That's where I got mine from! They must have good marketing as there are loads of almost identical jewelers in the Gold and Diamond Souk and Cara is the only one which is packed all the time.
Hatton Gardens - Diamond Rings
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That's where I got mine from! They must have good marketing as there are loads of almost identical jewelers in the Gold and Diamond Souk and Cara is the only one which is packed all the time.
CongratsI like the fact their mail order service is really efficient, but you can just make an appointment to drop by and see them if you wanted to.
Cheers
Yeah they are really good. I left it a bit late to order it and they were great in making sure I got it in time.
Hopefully getting it back in the right size won't take too long.
http://www.diamondgeezer.com/
I know it is one hell of a dodgy name but I doubt you'll find cheaper than these guys, ring them up and tell em what you are after and they can sort you out. I know a few people who have bought from here and they are very reliable and very cheap. Get GIA certificate, si1 clarity and then see what you can afford.
Bigger isn't always better, the cheap big diamonds are poorly cut so won't sparkle and look as good as a well cut diamond. Some women struggle to understand this and only see bigger as better!
New York or anywhere in America, will work out much cheaper than here.
I know it is one hell of a dodgy name but I doubt you'll find cheaper than these guys, ring them up and tell em what you are after and they can sort you out. I know a few people who have bought from here and they are very reliable and very cheap. Get GIA certificate, si1 clarity and then see what you can afford.
Bigger isn't always better, the cheap big diamonds are poorly cut so won't sparkle and look as good as a well cut diamond. Some women struggle to understand this and only see bigger as better!
New York or anywhere in America, will work out much cheaper than here.
I went to Quality Diamonds about 3-4 weeks ago in Hatton Gardens, great place - my ring actually got delivered about a week ago now - really happy with it (saved a packet too).
I just went in with an idea of a ring i saw in Beaverbrooks (for 4.5K i should add), and managed to get a beter diamond in the same setting for 1.9K - which then got 10% knocked off - really cant recommend them highly enough. And no, havent popped the question yet *insert worried look here*.
I just went in with an idea of a ring i saw in Beaverbrooks (for 4.5K i should add), and managed to get a beter diamond in the same setting for 1.9K - which then got 10% knocked off - really cant recommend them highly enough. And no, havent popped the question yet *insert worried look here*.
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I can put you in touch with the jeweller I used - for £10k he'll be able to get you something terrific.
I was gobsmacked the first time I compared the prices on the highstreet jewelers to what I paid, you pay 2-3x more for the ring and they don't even fit it for you! they only sell S,M,L. Daylight robbery.
Many of the expensive rings don't even say what Diamond they have, and when they do it is usually a very low quality.
For example this ring on beaver brooks is £5,500.
You can get an identical diamond for £1,240 on BlueNile, and a platinum band is around £500. Crazy
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The best way imo is definitely to buy the diamond and have the ring made to order - that way you can get a unique ring for about 60% of the normal price.
Main problem is that you REALLY need to do your homework on what diamond grades are the best for the ring, where/what type of flaws you can accept etc. For example if you buy yellow gold then you're simply wasting money buying a very white diamond grade as the reflection from the gold will colour the diamond anyway.
TLDR version: Get the best cut you can afford, with minor flaws not visible to the maked eye, in a colour that suits the setting.
Please remember you're buying the ring for a present, not an investment, it doesn't have to be perfect, just look perfect.
I got my diamond from James Allen in the USA, popped the question, then we both went to a good local jeweller with some designs she liked and created the ring from there. Total cost was £3500, insurance valuation is £5750 plus the setting is unique and exactly what my missus wanted.
Trust me, this will impress people much more than just having a huge low quality diamond in an average setting.
Main problem is that you REALLY need to do your homework on what diamond grades are the best for the ring, where/what type of flaws you can accept etc. For example if you buy yellow gold then you're simply wasting money buying a very white diamond grade as the reflection from the gold will colour the diamond anyway.
TLDR version: Get the best cut you can afford, with minor flaws not visible to the maked eye, in a colour that suits the setting.
Please remember you're buying the ring for a present, not an investment, it doesn't have to be perfect, just look perfect.
I got my diamond from James Allen in the USA, popped the question, then we both went to a good local jeweller with some designs she liked and created the ring from there. Total cost was £3500, insurance valuation is £5750 plus the setting is unique and exactly what my missus wanted.
Trust me, this will impress people much more than just having a huge low quality diamond in an average setting.
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I got my wife to be a High Grade CZ stone in a 18ct White gold ring.
