ireland v north america for engagement ring value

yak

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone knows what the value of diamond rings in Ireland is like in comparison to north America. I'm currently in Seattle and have seen a ring that i reckon my fiancee would love - but am wondering how it would stack up in comparison to whats available in Ireland. Its a gorgeous design and the main stone is G in colour but the downside is that that the clarity is I1... from talking to the jeweler the cut is ideal and it definitely sparkles!!!

the main stone is a certified Canadian diamond and just under half a carat in weight and is surrounded by about another quarter carat of smaller (un-certified) diamonds... while the band is made of 14k white gold...

Does anyone know how all that would stack up in Ireland? I'm nervous about buying the ring in Seattle despite it being from a reputable retailer as we both live in Ireland and the retailer has no presence here...

All thoughts welcome and advice appreciated!!

thanks

Yak.

Millem

yak wrote: »

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone knows what the value of diamond rings in Ireland is like in comparison to north America. I'm currently in Seattle and have seen a ring that i reckon my fiancee would love - but am wondering how it would stack up in comparison to whats available in Ireland. Its a gorgeous design and the main stone is G in colour but the downside is that that the clarity is I1... from talking to the jeweler the cut is ideal and it definitely sparkles!!!

the main stone is a certified Canadian diamond and just under half a carat in weight and is surrounded by about another quarter carat of smaller (un-certified) diamonds... while the band is made of 14k white gold...

Does anyone know how all that would stack up in Ireland? I'm nervous about buying the ring in Seattle despite it being from a reputable retailer as we both live in Ireland and the retailer has no presence here...

All thoughts welcome and advice appreciated!!

thanks

Yak.

I got my ring at Christmas in dublin after 6 months of research. There is great value to be had here. I have only seen i1 clarity once in person and it was a 1.16 single solitaire g colour on a 18 carat gold band. €2500 cash. My eyes are not trained but I can tell you it definately wasn't as sparkles as the ring I bought g colour s1 in clarity. I priced uk jewellers who deliver to Ireland and they had a 3 stone oval ring 0.9 carat in platnium g colour i1 clarity for around €1000. In the jewellers I looked in they didn't sell below s1. If you are looking in dublin I highly recommend Martin gear and thomas gear.

yak

WOW thanks for all the info Millem I really appreciate the info! Did you look in many places around Ireland over the six months, or did you focus primarily in Dublin?

Millem

yak wrote: »

WOW thanks for all the info Millem I really appreciate the info! Did you look in many places around Ireland over the six months, or did you focus primarily in Dublin?

I looked everywhere, USA, Canada, uk and Ireland and online at blue Nile. Honestly those two jewellers I meantioned were unreal value, heavy gold and certified diamonds. I went with Thomas gear in the end and they clean and polish your ring free for life. The valuation cert for insurance is for 100% value I only paid 40%. If you are not stuck to one design Martin gear may be better value.

havana

Mine is .4ct colour F, VS2 clarity, 18ct w/g and was €1400.

Didn't really look outside ireland so not sure how it stacks up, although we did look at bluenile but felt better buying in a b&m shop. We also looked in the two Gear shops and saw some lovely rings but this was a better fit for us.

Fagashlil

Mine is 1.13 ct, VVSI, F colour, princess cut, set in platinum, was €6,500 ish

Personally, I wouldn't go for poor colour or clarity, they're the 2 most important qualities in a diamond, I'd rather a smaller carat weight of better clarity than a bigger carat weight of poor quality.

Compare the ring along side a higher clarity ring in the daylight, it might seem to sparkle now, but against a clearer stone you'll see a huge difference!

But, at the end of the day, it comes down to how much you love the ring, and if she'll love it. I've sold diamonds of poorer quality, just cos they fell in love with the ring, not the diamond, it just depends what people prefer, a pretty ring, or a high quality diamond.

ABajaninCork

Frankly, there's better value to be had in the UK. I'd go to either the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham or Hatton Garden in London. A LOT less hassle too, as you haven't got to worry about duty. Antwerp is good too for the same reasons.

I agree that it's better to go for a smaller, better quality stone, than to go for something bigger and flashier, but is of poorer quality. I have a small (well compared to some e-rings I've seen here -lol!) .5 carat engagement ring. But it's an 'F' VVS1 stone, and still sparkly, even though it needs a good clean! A friend who got engaged a bit before I did has a 1ct ring, but the stones look very dull, compared to mine.

IMO, a 14ct ring isn't going to cut it for me. And you'll need to find a 14ct band to match, which is a little more difficult to find here. Get an 18ct ring, and a band to match.

jonnyfingers

havana wrote: »

Mine is .4ct colour F, VS2 clarity, 18ct w/g and was €1400.

Didn't really look outside ireland so not sure how it stacks up, although we did look at bluenile but felt better buying in a b&m shop. We also looked in the two Gear shops and saw some lovely rings but this was a better fit for us.

I was in Hatton Garden last weekend picking out our wedding bands and you would get a similar ring to the one above for around €1200, maybe a bit less as they often drop the price further. By the time you add in flights and travel to London you're probably not saving a huge amount over buying in Ireland. Not sure about America though OP.

Millem

jonnyfingers wrote: »

I was in Hatton Garden last weekend picking out our wedding bands and you would get a similar ring to the one above for around €1200, maybe a bit less as they often drop the price further. By the time you add in flights and travel to London you're probably not saving a huge amount over buying in Ireland. Not sure about America though OP.

I researched into going to hatton gardens and Birmingham and when I priced flights/transfers/hotel plus spending money I found I wouldn't have saved any money. I started off my search in the expensive (rip off) jewellers on the south side of dublin and tried on loads of styles and took pics of them on my hand. I also tried on wedding bands with them (I would highly recommend this). I ignored price but made a note of clarity and colour. Once I had decided on a setting which was a trilogy in 0.9 ct or 1ct I priced everywhere. I contacted jewellers in hatton gardens and Birmingham who had websites and got them to take pics of rings on a finger size m. And asked them questions about appearance and dimension of ring. They were so unbelievably helpful. You can pay with PayPal or credit card, they will post it to Ireland (some are free) and if you don't like it you can post back for refund. I nearly bought a ring off this Crowd in hatton gardens http://www.buyfinediamonds.com/
Rings move fairly quick and when I debated about it it had sold!

I found these guys in Birmingham extremely helpful also
http://www.diamond-heaven.co.uk/
They sell i1 and i2 diamonds but they told me they were "included" and visible to untrained eye. You can pick you ring and select various clarities of diamonds with them. My own engagement ring is on their sight and I can tell you I paid less in thomas gear! I also noticed this morning that "gear jewellers" (I think it is Tomas' son) is having a 60% off sale too and his prices are super. I am planning on going in to try on wedding bands.

hfallada

I watched a show on CNBC about gold in the US and there is jewelry factory in the deep south that makes a large amount of the rings for the US and other jewelry buy off them and resale.

To get real value go to the Diamond district in NYC where the rings are made by the jewelers themselves. They is tons of jewelers therefore keeping the price low