Shipping Engagement Rings
- Thread starter catweazle
- Start date
- Status
A few years back I needed an item shipped and the likes of FedEx and DHL wouldn't hear of it.
I contacted the small courier company here in Dublin (they are called Shooting Star) and they not only took the job but I was very, very pleased with them. Their rate was reasonable and the service excellent. Look them up in the phone book or golden pages, they may be a ble to help.
I contacted the small courier company here in Dublin (they are called Shooting Star) and they not only took the job but I was very, very pleased with them. Their rate was reasonable and the service excellent. Look them up in the phone book or golden pages, they may be a ble to help.
M
mrgtbad
Guest
hi catweazle.
this is a very interesting post.
recently, people went mad when i pointed out some disadvantages about buying overseas.this was only one of my points.many of the courier companies simple wont except jewellery.a few will but only offer 500 us dollars cover.so what to do.except the risk and have sleepless nights.
or fly over which is a hassle.if it was me, i could only fly at weekends and the airline jack up the prices then.plus i dont want or have the time to travel.
all this needed to be included in the purchase price.if it was bought in dublin a trip into town was all that was needed.thats 1 euro.my last cheap flight to the mainland cost 220euro plus a few extra hidden charges.
clubman didnt let the tread explore this some more,he closed it suddenly.there was some great debate going on.
i hope it goes well for you.
John Rambo
Registered User
- Messages
- 662
As someone who SAVED a five figure sum by travelling to Antwerp because of what I read on AAM I would disagree with Mrgtbad. A flight to Brussels cost me €80 return, the train to Antwerp was a few euro and other posters have given examples of courier companies who will take jewellery.
If it was bought in Dublin and OP lived in Dublin that might be true, but please don't assume everyone on here lives in Dublin, as we don't.
M
mrgtbad
Guest
i would disagree with john rambo.i've just checked flights to brussels next weekend and it will cost 257euro. and i would have to stay overnight , thats another 100 euro at least.plus transport costs.
all in € 400/500.
plus i have to be away from my familly.i'd be very annoyed. and what johnrambo forgets is it may take a few days to be repaired. what then, another flight hotel etc
accountants eh?
M
mrgtbad
Guest
i'm sorry mathepac, i didnt mean for it to come out like that.sorry again.
M
mercman
Guest
First try UPS. They can offer Insurance. Also in some cases the Household Insurance might cover it for a small amount extra if you tell the Insurance company first. I see the point that Mrgtbad is making. He is obviously in the trade but a few things to remember. We all know of people that have gone to Dubai and they will tell you they bought beautiful jewelry. I have had some bought out there and seen quite alot and in most cases it is rubbish. I have purchased in Antwerp anD 'Caveat Empto' Saying that there are deals overseas but you need to know what you are doing. Personally I try to use local trade and will haggle the price which normally works. And I am not in the trade.
Its a while since I used the facility, but registered packets with An Post could have a declared value. I can't remember what the upper limit was but it was certainly in excess of 500 euro.
John Rambo
Registered User
- Messages
- 662
I agree there is hassle and expense in getting to Antwerp but your example is a little unfair. Flights are always expensive close to the departure date. The "normal" price is about €80 return. It's a simple financial calculation...is the money you save worth the potential hassle/expense? For me it was. So, which jeweller do you work for anyway?!
M
mrgtbad
Guest
hi john rambo.
these where the costs of the flight.
you keep quoting €80 but no mention of hotel cost transfer costs.i did not make up this flight pricing.its ryanair.as i said,if the ring takes a week, are you going to travel to collect again?and if your not happy with repair or you have a dispute, how will you resolve this.i bought a computer recently and had a problem with it. i was told where to go, but when my solicitor rang them up advising them of our intentions, they resolved the issue.if i had bought it in antwerp and they decided still not to help, i'd give up.
but do you work for phillip harold? you are always recommending him and say it costs 80euro to get there.
you mention in your 21/11/2007 post the following
"it's 3 princess cut diamonds which together make 1.75ct.That makes sense alright, you certainly got a good deal...I thought you were saying it was a solitaire (one diamond) which would cost c.€25K in Antwerp/US/Dubai and probably €40K in Ireland!It just shows you, there's value to be had"
i have seen a 2ct diamond in a jewellers window on wicklow street for under 19k.its tag said Hsi
you dont really know what your talking about.is that fair for me to say? your pricing is way way off.
i'm a bit shocked at what your doing.
this ring you bought which saved you 1000's, are you really so sure?
these where the costs of the flight.
you keep quoting €80 but no mention of hotel cost transfer costs.i did not make up this flight pricing.its ryanair.as i said,if the ring takes a week, are you going to travel to collect again?and if your not happy with repair or you have a dispute, how will you resolve this.i bought a computer recently and had a problem with it. i was told where to go, but when my solicitor rang them up advising them of our intentions, they resolved the issue.if i had bought it in antwerp and they decided still not to help, i'd give up.
but do you work for phillip harold? you are always recommending him and say it costs 80euro to get there.
you mention in your 21/11/2007 post the following
"it's 3 princess cut diamonds which together make 1.75ct.That makes sense alright, you certainly got a good deal...I thought you were saying it was a solitaire (one diamond) which would cost c.€25K in Antwerp/US/Dubai and probably €40K in Ireland!It just shows you, there's value to be had"
i have seen a 2ct diamond in a jewellers window on wicklow street for under 19k.its tag said Hsi
you dont really know what your talking about.is that fair for me to say? your pricing is way way off.
i'm a bit shocked at what your doing.
this ring you bought which saved you 1000's, are you really so sure?