The stone has been lost 4 times in the last 6 years, And the company who first fixed the ring has done the follow up replacement of stones ever since.
The ring cost me £350 back when i got it. and now its valued at £750... just the gold content! (then again i did only buy a 9ct ring and it turned up to be a 18ct when it arrived from the USA)
The stone has been lost 4 times in the last 6 years, And the company who first fixed the ring has done the follow up replacement of stones ever since.
The ring cost me £350 back when i got it. and now its valued at £750... just the gold content! (then again i did only buy a 9ct ring and it turned up to be a 18ct when it arrived from the USA)
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For 10k just on a diamond, you'll probably reach the level of "that looks a stupid size on the finger" WAY before your budget unless you buy an investment grade diamond.
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I wasn't suggesting a diamond alone, I was suggesting everything i.e. metal work, design, etc... as an alternative in case he wanted that option. I know he asked only for a diamond, but although I don't know EXACTLY what he wants, I thought I'd give him that option too.
I know he asked only for a diamond, but although I don't know EXACTLY what he wants, I thought I'd give him that option too.
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Nah. The biggest Princess cut diamonds I have seen cost in excess of £20k. Crazy money! Too risky to wear such a big rock on your finger these days in my opinion.
Hatton Garden is the last place I would go. It's like going to the purple shirt shop to buy a HDMI cable
The ring FF designed for me is a one of a kind piece and to me that is what makes it unique - not the size, not the cost. To think that no-one in the world has the same ring as me makes it even more special.
BB x
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He's out in his Bentley.
atton Garden is the last place I would go. It's like going to the purple shirt shop to buy a HDMI cable
Thanks for putting it in terms that we'd understand.
Not sure how Hatton garden is a rip off. Sure it may be more but you can try lots of different tyres rather than ordered off net and hoping it looks ok.
White gold is false economy. Go for platinum and learn about the 4Cs. You can get a 0.9 carot cheap but it's no good if it's a G colour and SI2
Plus most are GIA certified and you can haggle.
White gold is false economy. Go for platinum and learn about the 4Cs. You can get a 0.9 carot cheap but it's no good if it's a G colour and SI2
Plus most are GIA certified and you can haggle.
That's a rip off!
I got my wife's ring from http://www.jamesallen.com
Prices seemed slightly higher than BlueNile but you get to see the diamond and inspect them online which helped me personalize.
Make sure you call up and ask them to do a visual inspection as well. Not all diamonds within a category are equal, an s1 diamond may be flawless to the eye while a VS1 has a visible blemish, all depends where the blemish is.
I got something like a VS1, G, Excellent 0.55ct and TBH, it is slightly too big. Partly because I shot a simple Tiffany style ring, partly because the diamond quality is so good the sparkle is amazing.
Saved saved Gs compared to the high-street and have a much nicer diamond.
Something like this should be stunning and about 900 squid:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-264733
Rings costing even 3-5K in the shops had little sparkle, colour tints and visible blemishes, even when they claimed to be high spec diamonds.
Prices seemed slightly higher than BlueNile but you get to see the diamond and inspect them online which helped me personalize.
Make sure you call up and ask them to do a visual inspection as well. Not all diamonds within a category are equal, an s1 diamond may be flawless to the eye while a VS1 has a visible blemish, all depends where the blemish is.
I got something like a VS1, G, Excellent 0.55ct and TBH, it is slightly too big. Partly because I shot a simple Tiffany style ring, partly because the diamond quality is so good the sparkle is amazing.
Saved saved Gs compared to the high-street and have a much nicer diamond.
Something like this should be stunning and about 900 squid:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-g-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-264733
Rings costing even 3-5K in the shops had little sparkle, colour tints and visible blemishes, even when they claimed to be high spec diamonds.
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TBH, a 0.9CT G Si2 can be fine,
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-g-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-241791
all depends where blemishes are, symmetry and the use. E.g. if the diamond goes in a yellow gold ring then H or even I is fine, G is practically colorless . Also if the diamond fluoresces then it will get a bluish tinge in daylight.
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This. You must be able to see the diamond you're buying. Not only that but James Allen will "call in" 3 or 4 diamonds you choose and get one of their guys to give you a subjective view on them. Out of my initial choices, two of them had flaws that although very small were still visible or affecting the stone's appearance.
Remember the exchange rate often works in your favour. When I bought mine from James Allen it was about 15% cheaper than any of the UK places (Blue Nile, 77 etc) even after import tax. Remember though that there is a 3% extra import tax if you have it made into a ring before import.
If you buy right there's no competition, my missus' diamond outshines anything we see in the high street in brilliance and fire.