Engagement Ring Shopping - Would you consider this be strange?

Bid08

Hi All,

Okay starting to go looking for rings and I plan on doing a full day in Dublin and a few local Jewellers aswell

From research on the internet and reading threads the same ring can come in literally hundreds of diff prices depending on the 4 C's

So of course we want to be getting the best value for our money so did anyone else take note of the 4c's and price of the rings they really liked to compare the diff jewellers before making a decision?

Also I want to get prices for getting one made so I suppose I would have quotes then to compare like for like rings?

bradknowell

Nothing strange about that at all. Why pay extra for something when you can get the exact same somewhere else that's more affordable

Bid08

Would it be odd though to pull out a piece of paper and jot down the details and price of the ring?

I plan on then taking a photo of each ring I really like so then I can compare the look of the ring, the 4 c's and the price?

bradknowell

Personally I don't see anything wrong with that at all.
Taking pictures is actually a good idea.
The ring is going to be for life so if some sales person has a problem then that's only going to be awkward for a minute.

Bid08

thanks, thats it and I presume they will walk away for a few moments to give the couple time to discuss so I could jot in down real quick then?

I just want to ensure we are getting the best ring for our budget, also when I get a quote for getting one made I want to ensure the qoote im getting isnt too hgh

bradknowell

Bid08 wrote: »

thanks, thats it and I presume they will walk away for a few moments to give the couple time to discuss so I could jot in down real quick then?

I just want to ensure we are getting the best ring for our budget, also when I get a quote for getting one made I want to ensure the qoote im getting isnt too hgh

Going on my experience, yes they do walk away to leave have a chat about it. Beat of luck bud

username123

I didnt try to hide jotting things down at all.

Actually in one place we went to, they jotted down the relevant info on what interested us and handed it to us so we could think about it plus I took pics of the rings on my hand. They know its a big deal, anyone who doesnt accomodate you taking pics or writing things down is risking losing a big sale - they dont do that!

Bid08

great I feel at ease now, this is a big thing to be buying so I just want to make sure i dont regret rushing into it

Theboinkmaster

Start with ESL in powerscourt - they're excellent.

username123

Bid08 wrote: »

great I feel at ease now, this is a big thing to be buying so I just want to make sure i dont regret rushing into it

Absolutely, take as much time as you need and feel free to take notes, pictures or whatever.

FWIW - we got mine in what would be considered one of the more expensive places, Ive no doubt I could have had the same spec ring made cheaper, but we bought where we did because we wanted the peace of mind that we could trust the sellers, a lifelong guarantee on cleaning/minor repair, and no hassle if there were any issues. To my mind with something that expensive I preferred to deal with professionals.

Within the first 2 years the stone loosened more than once and they took the ring back and completely remade the setting to hold it more securely free of charge. I have also had it cleaned yearly for free. Good after sales are worth it on a large purchase. Particularly a sentimental one.

Bid08

Thanks very much for that, yea I agree peace of mind is worth alot
tbh I generally always like to only buy local but when it comes to spending this much money on a ring I think I will have to look around and then will give my local jeweller a chance to come close as they also can make rings aswell

Gatica

Every jewellery store we went to jotted down the details of about 3-5 rings I liked. We went to about 5. Usually on the back of their business card. We didn't take photos but defo had the price and the 4C info on each.

Acoshla

Will they let you take photos? I know with dresses they often don't let you in case you're taking the photos to a dressmaker to get it made cheaper than they sell it for, I would've thought with rings it'd be the same, in case you were using their rings for designs and then getting it made elsewhere?

username123

Acoshla wrote: »

Will they let you take photos? I know with dresses they often don't let you in case you're taking the photos to a dressmaker to get it made cheaper than they sell it for, I would've thought with rings it'd be the same, in case you were using their rings for designs and then getting it made elsewhere?

They let me. I had to remember how they looked on my hand (yes sounds weird but its true!!).

I dont think any reputable place is going to deny a bride to be the option of photographing the rings on her hand, and if they do, well 1000s of euro could potentially walk out the door then. Plenty of places sell rings.

Acoshla

username123 wrote: »

They let me. I had to remember how they looked on my hand (yes sounds weird but its true!!).

