Engagement Ring recommendations

[scanhenry]

Hi All

I am on the looking for an engagement ring, and am visiting Brighton (Lanes) this weekend to begin my search.


Any recommendations for where to look?

I know that the mark up on these rings are pretty steep and that better offers can be found online - but I would like to see in person, has anyone got any experience with buying online?

Thanks for any advice!

[ronnie3585]

Are you buying it with our without your bride to be present?

I almost purchased a real engagement ring to propose to my wife with but was talked out of it by a friend. It turned out that what I thought she would like was actually 180 degrees from what she actually liked.

I proposed using a €50 promise ring. We then had a very enjoyable experience having a ring made by a local jeweler. She loved the process and now absolutely adores the ring.

If your future wife wants a big rock then there is value to be had by going to the UAE, buying the diamond (which will be cheaper than in the UK and now you can get 5% VAT back), bring it home and have it set into a ring by a good jeweler. I know several people that have done this and saved themselves a pretty penny.

[JP28]

Are you buying it with our without your bride to be present?

I almost purchased a real engagement ring to propose to my wife with but was talked out of it by a friend. It turned out that what I thought she would like was actually 180 degrees from what she actually liked.

I proposed using a €50 promise ring. We then had a very enjoyable experience having a ring made by a local jeweler. She loved the process and now absolutely adores the ring.

If your future wife wants a big rock then there is value to be had by going to the UAE, buying the diamond (which will be cheaper than in the UK and now you can get 5% VAT back), bring it home and have it set into a ring by a good jeweler. I know several people that have done this and saved themselves a pretty penny.

Fully agree with all this.
Having future wife choose worked out really well. I fully get not quite so romantic but it will be on her finger a long time.
Also bought the ring in Dubai, but was living there at the time ! It is a fair bit cheaper than the uk especially if you have a few contacts. Making/design of the ring is also cheaper.

[scanhenry]

Are you buying it with our without your bride to be present?

I almost purchased a real engagement ring to propose to my wife with but was talked out of it by a friend. It turned out that what I thought she would like was actually 180 degrees from what she actually liked.

I proposed using a €50 promise ring. We then had a very enjoyable experience having a ring made by a local jeweler. She loved the process and now absolutely adores the ring.

If your future wife wants a big rock then there is value to be had by going to the UAE, buying the diamond (which will be cheaper than in the UK and now you can get 5% VAT back), bring it home and have it set into a ring by a good jeweler. I know several people that have done this and saved themselves a pretty penny.

Hi Ronnie - thanks for the reply

I think the plan would be checking out styles and getting ring size sorted then being left to my own devices to choose/ design a ring.

I hadn't thought of sourcing the diamond from abroad but would not be against the idea if it saves ££. I guess I would have to assess if it would be a considerable saving on top of the airfare etc given no current plans to travel to UAE in the coming months!

[ronnie3585]

I hadn't thought of sourcing the diamond from abroad but would not be against the idea if it saves ££. I guess I would have to assess if it would be a considerable saving on top of the airfare etc given no current plans to travel to UAE in the coming months!

Yes, it works better if you're travelling there or transiting for work as you'll save the airfare. Or you could do it as part of a holiday to or through the area.

Online is also an option. Websites like Blue Nile offer an enormous selection of diamonds at much better prices than retail - https://www.bluenile.com/ie/

[Jon Kenney]

Speak to Alexaf of this pasture. He'll sort you out.

[bootneck]

Read the divorce threads and then buy her a watch instead lol

[scanhenry]

Yes, it works better if you're travelling there or transiting for work as you'll save the airfare. Or you could do it as part of a holiday to or through the area.

Online is also an option. Websites like Blue Nile offer an enormous selection of diamonds at much better prices than retail - https://www.bluenile.com/ie/

I will take a look! - Thanks

- - - Updated - - -

Read the divorce threads and then buy her a watch instead lol

Haha a better investment i'm sure...

[anton863]

I did far too much research prior to getting my wife's ring.

I went down the buy stone then get it set route, although I did use the same place for both. For stones bluenile is a great reference point but you need to at least have a clear idea of what you want. I started a thread here with some questions which you might find helpful https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?407687

I ended up getting the stone for less than Bluenile price from a jeweler in Hatton Garden (I emailed what I was looking for to about 50 jewelers around the area!). I'm sure he was a bit optimistic in his VAT receipts shall we say for it to be available at that price. I just ensured the GIA cert matched the stone and then not much can go wrong.

