Engagement ring reality check

Bru79

Today I visited a few jewellers in Galway city and got a reality check.... My 1000 euro budget wont get me much at all.

Maybe if there was a sale on I could get 1 carat, do Jewellers have a sale season?

lazygal

All prices are open to negotiation! I know my husband negotiated on my wedding and engagement rings. Go into a smaller operator and tell them what your budget is, they will have something within it. Don't be afraid to try chains like H Samuel and Fields, they often have discount offers. Also, there is the option of having a ring made by a jeweller which can work out cheaper. The window prices are only a guide as far as I'm concerned.

slowmoe

Have you tried voltaire diamonds? I've seen a lot of recommendations for the, seem to be good at working with budgets

aw

If you are in Galway, go to
http://www.diamondsandgoldireland.com/

They are on Cross St and that was where I got our ring made.

Also, these guys are supposed to be good too...

http://www.caradiamonds.ie/

What is it with Galway Diamond places and terrible websites!

Zaph

I'm afraid for your budget if it's possible to even get a 1 carat stone the quality will be exceedingly poor. You'd be better thinking smaller and looking for a better quality diamond. Better cut and clarity in a smaller diamond will look a lot more impressive than a dull and lifeless larger stone. You should also bear in mind that 1 carat is a price point and the cost per carat of a diamond will rise sharply when you get to this size.

tinkerbell

Why so obsessed about getting a 1 carat? Your budget will go nowhere near a 1 carat unless you are willing to get crap colour, crap clarity and crap cut just to get 1 carat - it will not sparkle, it will look dull and lifeless, it'll look like a piece of glass.

You can get a lovely smaller diamond for your budget which will have good cut, clarity and colour and the diamond will make a way bigger impact since it will sparkle so much. Stop focusing on the carat size, it's actually the least important out of all the 4Cs.

Besides, after all that, a 1 carat might look ridiculous on your fiancée's finger - it might be way too big and just look silly.

Bru79

slowmoe wrote: »

Have you tried voltaire diamonds? I've seen a lot of recommendations for the, seem to be good at working with budgets

I have been in contact with Seamus by email, I will be making an appointment to see him soon.

Gatica

I agree with the comments above. If you don't have the budget for it, then don't bother thinking along the lines of 1ct. The 1ct size is considered a luxury size rather than the standard. the .4 and .5 diamonds can look very impressive too.
You need to shop around, even if it's just to get an idea of diamond sizes, prices and their relative quality.
As one poster suggested, getting the ring made would work out better value for money and they can work to your budget. At 1000 euro you may not get the high end of the 4 C's, but you can still get something that would look very good to the untrained naked eye.
Some vintage shops can have lovely rings. We looked at one for 1400, it was gold with .5ct diamond, so it's worth checking at least.

Bru79

aw wrote: »

If you are in Galway, go to
http://www.diamondsandgoldireland.com/

They are on Cross St and that was where I got our ring made.

Also, these guys are supposed to be good too...

http://www.caradiamonds.ie/

What is it with Galway Diamond places and terrible websites!

I went into Diamonds and Gold and the girl there made me feel a bit silly with such a tight budget, but i clicked on the link on your post and found 2 or 3 nice rings only a little over my budget.

Also went into cara, the guy there wasn't very helpful.

Bru79

Just to clarify, i'm not obsessed with getting 1 carat, just would like something you dont need a magnifying glass to see. I have seen jewellers having sales in the past and was cursing myself for not being ready to buy

ntlbell

you can usually get return flights to belguim for 30e or so.

you'll get so much more for your budget in antwerp.

Research before you head off.

making people feel "guilty" "embarrassed" is a common tactic of morons in Dublin i found

Steven81

Check out the people who make the rings from scratch in Ireland, we got our wedding rings made up and he said he used to sell them to the shops and they would make at least a 100% profit on them but stopped as he found it very hard getting money off them.

Moonbeam

There is a guy on adverts.ie called Davie, he is a gold smith.
Have a chat with him.

Gatica

That's why I think you should have a look at as many rings as possible, then you'll realise that 1ct is not all that common. The smaller sizes can still look good, and not look cheap.
I suppose it could depends on what it looks like specifically on your OH's hand/finger. A small ring may very well look out of place on her, but maybe a small ring will suit her... so do have a think about it in the context of your future fiancee.

I'm getting wedding ring made by Michael Horan at a fraction of the prices was quoted by shops. Try him if you're stuck, he probably does engagement rings too.
The smaller jewellers in Galway, e.g. the little cottage-like claddagh shop near spanish arch, do lovely rings at reasonable prices.

Sleepy

Go second-hand. Take a look at antique stuff on ebay / adverts.ie

The value of diamonds is absolutely artificial as anyone finds if they ever try to sell one.

ABajaninCork

Size isn't everything OP!

My now husband didn't have a massive budget either. So off we trotted to Hatton Garden. I'm the proud owner of a .5 carat ring. It's 'F' grade diamonds - emerald cut centre stone with two baguettes either side. The cost wasn't that bad considering. It looks nice and sparkly on my finger!!

What I'm trying to say is consider everything! If you're looking online then I can recommend Diamond Geezer. They've got some really nice stones and will work within your budget too.

Whatever you choose, I'm sure she'll love it. Good luck!

