Cheapest place to buy an engagement ring?

Dostoevsky · 03-09-2009 10:47AM #1

Hi,

So I better pop the question very soon as we've been walking out with each other for 6 years now. Antwerp sounds a bit clichéd at this stage, and one of her friends went there so I'm wondering where else in Europe I could bring her to buy it.

I don't know what my budget is yet; I don't even know what most people usually pay. I surmise a good ring will cost somewhere between €2500 and €5000? I'm just after starting working and I'm trying to pay off my college debts so the price will, unfortunately, matter to me.

Any advice would be great.

biko · 03-09-2009 10:49AM

How about a romantic weekend in Paris? You can buy the ring there together, or you can have bought it somewhere else and just present it there?
If the ring is tasteful it doesn't have to be big or too expensive (I'm only guessing here).

Mr Benevolent · 03-09-2009 10:50AM

Dostoevsky wrote: »

Hi,

So I better pop the question very soon as we've been walking out with each other for 6 years now. Antwerp sounds a bit clichéd at this stage, and one of her friends went there so I'm wondering where else in Europe I could bring her to buy it.

I don't know what my budget is yet; I don't even know what most people usually pay. I surmise a good ring will cost somewhere between €2500 and €5000? I'm just after starting working and I'm trying to pay off my college debts so the price will, unfortunately, matter to me.

Any advice would be great.

Search the forum, there's a few threads on this. Antwerp and Amsterdam seem to be good places to go if you book appointments in advance and bring cash.

ntlbell · 03-09-2009 12:38PM

new york?

duploelabs · 03-09-2009 12:42PM

Having just done it, we looked at all the options.

Bluenile.co.uk
is a benchmark which you should aim against.

there're a few wholesalers around dublin town, also check out wheldon jewellery auctions, some great little gems (pardon the pun) to be picked up there

Dostoevsky · 03-09-2009 01:41PM

duploelabs wrote: »

Having just done it, we looked at all the options.

Bluenile.co.uk
is a benchmark which you should aim against.

As in they are too expensive?

Mike... · 03-09-2009 01:47PM

friend went to belgium and got it for €2,000
valued at €6k here

Dostoevsky · 03-09-2009 01:54PM

Magnus wrote: »

How about a romantic weekend in Paris? You can buy the ring there together, or you can have bought it somewhere else and just present it there?
If the ring is tasteful it doesn't have to be big or too expensive (I'm only guessing here).

I would have imagined that Paris would be a really expensive place to buy a ring? If so, we can do the romantic weekend there anytime.

She's serious about her rings so will be with me when I get it. My plan at present is to find out where we could get a good deal (Antwerp excluded) and go there or somewhere near it for Christmas holiday. While there I'd surprise her by asking the question and then we would not have too far to go to get the ring.

Ideally, proposing to her in the snow in one of the Christmas markets would be brilliant. But getting the best deal is my priority and if that's some factory in some rundown area I don't mind.

WacoKid · 03-09-2009 02:02PM

Antwerp in Belgium is where they most diamonds get graded (GIA) but New York and Dubai also sell them cheap.

I paid €4k in Dubai and its valued/insured here for €12k. The jellewer said you would not get €12k though but more like €8.5k.

duploelabs · 03-09-2009 02:03PM

Dostoevsky wrote: »

As in they are too expensive?

No quite the opposite, they expose the street diamond retaillers as the rip off merchants they are. We did a few price comparisons and the mark up that the retailers made vs. the likes of blue nile were in the region of 260-340%!!

Disambiguation · 04-09-2009 12:09PM

Dostoevsky wrote: »

Hi,

I don't know what my budget is yet; I don't even know what most people usually pay. I surmise a good ring will cost somewhere between €2500 and €5000? I'm just after starting working and I'm trying to pay off my college debts so the price will, unfortunately, matter to me.

Any advice would be great.

Here is my thought. It is great that you are working towards clearing your college debts. So I would suggest you spend a lesser amount of money even that the 2.5k but buy at a store that as a clear REASONABLE upgrade policy. SO you could buy .25 or .5 or .75 but plan to upgrade the rock when/if you have €€€'s in the future. Some people feel sentimental that they want to keep their original e-ring, I feel that when a couple start off it is difficult to buy the perfect ring first day, so to buy a beautiful but affordable ring this time and upgrade for your 1st/5th/10th wedding anniversary.

What do you think?

Oh, btw, 2.5k is a very healthy budget. Do your research; you should get a 1ct K/SI with flour for that which would be very very tasty.

Redpunto · 08-09-2009 07:46PM

Not very romantic but fallers in derry do handmade rings at very good prices.

shapez · 09-09-2009 11:33AM

I definitely recommend Amsterdam. In particular Coster Diamonds. www.costerdiamonds.com I proposed there and we spend a couple of days looking for a ring in other factories & shops on the main street. We found Coster Diamonds brilliant. We are even going back soon to the the matching wedding bands.

If you need anymore info on Amsterdam in relation to romanitc resturants, hotels etc., by all means ask.