M
mrgtbad
Guest
hi merc,
i'm not "obviously in the trade"
i agree with all you said- except the bit about me
John Rambo
Registered User
- Messages
- 662
Hello Mrgtbad...no I do not work for Phillipe Harold. I am just a satisfied customer. I mention a figure of €80 because myself and my fiance paid €160 return for the two of us. The transfer costs were negligible, something like €10. I did a lot of research into types of rings. HSi is not particularly good, and the different cuts also affect the price. Princess is not as expensive as round etc. I went to Applebys, Paul Sheerans, Rocks, Boodles, all the places and priced the ring we wanted. In Ireland it would have cost me between 20 and 25 thousand euro. I was able to buy the same spec ring, same quality of diamond for roughly half this. Think about this...diamonds are priced in dollars and the dollar has collapsed over the last two years for a number of reasons. Therefore Irish jewellers buying diamonds are coining it on the exchange rate. I paid in US dollars, thus saving this. Margins in Ireland on everything, not just jewellery are astronomical. I have no problem recommending a service I have had good experience with and if I've any problems I'd either use UPS or any courier that cover expensive items or just go myself.
John Rambo
Registered User
- Messages
- 662
Mrgtbad...I'm sorry to say it's you who does not seem to know what you're talking about. I did some research into this ring you allegedly saw for €19,000. First of all, I'm going to assume it was a round diamond solitare, i.e. the most expensive type. It may not have been, but that would just reinforce my argument further. Pricing that stone on www.diamondland.be which is a good guideline a 2ct H Si round diamond goes for around US$16,356. That's €11,518 at today's exchange rate of 1.42 (the actual physical rate you'd get in the bank, not the headline rate) Now as previously described in other threads, many jewellers in Antwerp will waive the VAT element if you pay them in cash. That is entirely a matter for you and for them. If you do this, the price becomes €9,519. Also, as mentioned in other threads the gold ring/setting is complementary. From this example, you can see that the person buying this ring you saw in Wicklow Street would be paying 100% more than the person buying the same ring with the same specifications in Antwerp. I think it's fair to say that it doesn't really matter whether the flight you might have to take to Antwerp is €80 or €250 when you look at it like this!
mrgtbad, I have to agree with John Rambo, you have been very outspoken about your opinions with regards to rings and diamonds yet have not once been honest about your connection to a trade you are obviously linked to.
I take everything you say with a grain of salt until you come clean about your connection.
addob
Is there any reason why the ring cannot be repaired in Ireland?
I have some relatives in the jewellery business in Ireland - wholesale mark-up on imported jewellery is MINIMUM of 100% and could be up to 400%. The biggest mark-ups are in the large chains of jewellers. You will usually get better value in independent jewellers (ie. not part of chain) and most will be able to obtain specific pieces or stones (from wholesalers UK or Belgium) on request.
John Rambo
Registered User
- Messages
- 662
You're absolutely right Csirl...a site like this is great for pointing people in the direction of value for money, despite the attempts of vested interests to use smoke and mirrors to deflect consumers away from getting a fair deal.
There are three pieces of advice I'd give on engagement rings:
1. Buy for the stone, not the ring. The ring is usually only a small fraction of the price of the whole thing. Stones are can be easily remounted on a totally different ring at any time. My wifes has been remounted twice since bought it and no doubt will be done again in the future - she like changing it. The large chains often dress up a relatively poor diamond on a fancy ring to make it look more expensive. Be wary of sales staff who say the diamond is a little less expensive, but the better ring makes up for it - this is rarely true. You would be surprised how many people buy poor diamonds just because they look great in the shop window on a fancy ring/mounting.
2. The other jewellers trick is with those rings with multiple diamonds - usually 3 or 5 or some other odd number. Usually the central diamond is the best quality one and the others are inferior. If you ask about the quality of the stones or want to examine more closely, you usually get shown the central one. You need to examine and ask specific questions about all the individual stones. Bear in mind that the sales assistant may only have been told the spec of the central stone and may assume that they are all the same.
3. One large stone is always much more expensive than two small stones of same grade where carat of two small is same as carat of large.
1. Buy for the stone, not the ring. The ring is usually only a small fraction of the price of the whole thing. Stones are can be easily remounted on a totally different ring at any time. My wifes has been remounted twice since bought it and no doubt will be done again in the future - she like changing it. The large chains often dress up a relatively poor diamond on a fancy ring to make it look more expensive. Be wary of sales staff who say the diamond is a little less expensive, but the better ring makes up for it - this is rarely true. You would be surprised how many people buy poor diamonds just because they look great in the shop window on a fancy ring/mounting.
2. The other jewellers trick is with those rings with multiple diamonds - usually 3 or 5 or some other odd number. Usually the central diamond is the best quality one and the others are inferior. If you ask about the quality of the stones or want to examine more closely, you usually get shown the central one. You need to examine and ask specific questions about all the individual stones. Bear in mind that the sales assistant may only have been told the spec of the central stone and may assume that they are all the same.
3. One large stone is always much more expensive than two small stones of same grade where carat of two small is same as carat of large.
My girlfiend and I are off to Antwerp in a few weeks to get her ring. We have shoped around a good bit here in Ireland both in Dublin and the rest of the country, but the prices for the diamond spec you get here are outrages comparing to Antwerp. We (well I) intend spending the same amount as we would have here but we will be getting a better spec. Its not all about cost savings likewise a trip away to do this will always be something to remeber. I must admit after endless research on treads like this one etc majority if not all the feedback is positive as long as you keep it to the reputable dealers.
- Status