Engagement Ring - FACTS, not fiction

artyeva

yeah, i suppose as diamonds are probably the most common choice for engagement rings there;s more choice, which warrants more discussion. or i could be talking out my ying yang, who knows?!

anyway, your ring idea sounds fab, i probably would have gone for a coloured stone but my tastes change on a weekly basis... if that's what you really want then if i were you i wouldn't compromise!!! something like this?



i've seen them available widely on the net with created rubies and diamonds. if you're looking for the real thing maybe you could try sourcing the ruby stone yourself and getting it made by a goldsmith?

without harping on about voltaire, and i never asked about any other stones when we shopped for my ring, but this video would suggest he might be able to source the stones and setting for you.

best of luck with the search anyway - and congrats on the engagement!!!:)

rubyred

Thanks for that. I guess with diamonds everyone kind of knows the basic rules but with rubys I know nothing. What would be the difference between a real ruby and a created ruby? Would the normal Joe Soap be able to tell the difference? I was also thinking of having it set in a wiggly band - like the pictures attached.

Should I find a reputable jeweller and have it custom made or should I search for the readymade one. I guess I'm just a bit concerned that it might not suit my hand and if it was custom made then I'd be stuck with it!

artyeva

ooh well for the suiting your hand thing what you could do is try and find a similar shape/size in a shop and keep trying them on. i for one had nooooo idea what would suit my hands - short stubby ickle fingers that they are i personally would find one i liked the look of, then get the specs of it and shop around. there's savings to be made out there and you should get be able to get what you want within your budget, without simply paying what a shop tells you to pay. does that make sense???

as for created versus real i personally would have no idea. again best best is to have a goo in a jewellers or online. i would *guess* that it's a lot to do with clarity and depth of colour, but that's just cause i did a quick google on loose rubies and they seem to be classified on points like brilliance, clarity, colour intensity, and enhancement. so a created ruby might look ''duller'' if that's the word. but to the man in the street? well i for one wouldn't have a clue and as i've said before who is ever going to be *that* close to your engagement ring to notice - or even care?! that's not meant to sound awful, but as long as you and your beloved are happy with it, etc etc etc

ringfinder

Is there any good guide to prices? My OH wants me to surprise her with the ring, but she has told me what she's looking for - a 3-stone ring on white gold\platinum. I know that the size and quality of the stones will dictate the price - but I don't have any reference frame.

I have an amount in mind, but I want to make sure I get the best for my budget.

GIA Insider

rubyred wrote: »

Thanks for that. I guess with diamonds everyone kind of knows the basic rules but with rubys I know nothing. What would be the difference between a real ruby and a created ruby? Would the normal Joe Soap be able to tell the difference? I was also thinking of having it set in a wiggly band - like the pictures attached.

Should I find a reputable jeweller and have it custom made or should I search for the readymade one. I guess I'm just a bit concerned that it might not suit my hand and if it was custom made then I'd be stuck with it!

The short answer is no, they typical person is unable to tell the difference between a natural ruby and an enhanced ruby.

When shopping for a ruby one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you is always ask for a GIA grading report on the stone. There have been increasing numbers of enhanced and filled rubies entering the market and being sold as true unaltered rubies. Often times, the retailer isnt even aware that they are selling an enhanced ruby.

GIA provides a grading report on rubies similar to the report you would receive when buying a diamond. It discusses the various attributes of the stone and provides you all of the important information you need to make an informed decision.

A GIA grading report is not meant to establish the value of a stone, but what it does enable you to do is compare various stones based on the same criteria. In this way you can start to form an understanding of the quality of a deal your getting based on the price vs specs of the stone.

Good Luck and let me know if you have any more questions.

artyeva

k123456 wrote: »

My girlfriend has said whats happens if you buy an e ring from blue nile or similar, and the diamond falls out , will other Irish jewellers repair it

i'm sure they will. what they would charge would probably depend on the type of mount, i'd imagine. of course you should probably whack it onto your house insurance as soon as it arrives, then you might be covered that way. someone recently told me their sister lost a diamond from her ring but they hadn't got it covered on their house insurance so had to replace it themselves.

JennyAnt

Hi,

I hope someone in here can help! A friend of mine recently had her heart broken when her fiancé ended their 7 year relationship (I didn't think 7 year itch was a real thing!!!) He told her she could keep the engagement ring - but she doesn't know what to do with it! She'll never wear it again, and estimates that it cost approx €2,000. Can she 'return' it or put it on eBay??
Any advice?

