Engagement Rings - Online Retailers

SiD the Turtle

SiD the Turtle

SiD the Turtle

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So it's time for one of those threads again... where to buy a ring. Living in London Hatton Garden is the lazy choice to search for a ring, but when did it get so skeezy? Yes it's always been overpriced but getting heckled to enter stores like I'm after a curry on Brick Lane...

What's people opinions on online retailers? For example this is the kind of thing I'm looking for: http://www.thediamondstore.co.uk/sapphire-230ct-and-diamond-100ct-18k-white-gold-ring-p18065c907.cfm

Hatton Garden is twice the price for something similar, and even though these kind of online retailers have money back guarantees I'm not super comfortable buying blind.

Thoughts/experiences?
 
Haven't popped the question myself yet, next year at some point I will be. I'm going with HM Samuel's there's some nice ones there that my girlfriend really likes. Just depends on her taste really, so you should know what she should like.
I looked in store and they had some really nice ones, but funny enough on the website I couldn't find any that looked nice at all.
You may have to bite the bullet and look around some stores, I feel it something you should really look at.
 
If you are happy enough with a standard ring style then buying online can be good as you'll be able to see dimensions for exactly what you're getting and you absolutely will be able to buy something with a properly graded diamond for less than high Street.

However, I personally wouldn't buy anything online without certification (gia or at least igi) - not because you will necessarily get a better stone but because the grading should be more consistent and if it's something to be kept then it will retain a more consistent value.

As an aside be aware how little diamonds are worth as soon as you've purchased them!

Jewellery shop sticker prices are there to be taken down, I got £1.5k taken off a £4k ring - it was of course hilariously overpriced and I'm sure still not truly worth what I paid but there are people out there who will assume the asking is not negotiable when comparing with internet pricing
 
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maccapacca said:
I detest the whole diamond charade, they are inherently worthless and only invented up by De Beers as a way of selling waste diamonds.
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they're not inherently worthless and they're not 'waste' diamonds whatever that is supposed to mean

yes they are sold at a hefty price now due to their demand thanks to a market de beers created

You can pick them up off a beach in SA washed out the rivers so they invented the whole blood / ethical diamond thing.
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no you generally can't and that isn't the reason for people campaigning re: conflict diamonds
 
I'd be half tempted to get one second hand... maybe get a new ring and get some independent jeweler to mount the diamond in it
 
Never buy a diamond ring from a jewellery shop, even after you have haggled down their price to like halve it will still be more expensive than a good online resell er and typically will be lower quality.


Blue Nile is very good, I went with James Allen so you can easily hand pick a diamond. Call up yo make your order and ask them to do an additional visual inspection. I saved 1K over the best offer I got form any shop jewelry and the diamond is far better quality than any I found in a shop, not just certification wise bu t the brilliance and sparkle is leagues ahead.
 
I got nearly a grand knocked off a single Canadian Diamond solitaire in a platinum set just by asking Goldsmiths "is that your best price?" and "What about if I pay in full today?".

Absolutely stunning ring, I would have bought it anyway at the full price but I kept my poker face all the way out of the shop until I got outside.

Fiancé had absolutely no idea, took the ring on holiday and proposed on the last night. Fantastic experience from start to end...expensive yes, but I have no regrets or intention of doing it again. Goldsmiths do two free resizing's and will polish and buff the ring annually for life if you take it into to store.
 
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If you think about it though (r.e sparkle), that is absolutely down to the grading which is why consistent certification is important.

I nearly bought from James Allen too, they were really helpful and quick to respond.

When I worked out the difference in price I ended up paying considering the pricing of an equivalent stone and custom setting I reckon I could have saved around another £3-400 by buying online. Not to be sniffed at, but you really need to know what you want as it is easy to be ripped off online too
 
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I highly recommend you plan a trip up to Birmingham's jewellery quarter. Get away from the high street rip-off.

I can also recommend Newey's @ the JQ, for good service and a fair price.
 
Costco. Absolutely brilliant for rings, you pay less than they are valued. Unlike the high street where you pay more than the value. Tiffanys are a complete rip off really overpriced.
 
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tlrBeta said:
I highly recommend you plan a trip up to Birmingham's jewellery quarter. Get away from the high street rip-off.

I can also recommend Newey's @ the JQ, for good service and a fair price.
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I've got a friend who works out of the JQ, she made a lovely custom diamond engagement ring for another friend of mine.

Well worth looking at the small independents.
 
dowie said:
they're not inherently worthless and they're not 'waste' diamonds whatever that is supposed to mean

yes they are sold at a hefty price now due to their demand thanks to a market de beers created
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Diamond Engagement Rings

Prior to the 20th century, engagement rings were strictly luxury items, and they rarely contained diamonds. But in 1939, the De Beers diamond company changed all of that when it hired ad agency N.W. Ayer & Son. The industry had taken a nosedive in the 1870s, after massive diamond deposits were discovered in South Africa. But the ad agency came to the rescue by introducing the diamond engagement ring and quietly spreading the trend through fashion magazines. The rings didn't become de rigueur for marriage proposals until 1948, when the company launched the crafty "A Diamond is Forever" campaign. By sentimentalising the gems, De Beers ensured that people wouldn't resell them, allowing the company to retain control of the market. In 1999, De Beers chairman Nicky Oppenheimer confessed, "Diamonds are intrinsically worthless, except for the deep psychological need they fill."

In addition to diamond engagement rings, De Beers also promoted surprise proposals. The company learned that when women were involved in the selection process, they picked cheaper rings. By encouraging surprise proposals, De Beers shifted the purchasing power to men, the less-cautious spenders.
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http://mentalfloss.com/article/20440/5-beloved-traditions-invented-make-you-buy-stuff
 
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