Best of luck to you.

ntlbell · 10-09-2009 09:03AM

Disambiguation wrote: »

Here is my thought. It is great that you are working towards clearing your college debts. So I would suggest you spend a lesser amount of money even that the 2.5k but buy at a store that as a clear REASONABLE upgrade policy. SO you could buy .25 or .5 or .75 but plan to upgrade the rock when/if you have €€€'s in the future. Some people feel sentimental that they want to keep their original e-ring, I feel that when a couple start off it is difficult to buy the perfect ring first day, so to buy a beautiful but affordable ring this time and upgrade for your 1st/5th/10th wedding anniversary.

What do you think?

Oh, btw, 2.5k is a very healthy budget. Do your research; you should get a 1ct K/SI with flour for that which would be very very tasty.

why would you do that when you could get a gorgeous G VS1 for under 3k?

Dostoevsky · 14-09-2009 10:33AM

ntlbell wrote: »

why would you do that when you could get a gorgeous G VS1 for under 3k?

What shop would you get that in?

lola83 · 27-09-2009 10:34AM

i can not recommend o conners harolds cross enough the ring we purchased there was fab the ring is valued at double we paid they sell to the customer the same price they sell to other jewellers all there stock is made in house and for something extra special they will let you design it your self at no extra cost you pay the trade price for the ring and it only takes a day or two to make thats what we did oh asked me then we went together

badboyblast · 27-09-2009 01:52PM

OP, You should go to Antwerp, end of story, if you don`t you`ll be missing out, great selection and prices, it might sound cliche but if you want a deal.......do it.:D

Snoopy1 · 04-10-2009 12:36PM

Oh my god, 5000 on an engagement ring. Are people mad????
I would never ever expect my boyfriend to pay that out for a ring, thats 2 months wages for him.

Im getting married next year, but dont have an engagement ring. Id rather save for the wedding

How Strange · 04-10-2009 06:52PM

I think in this day and age, the rule of thumb should be only spend what you can afford to save in about three months to buy it.

If you can comfortably afford €5k well then by all means spend it but if this cleans out your life's savings then it's too much.

MagDee · 18-10-2009 08:30PM

i would look in Poland. i got my ring from Poland and it's awesome. great attention to detail. from http://www.wec.com.pl/Pierscionki-zareczynowe-c31.html

Lori074 · 21-10-2009 10:39PM

yeah have heard belguim is the place to go

prinz · 22-10-2009 12:18PM

Snoopy1 wrote: »

Oh my god, 5000 on an engagement ring. Are people mad????

Apparently. Commercialism and money gone mad tbh.

The whole engagement ring lark is a load of nonsense in the long run. Will it make any material difference to your relationship or marriage if the lady is wearing a €500 ring compared to a €5000 ring? None whatsoever.

Unless of course your life revolves around who has what and paid what, and if that's the case it's a pretty sad state of affairs.

What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing - Oscar Wilde

denhaagenite · 22-10-2009 01:11PM

Isn't there a bit on here about staying on topic? They can spend whatever they want on an engagement ring, it's no- one else's business.

OP, I do think you're maybe shooting yourself in the foot a bit with the whole Antwerp thing. It's a beautiful place, not far from Brugge if you wanted to rent a car, and the prices and attention to detail are fantastic.

We got engaged last year and waited for the right time to buy the ring, made an appointment with www.diamondland.be and drove down (we're living in Holland). We got there at about 11am and were made to feel very welcome by staff. We told them exactly what we wanted and what we were willing to pay for it and they didn't deviate from our wishes. We chose a stone and a setting, went for lunch to mull it over, called them and three hours later everything was done. There was a toss up between the only stone with our criteria or a platinum band but in the end we chose the stone and went with white gold. We even got to see it being made! In addition, because we bought from them, they put us up in a nice hotel not too far from the centre. So we had a lovely meal out and himself got to keep me in suspense a little longer (he wantted to propose again before I could wear it

).

Don't not do it because other people have, it's a lovely way and setting to remember...

prinz · 22-10-2009 01:25PM

denhaagenite wrote: »

Isn't there a bit on here about staying on topic? They can spend whatever they want on an engagement ring, it's no- one else's business.

Perhaps you should read the op in full then..

Dostoevsky wrote: »

I don't know what my budget is yet; I don't even know what most people usually pay. I surmise a good ring will cost somewhere between €2500 and €5000? I'm just after starting working and I'm trying to pay off my college debts so the price will, unfortunately, matter to me..

So advising the OP that he/she could get a good ring for a few hundred here at home is off topic now?

How Strange · 22-10-2009 01:37PM

Personally I think the obsession with going to Antwerp or other places, getting a diamond which will be worth more here, spending heaps of money etc is just sad. Getting engaged should be about getting married and saying we want to be together forever but it seems that even getting engaged is a 'keeping up with the joneses'.

OP, you can get gorgeous rings for under €1k and definitely under €2.5k. Remember the price on the tag is definitely negotiable and you could knock €500 off a ring with a tag of €3k.

denhaagenite · 22-10-2009 01:40PM

Apologies, read the post a couple of days ago and failed to re- read it before posting.