Log-on

Not particularly, I think she just likes the look of it, She doesnt mind if its palladium either etc. Its just hard to get something simular to the type she likes online, I find anyway.

artyeva

all valuers will value a ring at far more than you paid for it, i wouldn't let that be you main deciding factor in picking where to purchase.

if your fianceé isn't set on platinum then you could go for bigger stones set in white gold for your budget. platinum has it's advantages in that it's a harder metal than white gold and it won't need to be rhodium plated every so often, but than should only cost about €20-€30 every 2 years or so, depending on what kind of wear it goes through - ie digging the garden, etc. platinum can look duller - ie less shiny - than white gold in some instances but that depends. my mate's friend has a platinum ring from debeers and it looks so dull it almost looks plasticy, i've seen other platinum rings that looked just like white gold - same shiny-ness and lustre.

Log-on

yeah ill do that and see there prices, Cheers

yoginindublin

just wanted to ask, would a 2k budget get you a decent ring?

sunshineoh9

quick question, obviously a custom ring will cost more but i want a large rose quartz with small diamonds around it (rather than one medium size diamond)... i told this to my fiance and when he went to the shop they gave him an outrageous price and i was just wondering if its only because it is custom made or because he was trying to rip him off. if you buy an uncut rose quartz crystal (about the size of your thumb) its under $5 in the states.

do you think a ring with quartz should be cheaper than one with a diamond? should i shop around here in the states and see if i can find a better price and buy it here or wait until i move and buy it in ireland?
(i know the op said other countries have shabby diamonds but i would consider the states to have decent stones)

etravels

Thanks Fey for the information, brillant brillant stuff!

Speculator

Looking for opinions, on the following solataire ring:

White gold 18 c

Round Cut

Diamond 1 c

Colour ranges from (G-J) as it is not certified

Clarity SI1 - SI2

Ring Priced at €4,700 but reduced to €3,500. From a very reputable Jewellers.

Do the above prices make sense?

Zaph

Speculator wrote: »

Looking for opinions, on the following solataire ring:

White gold 18 c

Round Cut

Diamond 1 c

Colour ranges from (G-J) as it is not certified

Clarity SI1 - SI2

Ring Priced at €4,700 but reduced to €3,500. From a very reputable Jewellers.

Do the above prices make sense?

If it helps at all, here are the details of a ring I looked at in one shop of a well known, reputable chain of jewellers in Dublin:

0.75ct princess cut
G-H colour (they said it was certified by their own experts, which counts for nothing at all)
S1-S2 clarity
18ct white gold
Price - €4,250

dublin05

I hear loads of stories about people buying in New York and coming back with diamonds worth more than they paid. One real life example is my friend who paid $7k in New York; got it valued in Dublin at less than $1k as the diamond was cracked. Only advice I would give is use a reputable jeweller. A knowledge on the 4 C's is always good. You tube has a few good videos too.

bostonburgler

Zaph wrote: »

I have the GIA cert here beside me and it specifies "Laser Inscription Registry" and a reference number, so the answer to your first question is yes..

I wonder does the laser inscription tell you wher the diamond was crafted or is it just to certify where it was mined cause a lot of certified diamonds are then crafted in Israel aparently

Zaph

Well you can contact them at laboratory@gia.edu if you want to find out more. I'm sure they'll be only too happy to help you.

bostonburgler

Zaph wrote: »

Well you can contact them at laboratory@gia.edu if you want to find out more. I'm sure they'll be only too happy to help you.

This is what their web site says:
"At your request, a diamond may be microscopically inscribed on its girdle with its unique GIA Report Number (referred to as the GIA Inscription Registry), a personal message, or other text, symbols or logos. The GIA Inscription Registry is included in the Diamond Dossier® service. An inscription allows for easy identification of a diamond, a way to personalize the diamond, or serves as a form of branding for your company."

So unless it was specifically requested, the inscription wouldn't say where the diamond was crafted.

Phenix

i wonder if some one could answer this question, i was in a pub a while back which had UV lights in the bathrooms. when i went in i noticed my e-ring and diamond wedding band under the lights. i noticed 2 of the stones in my wedding band (there are 7 small stones intotal) were white in colour under the lights but the others and the stones in my e-ring remianed colourless (kind of bluish/blackish looking but still colourless if you know what i mean..) just wondering why 2 of the other stones were pure white....like talc? i did think at first maybe the ring needed to be cleaned or smeting, but ive since been in there again and the same two stones show up white in colour

bills

Its to do with fluorescence in the diamonds, under UV light it will turn blue.
The less fluorescence in a diamond the better- slight to nil is preferable.

