# engagement ring



## unreg (23 Aug 2004)

Myself and my GF are hoping to get married next year and as such are about to start looking at engagement rings. Would anyone recommend taking a trip abroad to buy one? I've very much against rip off Ireland and I hear the mark up the jewelers make on rings in Ireland is massive. 

any advice to buy at home or away would be appreciated.


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## Jildy (23 Aug 2004)

At the time I considered going abroad as well. Except for the fact that it is a lot easier to be ripped-off abroad than at home. At least what you buy at home you can take back easily if something goes wrong. If buying here look for a 10-15% discount.


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## unreg (23 Aug 2004)

*Jersey?*

I see Aer Lingus are offering specials for flight to European destinations. What about heading to Jersey for a few days to buy a ring? I understand Jersey is Tax free. Any comments on this plan?


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## Dowee (23 Aug 2004)

*FYI*



> I hear the mark up the jewelers make on rings in Ireland is massive



I know a jewellery manufacturer and he has informed me the mark-up is about 100%.


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## rainyday (23 Aug 2004)

*Re: FYI*



> What about heading to Jersey for a few days to buy a ring? I understand Jersey is Tax free. Any comments on this plan?


Unless you are an expert on jewellery, how will you know the real value of what you are buying? What if the Jersey jeweller sells you a bit of glass for 2k? What if the Irish customs guy stops you on your way back through the airport?


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## MichaelL (23 Aug 2004)

*Re: FYI*

There were a few threads about this a while back, can't find them now though.

Make sure to get the ring independently valued and insured for the appropriate amount


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## sueellen (24 Aug 2004)

from


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## soy (24 Aug 2004)

*rings*

jewelary is significantly cheaper in the US and it should be possible to buy from a reputable store over there. (Aerlingus.com are advertising flights to NY for 118 ew)

have a look at some online US jewelary stores and see if the saving is worth the price of the flights


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## CM (26 Aug 2004)

*Antwerp*

Go to Antwerp, and get your stone mounted back here. Get as cert of authenticity.

It'll save you about 50% compared to rip off Ireland, and you'll get a weekend away in a lovely city.


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## fleetmanager (26 Aug 2004)

*Rings*

Check out Fields.

Got mine ithere and price was reasonable.

Before you but get a [broken link removed] to save 15% of the list price.

They also resize and clean the ring if you buy it there!


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## decembersally (1 Sep 2004)

*rings*

Just back from barbados. Loads of jewelry shops out there and it's tax free shopping! So go there if u fancy a fab holiday and a bargain at Tiffany's!


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## Spacer (2 Sep 2004)

*..*

The reality is that unless you're an expert, you don't know what you're buying.  Jeweller could blind you with talk of carats, cuts and clarity, etc., but when it comes to buying one you really have to take their word that it's worth what you're paying.  

My advice would be to buy from a reputable dealer who isn't afraid to give you a written statement of what the ring is worth (this will be required for insurance purposes and is a reasonable request.


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## cullenswood (1 Oct 2004)

*Re: ..*

I'm thinking of popping the question soon, and was wondering about getting a diamond brought back from Saudi (apparently you get much better value over there, and a friend of mine is going over in a while) and then getting it cut and fitted to a ring over here.   Does anyone know how much this costs to get done and where you would get it done.

Has anyone ever done this, and do they have any suggestions?

Thanks


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## coolaboola (1 Oct 2004)

**sigh!**

Jeez Louise!  This kinda question, as other regulars may know, is a pet peeve of mine.   Don't get your knickers in a knot about spending money on stuff you don't have to spend money on.  Save your pennies for stuff that really matters.  Of course if a bling bling ring and even blinger (is that a word?) wedding really matters to you then go mad. But be warned, these things seem like they matter an awful lot more before the event than afterwards!

Ok, ok, its easy for me to say.  My tastes don't run to expensive rings (or other jewelery for that matter) ... and if you think the ring is expensive wait until you tot up the wedding!  

I really don't get why people say they can't afford to get married ... sheesh! You mean you can't afford an ostentatious wedding that's beyond the means of most but which (too) many people feel obliged to stage (for many and varied reasons) and which frankly ends up being like every other wedding you've ever been to for all the expense (I'm hitting the age where my friends are queuing up to march up the aisle and can attest from my now not-so-limited experience that throwing more money at the event will not make it more enjoyable or more memorable).  

I've told the story of my own yellow-pack, budget wedding on this board before (short summary: 1999, £2,800 for everything (I mean everything, including knickers!!) for church wedding followed by reception for about 75 people with food, wine and music flowing for the whole day).  But if that's not enough to convince you that you don't need to break the bank to have a meaningful, memorable and fun wedding day here's the story of friends of ours who had the misfortune to bugger up the paperwork for their wedding.  Consequently they found out several months after their Big Day (traditional gig, unfortunately they didn't enjoy it much, not least because of a bought of food poisoning on the wedding night which led to the cancellation of the honeymoon) that they weren't actually legally married.  So they set (another) wedding date at the local registry office and invited immediate family along.  The family dressed up to the nines and the bride and groom turned up in jeans and T-shirts.  Once all the necessaries were completed at the registry office they headed off to McDonald's (or was it KFC?).  The groom went up to the counter and ordered for the gang.  He said the look on the assistant's face was priceless when he asked if they had anything really special (kidding) because it was for a wedding, like?  Definetely a memorable day if not to everyone's taste! 

