Do you reveal your budget to the Jeweller

Bid08

Hi All,
After readin the above engagement ring post, some one made a good point of not tellin the jeweller your budget as you may be paying higher for inferior diamond using the example of when buyin a car you dont tell the dealer how much you are willing to pay which makes sense

Should I be telling the Jeweller what I want and look for a price from them first?
I have been checking out rings i like on perfectrings.ie and individual jewellers websites, taking note of the prices and taking note of the Clarity, Colour and Carat for the specific rings before actually visiting the jewellers so I know how the price is shaping up as I am thinking I will prob have it made?
or am I just thinking way too much into it?

Just wondering what other people have done?

ballooba

I think you have to give them a guide, there's no point in them showing you EUR 15,000 pieces when your budget is EUR 3,000. If you shop around you'll know what represents good value. If you're impulsive you probably won't get the best value.

Bid08

Thats what I was thinking.
Just want to ensure we are getting the best value for money

leeomurchu

If I remember correct that was the first question I was asked although I knew the jeweller I went to

You make a fair point in not giving away your top price maybe give them a ball park figure telling them you've a bit of room to move on price.

Try to find out the Value of the Diamonds as the ring will be the inexpensive part (in the scheme of things) When I bought mine it was made to order and I think diamonds were bought and rejected 3-4 times.

A good point made above we went to Tiffanys in Switzerland for a bit of a laugh well we were treated like royalty champagne private room and not 10 mins after we were in there my now wife had a canary yellow monstrosity on here finger which was a bargain at the knock down price of €115000 :eek: Cheap at twice the price i reckon We're neither rich or stupid thankfully

I suppose the best plan would be to shop around and don't be shy with the jeweller tell them that so and so down the road is offering you the same ring for half the price etc. They may say fair enough he's selling burn't diamonds or match the price, I wouldn't be buying online though.

At the end of the day you get what you pay for and that's not to say expensive is better looking as I said about our trip to Tiffanys a smaller stone/stones with a better quality will always be nicer than big flashy stones of lesser quality and you don't want to end up with your wife admiring other rings and giving you dirty looks

Best of luck on your haggling

Bid08

Thanks for that, in terms of haggling what rough % would people be looking to get off the price

not long after buying a house so that really improved haggling skills

leeomurchu

Well if you're getting it designed for yourself which I'd recommend as one off the shelf may have an inflated price there may not be much room for haggling.

Best to do a bit research on what you're looking for style of ring, number of diamonds, cut of the diamonds, setting of diamonds high or low, (they'll recommend a high setting as it allows the light underneath so the ring sparkles a bit more but your fiancee may not like a high setting so get what she prefers) metal for the ring platinum, gold/white yellow, silver, titanium

Once you know what you want or if you see a pic even better bring it into them and ask them how much that would cost and give them an idea of your budget for them to work with that'll be where the quality comes into it you as they may say we can make it to size but it'll be 10k or we can make it slightly smaller without sacrificing quality for 5k or whatever your budget may be.

Where are you based, I got our rings in P.Glynn jewellers on Abbey St in Dublin he designs and sells rings for Weirs. The shop itself isn't anything to shout about bordering on old now but I couldn't recommend him higher for engagement rings Patrick might be retired now I think Michael will be there he's a little bit surly but he warms to you

Either way put in the mileage lookin about you'll find something worth buying and don't think buying in the best stores gaurantees quality as a certain jewellers in Dublin with a name very similar to a fruit that is the main ingredient in cider has been known to sell poor rings with low quality diamonds in poor settings not in all cases though before I get jumped upon by disgruntled brides. :eek:

Bid08

Thanks very much, i have in mind what type of ring I want but not sure if that style will suit my hand (white gold thickish band, 3 stone pricess cut with shoulder)
My OH had mentioned that particular jewllers as one of his mates went there but when I had a look at their website wasnt too impressed, thanks for that heads up aswell
Im in wexford so looking for jewellers in Dublin / Wicklow / Wexford area

borderlinemeath

When we went to get mine made we didn't give a budget as such but knew the colour and cut I wanted so got the best clarity and carat for what my fiance was willing to spend!

I went for a three stone ring as well, brilliant cut rather than princess (but I tried on princess as well). I'll send you a pm with details on where we got it, but you might not want to travel!

superleedsdub

I`d also recommend Pat Glynn`s. I went in with my then GF (now wife) and informed him of my budget in advance, we chose one of the rings that was recommended by Micheal and it turned out to be 25% under my budget, our second choice was over the budget but he said we could do a deal....

2 and a half years on (and after buying our wedding bands there) my wife still sits looking at her white gold 2 stone twist. Micheal made the band to match for her and made me a great unique wedding band - both our names engraved on a white gold band in ancinet irish ogham writing:-)

If you trust the jeweller it can be to your advantage informing them your budget....

Bid08

thats the thing I wont be going to a Jeweller in my home town (although im all on for spending local) but im in a smallish town and the jewellers (3 of them) here wouldnt have the greatest selection, also we are telling no one till we have the ring which would be near impossible if we were purchasing a ring from a jewellers here

paulbok

If your budget is say €2500 max, I'd tell the jeweller that €2000 is your max, they will always push the rings at the upper end of your budget and a little over to entice you and get the biggest sale possible. Of course the ring/stone style cut etc will have a big say but where there is a selection, leave yourself a cushion to use for haggling. when they show you a ring for €2800, say it's really nice but weel over the budget, spend a few minutes deep in thought and try and get it somewhere inbetween

Bid08

great thanks very much for that