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Antwerp Engagement Ring Purchase

  • 28-09-2010 9:31am
    #1
    WhyFronts?
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13 ✭


    Hey Guys

    I'm heading over to Antwerp to purchase an engagement ring with the girlfriend in a few weeks - can't wait!

    I know this general topic has been traversed a bit in lots of other (really helpful) threads & I've read the contributions with interest, but there are a couple of questions on my mind which haven't been addressed, so thought I'd throw them out there:-

    1. I'm planning to surprise her & then whisk her away to Antwerp that day...its all organised, hopefully very romantic & all that good stuff. The thing is though it means I don't really know what to say to the jewellers when I organise appointments. I know my budget but I don't know what her preferences are in terms of the diamond itself. By the sounds of things most people have agreed this with the shops they are visiting well in advance so they can prepare for the meeting & show the appropriate types of diamond. Is this a big deal? Do they have to order stuff in etc??

    2. I know people have mentioned its best to pay cash, so I'm planning to do that, but would I be better off doing it in dollars or euro? I hear they trade in dollars so maybe you are in a better haggling position if you have them??

    3. Haggling! If you tell them your budget in advance, does that mean they just show you diamonds in that price range. If so, are you not limiting your scope in terms of negotiation?

    All thoughts would be gratefully received!


Comments

  • #2
    leap
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 47 ✭leap


    Congratulations and best wishes for your impending engagement.

    We went to Antwerp in January and I absolutely love my engagement ring.

    I think you should keep your budget pretty general. e.g. between XXXX and XXXX. It may be helpful to bring dollars, we paid in euro but I remember the exchange rate was changing a lot at the time.

    I was undecided between round and pear shaped diamonds so jewellers showed us both but they had lots of other types available as well so dont worry too much about not knowing what you want in advance.

    The one piece of advice I would give is not to worry about inclusions. Its the colour and the cut that give the diamond its sparkle and if you need to magnify it 40 times to see a mark you cant see with the naked eye then its not worth paying extra for. It can be easy to get sucked into the whole VS1 VVS1 etc.

    Best of luck. We bought from Joe Katz and we were very happy with him. Antwerp is a lovely place, you will have a fab trip.


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