Anyhoo (I'm obviously in the mood for a good rant this morning!), I didn't want an engagement ring (which will probably not come as a surprise to you at this stage) but himself insisted that its the done thing and he's going to get me a bloody ring.  I hurumphed and stomped about the place for a while and steered him clear of jewelery shops.  Then we were in Australia having done the back-packing thing for a few months (excellent pre-marriage course - if you can survive driving through the outback together without feeding one another to the kanagaroos you're probably going to survive most of what life might throw at you).  We were wandering the streets of Sydney trying to flog our oul' banger of a jalopy when we passed by the window of Cash Converters, a second hand shop.  In the window, amongst the surf boards and electric guitars was a small jewelery section and in that jewelery section was a little ring. And a few minutes later we had bought the ring (I only conceded because it was pretty cheap at AUS$900, about £400 at the time).  We hadn't a notion whether is was silver or platinum, diamond or glass.  We took the shop at their word and it turned out to be good as did the ring.  A subsequent insurance evaluation in 1998 confirmed it was a 0.5 carat diamond set in a platinum ring with an estimated worth of £1,700.  And its purty too!  

I don't necessarily recommend taking our route.  We could, I suppose, just as easily ended up with an expensive piece of glass.  But we took a chance and it worked out well for us.  

Anyway, I'm going to stop yakking now and wish well in your forthcoming nuptiuals and beyond and in the run-up to the big event keep perspective on what you're doing and why you're doing it.   And enjoy it.


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## cullenswood (1 Oct 2004)

*Re: *sigh!**

okaaaaaayyy, Thanks for that coolaboola!   So I take it you don't have any advice for me!       Anyone else?


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## tphelan (1 Oct 2004)

*Engagement rings*

Depending on how much you are thinking of spending I would definitely recommend a trip to the US. I bought an engagement ring in Fields a few years ago for €4300 incl 15% discount. Have been over and back to the US a number of times this year and while buying other jewellry saw identical (colour, clarity, cut and carat) in a US jewellers for $3000 (€2500). If you have any reason to go to Portland on the west coast this state has no sales tax (save another approx 17%) - there are plenty of websites so you could spot the ring you want in a jewellry here and then buy the identical one in the US and have a holiday with the money you save!!!!


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## airdd (1 Oct 2004)

*The US*

New Hampshire on the east coast also has no sales tax, it's only a half hour drive north of Boston - all the Bostonians take trips up there for their booze shopping among other things, so I'd imagine you'd get a better deal on a ring there, and it's cheap enough to go over there. New England is beautiful this time of year as well...


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## backinireland (2 Oct 2004)

Be very careful buying a ring in Saudi.  It's important to get them checked out if you can.  There are such things as Saudi Diamonds which are not the real thing.  In Saudi you have to know a reputable jeweller who comes recommended - I know of one in Riyadh.  We bought a lovely eternity ring from him.  We bought a solitaire in Dubai from a very reputable jewellers in Dubai - the stone was sealed and graded etc.
Do NOT consider buying a diamond from the souk , the gold is fine but it's difficult to authentic a stone, you might be lucky but.....


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## Brain (2 Oct 2004)

*Rings*

Yes be careful of Saudi diamonds. The biggest gem production site in Asia/ME is Bombay. They source a lot of their gems there. I met a Belgian gem expert in Bombay who was there to help them set up a new facility. He told me that most gems passing through Bombay are 'yellow diamonds' and of less value than the clear type. He also said it can take an expert to spot the difference.


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## rcos99 (3 Oct 2004)

*ring*

you dont know what the jeweler is selling you
your girlfriend doesn't know what you are giving here.

check out argos's spread! go for a dear one - she wont know the difference

Tell her you sourced it in Antwerp if you like!


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## unreg (13 Oct 2004)

*origional poster here*

Hi guy's.

Original poster here. Thanks all for the feedback. In the end we bought from a UK diamond whole seller at www.cooldiamonds.com

Have to say they were excellent. To put into perspective how much *some* jewellers are ripping off the Irish public Park Jewelers, Headford Road, Galway (in the Dunnes shopping center Terryland) had a 1/2 carrot diamond ring for E2200. My GF asked to see the certificate. The assistant said there was none with the ring (WTF) but she would ring with the details. She did and my GF (woops Fiance) puched the details into cooldiamonds.com to check how much they charge for the same ring. JUST OVER E600!!!!! Granted add another E200 for the band.

Don't get caught out by those ripping off Ireland.


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## beetroot (13 Oct 2004)

*ring ring*

Hi unreg, thanks for the update, had a look at the website and was very impressed. Did you have the diamond valued here for insurance purposes? Just wondering if you actually get what you're paying for (I'd be a little reluctant to spend that much money on a ring I saw on the web, even with all the press clippings...). Also is there a standard certificate for diamonds ie can anyone create their own cert to say what kind of diamond it is? thanks again.


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## Curious George (13 Oct 2004)

*600?*

Hi Unreg,

How can you get a .5 carat diamond for 600? 
The cheapest I could find was about 1500.

What was the color, cut and clarity?


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## Joe Nonety (18 Oct 2004)

*.*

Don't forget ebay as well.
We're not talking about a bunch of cowboy, but companies with thousands of positive feedback who give a 30 day money back guarantee so that you can inspect the ring or you can go to where they're based e.g. LA or NY.
They've 2 carat rings worth $12,000 selling for just $3,000.


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## EC (18 Oct 2004)

*a*

Anyone checked cooldiamonds today? When I click 'go to shop', I get a blind link. Might be coz I use an iMac.


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