Anyone bought engagement ring in Dubai?

acb

Hi,
At Christmas we are heading to Dubai and having heard of the great value for gold there was are thinking of buying the engagment ring there.

Having been looking on sites like tripadvisor alot seem to have had brilliant experiences but also worryingly I have read numerous examples of loose settings in their rings etc so naturally I am extremely worried about this.
Also I am wondering about getting the sparkler insured when we return home.
Went in to some jewellers in Grafton Street area, our budget is circa €3k.
I felt they keep showing you rings that are double our budget which is crazy and having looking at sites like Blue Nile feel they are way over priced.



Since I know very little I'd be too anxious about buying from the internet though I know exactly what type of ring I want- a princess sut with 2 pear shaped diamonds either side:D


Has anyone had experience of buying in Dubai or even any advice they could offer. All would be greatly appreciated. Thank you !!

BC

The cost of gold in Dubai is directly related to the international gold markets. That was at an all time high recently so it was actually quite expensive to buy gold there, maybe check that out in advance.

I didn't buy any jewellery but I did find that shops i went to in the gold souk were very helpful. They are legally obliged in Dubai to tell you the full truth about what you are buying so I wouldn't say you'll get ripped off unless you're buying off the side of the street!

acb

Thanks BC..
I hadn't thought of that! Will have to certainly check that out.

sillysocks

We got my engagement ring in Dubai about 3 years ago, had a great experience - so much so that we went back the following year for weddings rings!

We got the ring in the Gold & Diamond park in a shop called Cara from a guy called Kiran - think he's one of the owners. The 'park' itself is a smallish shopping centre but the only shops in it are jewellery shops. The bling in the windows is unreal. We shyed away from the gold souk, thought it might be a bit overpowering and we were there in summer so preferred the appeal of the air conditioned shopping centre!

My other half had done a lot of researching into places to buy over there and thats how we found Cara. We did notice when we were there that it was the busiest of all the shops in the shopping centre, and there were lots of Irish people who live in Dubai buying stuff there which we took as a good sign.

One thing I would say is to have an idea of what you want and roughly how much it would be here. Theres so much selection over there its easy to get baffled. If they dont have exactly what you want they'll make it up in a day or two. I tried some of their sample ones, and then picked out a loose diamond and got the band made specially.

Be prepared to haggle, the ring I wanted started out at double the price we got it for. You'll know when you're getting near their bottom line as they'll get a bit more agitated! I ended up getting a .75 carat solitare and I think it was 1,700eur (from memory). We actually had a bigger budget but that was the size I wanted and we did well on the haggling! For the insurance I just had to get it valued at a jewellers here when I came home and then it was no problem to add it - think it was valued at 3.5 times what we paid.

One thing to be sure of is to make sure you get the certs with the diamonds - mine was IGI certified - then you know its the real deal, and it makes it easier for valuation as they just have to verify it is whats on the cert rather than starting from scratch.

Overall would definitely recommend it. Any other questions just shout.

DXB09

I am actually home only 2 weeks after buying an engagement ring in Dubai. I did loads of research and found that Dubai offered the best value for money.

Like the last poster said, know what you're looking for before you go and how much it costs at home. Also do a bit of research on your diamonds - google 4c's to get a basic understanding.

I went to Caras also and dealt with Rupesh and Kiran. This shop is in the Gold and Diamond Park and is by far the busiest. I found them very trust worthy. Diamond certs were provided from GIA. Nothing was too much hassle for them. I'm planning on flying back next October to buy wedding bands.

As the last poster said, be ready to haggle and haggle hard. I paid €3k in Dubai and in Appleby's to exact same ring costs €11k. I got it valued at home and the jeweller praised the workmanship and more importantly the valuation reflected the massive saving!!

Do the smart thing and buy in Dubai!

kittykat84

ya id def. recommend cara Jewellers for engagement rings. my sister bought hers there four yrs ago and its been valued here and no fault could be found with the diamonds. We too were going to go to Dubai for ours but in the end bought it in Caras shop in Galway. Its opened a year now at this stage. What we did initially was look at what they had here in the intention of buying it in their dubai branch. We got a quote for here and how much it would be in Dubai. The girls were really helpful. It might be no harm to have a look there first for an idea of what they have in stock. In the end we got a good price so we bought it there plus i couldnt wait any longer to get it even if we saved money!!!:D

kevinm177

hi i am wondering if anybody can help me make a decision. Thinking of buying an engagement ring via my sister who lives in dubai. My girlfriend knows what kind of ring she'd like and has printed few pics. Would you recommend this? I would love to get the best for my money..... Thanks, please help

lexi123

Hi all,
Doing a bit of research and came across this old thread so said I'd ask again. Heading to Dubai next month with other half and planning to get the ring....anyone had recent experiences? Recommed any particular shops? We are going to head to the Gold and Diamond park, I have a fair idea of what I'd like, yellow gold, round sollitaire..quite simple. Interested in hearing about how you bargaind/haggled, what type of certs you got? what are the prices like compared to home etc.

Cheers everyone.

Ellsbells

Ive been to Cara for a lot of stuff and the quality / value is excellent. As a back up they have a shop in Galway so should anything go wrong (which it won't) you can deal with the galway shop...

They will make to order so if you have a design in mind you can mail them for a quote.

Lil Giraffe

I got my engagement ring in Cara in Dubai last june and really couldnt complain. We were advised to go to Cara and when we went into the jewellery market it was the only shop that was really busy. We were served by Kiran and they made exactly what i wanted and in only a day we picked the platium band then the setting and then the diamond and its perfect. We were brought back to our hotel after paying the deposit by the Cara driver and we had to return the next day to collect it and obiviously pay the balance we were collected at our hotel by the cara driver driven to the jewellers collected the ring and driven back. It was a 5 star service.
When we got home i got it valued and it is worth 3 times what he paid for it here in ireland. So its definately worth while plus you get an amazing holiday from it too.
When we bought the engagment we got him to take measurements and pictures of the ring to make a wedding ring to match and we have received these rings as we are getting married in march (a friend of my partner lives there and brought them home). And again i couldnt i have asked for a better fit and match to the engagement ring exactly what i said i wanted and fits perfectly (you take this for granted but i have heard horror stories about matching engagement and wedding rings).

I would recommend Cara and Kiran in Dubai highly and i am sooo happy with my rings.

dah

Hi, seen this forum very helpfull. Sent off the ring specifications to Kiran in Cara Diamonds, coming in alot cheaper then the same ring from jeweller in the States. Looking to see if anyone ever get ring posted out? Should I just be asking for a GIA certificate or would this approved authority be available in Dubai? Finally, haggling alot easier when face to face I'm sure there's room for further reduction on Kirans quotation? Any assistance be appreciated.

Ellsbells

You will get the cert if the diamond is big enough - think its over .5 carat but you need to check that.

Try to haggle but if you are happy with the price then don't spend too long haggling.

kevinm177

When we were buying last year we haggled via e-mail and we got loads off. We got him down maybe 4 times so dont be afraid to stick the heels in and remember when he says thats his last offer he still has another bit in him!!!

The Browser

Bought the engagement and wedding bands there yesterday (I live in Dubai). Got about 3,000 dirhams off the price and am delighted with the quality of the service and the appearance of the rings. There were a few Irish people in the shop when I was there.