Zaph

It's also worth noting that the value of the diamond can be significantly reduced if the fluorescence is medium upwards.

Phenix

thanks for the replies! thought i might have somethign to do with the quality of the diamonds........im just glad no-one said they are the real ones and the rest are fakes

Zaph

Well technically it does have to do with the quality of the diamonds. They're real, but of lesser quality than the others.

Intothesea

Seamus is professional and down to earth and knew exactly where i was coming from. He explained everything to me about diamonds (including the 4c's)

Leaving it to a jeweller to educate you on the 4Cs -- or any other explanation of 'diamond value' -- is to leave yourself open to a vastly under-informed purchase.

Before taking anyone else's words for it, make sure to do your homework and then shop your quotes around with many different types of jeweller. I.e. standard high-street chain, independent fabricators, antique dealers and internet retailers with normal office hours and a functioning phone.

With the economy the way it is, all retailers are open to unusual deals -- especially retailers with an average 100 - 200% markup.

REFLINE1

Hi guys,
Quick question,if you are getting a ring made with a jeweller ,is it standard practice just to pay a deposit untill the ring arrives,or will they look for full payment up front?
Thanks

bills

REFLINE1 wrote: »

Hi guys,
Quick question,if you are getting a ring made with a jeweller ,is it standard practice just to pay a deposit untill the ring arrives,or will they look for full payment up front?
Thanks

I have sent you a PM

Ian10

Hi Guys,

So i have decide on the type of ring i want i am nearly sure of what qualities to look out for, im heading out to dublin the weekend (weather pemitting) to see if i can find what i want. Below is what i hope is the right ring. Can you let me know if the 4c's are right here?? any suggestions would be great


View | Remove
Three-Stone Diamond Ring


Your Center Diamond:

Signature Ideal-cut, D-colour, VS1-clarity, Round, 0.81-carat Diamond

Your Sidestones:

Ideal-cut, D-colour, VS2-clarity
Total Carat Weight: 0.62
Stock #: LD01939417
Stock #: LD01705633
Your Setting:

Three Stone Pavé Diamond Ring in Platinum
Stock #: 16514
Size: N

ringbuyer

Hi,

My fiancé and I recently bought our engagement & wedding rings in New York after spending a lot of time researching online and getting advice from family & friends. We also got a huge amount of helpful tips from both boards.ie and askaboutmoney.com forum posts for which we are very grateful, so wanted to share our experience of buying in the diamond district with others and help those who might soon be doing the same.

I understand that some readers may object to the buying of an engagement ring outside of Ireland and we would not like to deter buyers from choosing Irish wherever possible. In our case, our work and travel situations allowed us the option of buying stateside and I hope this post will simply be a guide to those in similar situations.

Before making the trip, spend time reading up about buying rings abroad. The websites that we found helpful were:

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds/diamond-education

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2002/feb/13/shopping.familyandrelationships1

http://www.diamondhelpers.com/fivesteps/buy-a-diamond-all.shtml

http://ezinearticles.com/?Buying-Diamonds-in-the-Diamond-District---A-Diamond-Buying-Survival-Guide&id=2009174

http://www.thediamondbuyingguide.com/

http://www.diamond-buying-made-easier.com/diamond-district-buying.html

Get a good idea of the shape, cut, colour and clarity you should be expecting from your budget from either diamondideals.com or bluenile.com and print them out before you go. Consider buying your wedding rings while you are there too, there will also be a huge range to choose from and prices are very competitive. It is also a particularly good idea to do this for the bride to be’s rings, as they will be worn together after the wedding day.

When in New York, give yourself at least two (half/full) days to shop for the ring. The first day can start with some of the bigger names, like Tiffany’s & DeBeers. Here you can get a feel for the lingo and no pressure sales process. You may well also find the very ring you are looking for right there! After these, you can venture into the diamond district, which is nearby at around 5th avenue and 47th street. The diamond district is made up of retail shops/centres at street level and wholesale merchants in upper floors. The retail centres are made up of groups of jewellery dealers operating in shared shop spaces along the street. The dealers have small booths/cabinets side by side and some have small offices to the back of the stall. This is a different shopping experience to the 5th avenue stores so get familiar with the sales process by approaching a dealer or two you will probably not be buying from. Once you have spent some time looking at all your options, it is a good idea to take a break in the evening and look over your prefernces. You can then go back the following day with a clear head and make the more considered choice.