I dont think any reputable place is going to deny a bride to be the option of photographing the rings on her hand, and if they do, well 1000s of euro could potentially walk out the door then. Plenty of places sell rings.

I know but sure it's the same with dresses, plenty of places sell them and it's impossible to remember them all without photos but still many places refuses to let you take photos, so was just wondering if it was the same with rings so the OP wouldn't go in with camera/phone and then be disappointed to find out he couldn't take photos.

username123

Acoshla wrote: »

I know but sure it's the same with dresses, plenty of places sell them and it's impossible to remember them all without photos but still many places refuses to let you take photos, so was just wondering if it was the same with rings so the OP wouldn't go in with camera/phone and then be disappointed to find out he couldn't take photos.

Its not really the same thing. Ring settings tend to be fairly standard, with diamond cuts being standardised also.

Mind you, I just wouldnt give my business to anywhere that behaved like that on a big purchase.

John Mason

write everything down, take the photos etc but when you find "the ring" none of it will matter

i had a rough idea what i wanted and i knew the budget and it was non-negotiable. My ring was slightly outside the budget and wasnt really what i thought i wanted at all but it was the one.

I barely looked/took interest in another ring afterwards.

Himself gave in and up'ed the budget :cool:

Bid08

Thanks, I have a pitcure of the ring I love and when im looking at styles on the internet I keep going back to this one ring but I have a funny feeling once I start trying them on my mind is going to change

Gatica

Acoshla wrote: »

Will they let you take photos? I know with dresses they often don't let you in case you're taking the photos to a dressmaker to get it made cheaper than they sell it for, I would've thought with rings it'd be the same, in case you were using their rings for designs and then getting it made elsewhere?

I would've thought the same as well. No harm in asking though! If they let you, great and if they don't, you don't lose anything by having asked!

username123 wrote: »

Its not really the same thing. Ring settings tend to be fairly standard, with diamond cuts being standardised also.

Mind you, I just wouldnt give my business to anywhere that behaved like that on a big purchase.

I wouldn't think a ring setting is standard, not unless you go for the traditional solitaire. There were many rings that I tried on that had beautiful intricate designs, all different (I did take a photo of the ring once I'd bought it, but my camera couldn't focus on the diamond, so it came out blurry anyway). I had my wedding ring made to match it. The jeweller took professional digital photos of the ring so he could replicate the design for the wedding ring. If you had a decent camera, you could probably also do that to replicate a ring. So I wouldn't be offended if a jeweller didn't let me take photos.

username123

Gatica wrote: »

I wouldn't think a ring setting is standard, not unless you go for the traditional solitaire.

They are. Designs may differ but from an engineering viewpoint there are limited ways of making prongs or insets so that they hold certain stone shapes.

Gatica

Sorry, yes you are right about the prongs or settings. I really meant the whole design of the ring, and not just a setting.. i.e. shoulder design, relative size of stones to each-other, etc...

username123

Gatica wrote: »

Sorry, yes you are right about the prongs or settings. I really meant the whole design of the ring, and not just a setting.. i.e. shoulder design, relative size of stones to each-other, etc...

Oh yeah, there would be plenty of different designs, but even using something as simple as an argos catalogue people could find a design similar to something they had tried on and describe it to a jewellery maker.

I think not allowing people to take pics is counter productive. I could have left the jewellers where I tried on rings and then found a similar design pic online or in a catalogue and had pretty much the same ring made anyway. Actually the jewellers had a catalogue that had the ring in it so I actually could have used a professional pic of the same ring. But I can definitely say that if theyd told me no pics, I would have just left and not come back at all.

I guess the moral of the story is(for me), if you annoy the person with the money, you might lose the sale. I expect to be treated like royalty if Im spending the price of a car on a piece of jewellery, so if someone starts imposing silly rules like 'oh youre not allowed take a pic of that on your hand', Ill just leave and go to a place where they know how to treat a customer.

Bid08

Thanks all, I agree if a jeweller is going to have a problem with me taking a photo to make sure I am really happy with my decision they will not be getting our business.

i have a photo saved for the ring I have in mind, there is so much access to styles on the internet so should be no reason for a jeweller to have a problem with taking a photo of a ring on my finger