I will reiterate that the cost is totally up to you though, and I would advise talking to your OH and coming up with a number that is reasonable. Don't break yourselves or get a loan, and wait until you have enough money saved. Antwerp is good because you're not looking at a finished product and get to have a look at all the stones within your price range, rather than seeing a ring and "falling in love" with it which can push the price up a bit unless you're gifted at haggling. The reputable sellers ( correct me if I'm wrong- is it the Antwerp Diamond Association/ ADA?) will budge a little bit but not a huge amount. They will give you time and good advice though. Do your research before you go and you will have no worries, there are plenty of sites where you can choose different options and see what the going rate is. Just google diamond calculator. Of course it's not about money, it's about the memory and the symbolism.

And good luck and congratulations to both of you, it's lovely being engaged

Dostoevsky · 30-11-2009 05:58PM

Thanks to everybody. You've been great. I agree with all of you about the money: it's absurd. Not my thing at all. However, the gf has repeatedly said she will pay for the ring, and she means it. She just likes pretty things, but would get upset if I spent too much on it.

At any rate, I have booked a meeting with an Antwerp jeweller called Philippe Howard, who was highly recommended over on the engagement thread here in Boards.ie. This seems to be the easiest thing!

Now planning the proposal is much, much harder, especially when female friends tell me that girls remember every detail of the proposal for the rest of their lives - scary!

So, if anybody has any recommendations for romantic dinners or things to do in Brugge/Bruges, please don't hesitate to let me know.

denhaagenite · 01-12-2009 09:31AM

Dostoevsky wrote: »

Thanks to everybody. You've been great. I agree with all of you about the money: it's absurd. Not my thing at all. However, the gf has repeatedly said she will pay for the ring, and she means it. She just likes pretty things, but would get upset if I spent too much on it.

At any rate, I have booked a meeting with an Antwerp jeweller called Philippe Howard, who was highly recommended over on the engagement thread here in Boards.ie. This seems to be the easiest thing!

Now planning the proposal is much, much harder, especially when female friends tell me that girls remember every detail of the proposal for the rest of their lives - scary!

So, if anybody has any recommendations for romantic dinners or things to do in Brugge/Bruges, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Hi OP, glad you didn't rule out Antwerp in the end!! Philippe Harolde is great, our friends went to him for both the engagement ring and wedding rings. We would have gone there aswell but we could only make it on a Saturday and most of the ADA places are closed on weekends- just something to remember!

Bruges is even more romantic than Paris in my opinion, so you won't have any problems there

. There is a beautiful hotel there called Martin's Orangerie if you're looking for somewhere to stay, right on the canal and they do boat trips aswell. I personally love it in winter but everyone's taste is different.

ntlbell · 01-12-2009 11:05AM

How Strange wrote: »

Personally I think the obsession with going to Antwerp or other places, getting a diamond which will be worth more here, spending heaps of money etc is just sad. Getting engaged should be about getting married and saying we want to be together forever but it seems that even getting engaged is a 'keeping up with the joneses'.

OP, you can get gorgeous rings for under €1k and definitely under €2.5k. Remember the price on the tag is definitely negotiable and you could knock €500 off a ring with a tag of €3k.

I went because I wanted to get more for hard earned money than most jewelers were willing to offer me here. It had nothing to do with keeping up with the jones's.

There was two guys, one wanted to give me a lot more for a lot less.

the other wanted to give me nothing for a lot.

one was in Antwerp, one was in Dublin.

one was very friendly and helpful

one was an arrogant twat who tried to guilt me into spending more money.

It cost me very little to go to Antwerp and I got to spend some time in a beautiful city.

I got what I wanted at half the cost.

no brainer I would have thought?

prinz · 01-12-2009 11:12AM

ntlbell wrote: »

I went because I wanted to get more for hard earned money than most jewelers were willing to offer me here. It had nothing to do with keeping up with the jones's.
I got what I wanted at half the cost.
no brainer I would have thought?

I think what people are saying is why the obsession with money. Are you going to sell your ring? Do you consider an investment for the future that you will sell for profit? Sure you are free to do whatever you want, but for other people the actual symbolism of the ring etc outweighs the need to get a good bargain on a ring that would cost more or less somewhere else. A lovely diamond ring can be bought in Dublin for under a grand. That's what people are saying.

ntlbell · 01-12-2009 11:19AM

prinz wrote: »

I think what people are saying is why the obsession with money. Are you going to sell your ring? Do you consider an investment for the future that you will sell for profit? Sure you are free to do whatever you want, but for other people the actual symbolism of the ring etc outweighs the need to get a good bargain on a ring that would cost more or less somewhere else. A lovely diamond ring can be bought in Dublin for under a grand. That's what people are saying.

No I won't, well I hope she won't be selling it! maybe throwing it at me.

It's not so much getting a "bargain" but I had a very good idea of the type I was looking for and I could n't get that here for the money I had to spend.

so I went somewhere else that I could. I was after the ring, not the "bargain" and I got it. If I bought here, I would have to comprise on what I wanted. Why should I do that, when I worked bloody hard to earn the money?

Cheapest place to buy an engagement ring?

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