We chose a platinum solitaire ring with a round brilliant shape diamond. It seems the most popular shape of engagement diamond and the type which dealers had the widest choice. From your printouts and comparing dealers, you can gauge if the prices you are being quoted are competitive and you can decide on a diamond with the cut/colour/clarity to suit you.

There are a number of choices of certification with each diamond usually coming with either a GIA, AGS or EGL cert. The scale of comparison for these certificates are NOT the same, so we decided in advance to only accept a GIA (understood to be the highest) certificate with ours. Be careful here as for example, a near colourless colour level on one certificate type, may be rated only faint on a GIA cert.

This is a handy site to give further information about certification of diamonds:
http://www.diamondvues.com/2004/12/diamond_grading.html

Probably the most important aspect of all is to be comfortable with the dealer you are buying from. We found a number of recommendations on the Irish forums and were recommended some by family/friends also. I will list the details and info of some of those we met with:

Ideal Diamond Source – 76 W 47th St. (Gall 26) – Ph: 212-221-0222. This was one of the dealers we had visited on our first day and we found the prices very good & both staff who assisted us on the day were very helpful and accommodating.

Salvatore & Co. – 55 W 47th St. (Booth 39) – Ph: 212-398-1200. We read a number of recommendations on Irish websites about visiting Salvatores & asking for the “Aer-Lingus” discount. It seems that so many ask for this here that if you are Irish, they ask if you are with Aer-Lingus before you start to discuss jewellery! We were quite disappointed with the quality and prices of the diamonds we were shown at Salvatores and were not generally impressed with the service there.

Haniken Jewelers – 66 W 47th St (#24) – Ph: 212-302-6605. Hanikens was another one of the dealers recommended on a number of Irish websites and we found the service was friendly and the prices were quite competitive.

Klim Jewelry – 66 W 47th St. (Booth 39) Ph: 212-869-3950– We found the staff at Klim to be far and away the friendliest and most professional amongst any of the dealers we visited. We had been recommended by a family member to visit them and were not disappointed. The quality and price of the diamonds and rings that we were shown very far ahead of anything we had seen up to that point and we chose to buy our engagement and wedding rings there. We were able to get a significantly larger carat GIA cert diamond with a better cut and colour for a similar price than we had been offered anywhere else. The rings were resized perfectly overnight and from our experience, I can’t recommend Klim highly enough.

To ensure peace of mind about the purchase before we left New York, we had an independent valuation carried out. We went to Macy’s (151 W. 34th Street), which has its own jewellery appraisal service on the 9th floor and the gemologists are GIA graduates. It is a bit expensive (expect to pay about 1% of the final valuation fee), but we felt the reassurance of having a known retailer value it was worth it for us. If you do this, you can also ask the appraiser to see the laser inscription on the diamond & match it to your cert. We had expected the value of the ring to be considerably higher when valued in Ireland, but were amazed when the Macy’s valuation was more than twice what we had paid.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience to buy our rings in the diamond district, but one I would only recommend to those who do some research before they go. The selection and value far exceeded what we had looked at in Ireland, even taking all additional expenses into account.

Finally, a few other tips from the web that might help:

- A diamond is one fifth of a gram. All dealers should show you the weight on a scale when you are examining them & it should be the same weight that is on the cert.
- Platinum is marked Platinum, PT or PLAT, only if it is at least 95% pure platinum. This will also be tested during appraisal.
- On all jewellery purchases, ensure that all representations made, including type, name, grade, colour, etc, etc. are included on the sales slip as well as all details of payments.
- Keep an eye: on the diamond when having it appraised, cleaned, etc. This is good advice in many places, not just New York, as the net has plenty of stories of stones being switched!

Good luck to those heading over & most importantly – have a great time!!

Zaph

If anyone has an issue with a post please use the report post button rather than taking the thread off-topic.

Toots

I have deleted the recent off-topic posts on this thread. In future, if anyone has doubts as to the authenticity of a poster, please use the Report Post Button and a moderator will look into it and decide whether or not the poster is genuine.

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Zaph

mark.leonard, I've removed the phone number from your post as we don't allow them to be posted on Boards. People can still contact you by PM if they so wish

mark.leonard

Zaph wrote: »

mark.leonard, I've removed the phone number from your post as we don't allow them to be posted on Boards. People can still contact you by PM if they so wish

Good enough Zaph, thanks.

Toots

Due to the massive amounts of spam/shill posts on this thread, I'm locking it until further notice.