy.
I would suggest e-mailing them and letting them know when you are over so they can have the stones there waiting for you.
Antwerp is a lovely place, really pretty with nice cobbled streets and great Cafes. Its nice and romantic and I'll definately be heading back there in time to come.
Sorry for the ramble but its definately stuff worth knowing!! Theres also a lot of info on askaboutmoney.com - thats where my fiance got the idea from!

Tricky1

Antwerp is the place to go alright, we're married now but we still talk about the magic weekend in Antwerp. You'll get a diamond ring for approx a third less than Ireland but you have to bring cash to get the best savings (avoiding the VAT). We bought in www.diamondland.be but there are several other places too. Another good site is www.diamondhouse.be. All in all you'll have a lovely time over there and its very exciting!

taztastic

I'm heading off to Amsterdam beginning of next month (wish me luck!). I'd really recommend Gassan Diamonds - they can find a diamond to suit any budget and they'll put it in the setting within a few hours. They do a particularly fabulous cut called the Gassan 121. Would definitely recommend it. While Amsterdam is not my favourite city it is still fantastic to visit for a night or two.

shapez

Coster Diamonds

http://www.costerdiamonds.com/

They take care of the Dutch Royal jewels.

We got engaged in Amsterdam and went to about 5 different shops/factories before purchasing in Coster Diamonds. Superb. And highly recommended.