Moonbeam

It also depends on her finger size.
My fingers are only a H so msot things looked awful on me.
I drew a picture of what I wanted in the end and sent it to the gold smith.

cplwhisper

McCallions Jewellers in Letterklenny is great place to contact..
Ring can be made to order incase ring-size isnt on display, Martin sorted same for me

www.mccallionsjewellers.com & 00353 74 91 22979

Best of luck

newport2

Listen to the earlier posters here. You'll pay significantly more for a 1 carat stone than for a 0.95 carat one, even though you'd need an experienced jeweler with an magnifier to tell the difference. 1 carat is a status symbol/benchmark, your paying to be able to say "It's a 1 carat stone"

Bru79

Firstly, thanks to all who replied with advice. We ended up going together "for a look". She tried on the ring and I was willing her to take it off and not to like it as it looked very expensive, when she took it off I got a look at the label and was pleasantly surprised. It was only a small bit over budget.

It is .45 carat total, G in colour, SI and 18 carat white gold.

Gatica

Glad to hear it. Hope you guys found the one you want. It really is an eye opener actually seeing the rings, and not just recounting the C's.

tinkerbell

Bru79 wrote: »

Firstly, thanks to all who replied with advice. We ended up going together "for a look". She tried on the ring and I was willing her to take it off and not to like it as it looked very expensive, when she took it off I got a look at the label and was pleasantly surprised. It was only a small bit over budget.

It is .45 carat total, G in colour, SI and 18 carat white gold.

Well done OP, great news!

prettygurrly

delighted for you! I'm a big fan of having a few interesting stones in an engagement ring so I was gonna suggest you look at you OH's birthstone etc but sure you're sorted now...

Audi driver

Hi everyone, Just wondering how you actually decided on your engagement ring? I have tried on numerous rings and I still cant make my mind up!! there are so many beautiful rings, different styles that suit my finger and I cant make my mind up! :-( any advice is welcome! did anyone else feel like this when they were looking?

Gatica

Personally when faced with too much choice I decide on criteria which will cut-down the selection.
E.g. (completely made up and just as an example) must be over .4 carat, must cost less than 2000, must be a classic solitaire or must be vintage, most not have any coloured stones, must be platinum, must have some fancy shoulder design, etc...
If you have several that you like equally, get the cheapest, or the one that's on sale if you think you'll get better value.
Without having any particular ring in mind, have a think what you'd like to be wearing 20 years down the line. It may be something really intricate or you may actually decide that you want something plain. I really wanted something that looked vintage, so an Edwardian ring spoke to me
However, I had traditional friends who couldn't imagine wearing anything but the traditional solitaire.

Audi driver

Gatica wrote: »

Personally when faced with too much choice I decide on criteria which will cut-down the selection.
E.g. (completely made up and just as an example) must be over .4 carat, must cost less than 2000, must be a classic solitaire or must be vintage, most not have any coloured stones, must be platinum, must have some fancy shoulder design, etc...
If you have several that you like equally, get the cheapest, or the one that's on sale if you think you'll get better value.
Without having any particular ring in mind, have a think what you'd like to be wearing 20 years down the line. It may be something really intricate or you may actually decide that you want something plain. I really wanted something that looked vintage, so an Edwardian ring spoke to me
However, I had traditional friends who couldn't imagine wearing anything but the traditional solitaire.

Thanks for your advice, your right I need to limit my criteria& stick to it! Awww easier said than done though!

pooch90

We have ordered ours from Voltaire diamonds.
Am getting a .5 carat marquise cut centre stone on a white gold band with small diamonds dotted around the shoulders.
I thought I just wanted a decent sized centre stone but once I tried on one with sparkly shoulders than won it for me.
As a result we went for a smaller centre stone as the bling on the shoulders pushed up the price.
Total price will be about €2.5K

I was totally overwhelmed but once I found one I liked I just compared all the rest to it. If it didn't beat the one I chose hands down, it went back in the display case.
All in all it only took us 30 mins to design how we wanted the ring.
Really can't recommend them enough.
It was Stacey we dealt with and she was great.
She could tell I didn't want anything uber fussy so just said that she wouldn't bother showing us some of the rings as I wouldn't like them.
I had a glimpse and she was right.
By limiting the amount of rings I looked at, it made it much easier and less scary!

Can't wait to get the ring now!!

Audi driver

pooch90 wrote: »

We have ordered ours from Voltaire diamonds.
Am getting a .5 carat marquise cut centre stone on a white gold band with small diamonds dotted around the shoulders.
I thought I just wanted a decent sized centre stone but once I tried on one with sparkly shoulders than won it for me.
As a result we went for a smaller centre stone as the bling on the shoulders pushed up the price.
Total price will be about €2.5K

I was totally overwhelmed but once I found one I liked I just compared all the rest to it. If it didn't beat the one I chose hands down, it went back in the display case.
All in all it only took us 30 mins to design how we wanted the ring.
Really can't recommend them enough.
It was Stacey we dealt with and she was great.
She could tell I didn't want anything uber fussy so just said that she wouldn't bother showing us some of the rings as I wouldn't like them.
I had a glimpse and she was right.
By limiting the amount of rings I looked at, it made it much easier and less scary!

Can't wait to get the ring now!!

Thanks pooch for ur experience & advice, I think I have looked at too many rings at this stage!I'm just totally confused! I can't decide on a style at all! I went to Voltaire also and saw some lovely rings but again I couldn't just pick one:-(