I was after a very traditional round brilliant stone solitaire set and saved well over 50% to the price it'd cost you in a shop.

[Sweepinghand]

Speak to Alexaf of this pasture. He'll sort you out.

Ex’s you what he said - he is a top top bloke - Ramadan’s of Whitby on FB and you can I’m off his page too

He’ll look after you

[Kingstepper]

Ex’s you what he said - he is a top top bloke - Ramadan’s of Whitby on FB and you can I’m off his page too

Is he? Never appeared that pious here.

[Jon Kenney]

Ex’s you what he said - he is a top top bloke - Ramadan’s of Whitby on FB and you can I’m off his page too

He’ll look after you

Ramadan's? lolz

Ramsdens

[scanhenry]

I did far too much research prior to getting my wife's ring.

I went down the buy stone then get it set route, although I did use the same place for both. For stones bluenile is a great reference point but you need to at least have a clear idea of what you want. I started a thread here with some questions which you might find helpful https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?407687

I ended up getting the stone for less than Bluenile price from a jeweler in Hatton Garden (I emailed what I was looking for to about 50 jewelers around the area!). I'm sure he was a bit optimistic in his VAT receipts shall we say for it to be available at that price. I just ensured the GIA cert matched the stone and then not much can go wrong.

I was after a very traditional round brilliant stone solitaire set and saved well over 50% to the price it'd cost you in a shop.

Thanks for the thread link, feel like I am a lot more informed!

Being in no rush I think I will take your approach with the mass emailing once I have decided on what I need!

[mr noble]

I also did the BlueNile route. Bought the rock from there and they supplied it in a silver basic setting to propose with.

When she had (stupidly) said yes. We went straight to a little independent jewellers on Trinity Street in Cambridge where she designed and chose the setting that she wanted.

She wore it in the silver setting for 2 weeks until they’d made the ring and then we went back and dropped the diamond off for an hour while they set it.

Happy days.



Out of interest. I had initially been to a few jewellers looking it engagement rings and found that for the same price that the jewellers would have sold me a complete ring from the window with an average VS1 H/I colour diamond, I got a much better flawless F colour one doing it the way I did.

[WolfiesPapa]

I also did the BlueNile route. Bought the rock from there and they supplied it in a silver basic setting to propose with.

When she had (stupidly) said yes. We went straight to a little independent jewellers on Trinity Street in Cambridge where she designed and chose the setting that she wanted.

Ha! I did exactly the same thing as you (except the Trinity Street part). Still married nine years later, three kids (correlation is not the same as causation, I know...)

[gerrudd]

I bought the ring by myself, an antique from Michael Rose's.. She was totally surprised, both with the proposal and the ring, thankfully pleasantly so. I had a pretty good idea of what she wanted and more importantly wat she don't want, based on her comments on other people's engagement rings. It is a risk, but I do think the surprise element makes it worthwhile.

[tom_0787]

A friend of the family is in the diamond trade and I had him source the rock and saved an unbelievable amount over Hatton Garden pricing. I appreciate not everyone has access to a trade diamond dealer but I would still strongly suggest proposing with another ring then designing a piece to her exact taste.


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[tobywatches]

Hi OP - and congratulations!

Over the last few months I've been going through exactly the same process as you.

The GF and I casually looked at a few rings with me taking mental notes along the way as to what she liked. After I felt sure of her main desires/no-nos I went alone.

It's been a long process. Take your time. I visited lots of shops to look at ready-made designs and also to a number of individuals who showed me various diamonds and spent time with me discussing ideas and what I might want/not want in a stone and a ring.

In the end the best advice I can give is go with your gut.

There was one guy I met a few times and even though the stones seemed great I couldn't quite shake the feeling that he wasn't the guy I wanted to make my ring.
I don't know why but it wasn't right for me.

Eventually I discovered Eddie via a link to Pistonheads on this very forum: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...93284#41086710

He sourced me several stones of different sizes, clarities and colours and I went down there to look at his work.

His work is outstanding.

He told me why one part of the design I had in mind wasn't a good idea and suggested alternatives and we came to an agreement.

I designed my own and it's now almost complete.

He isn't the cheapest by any stretch but has made the whole thing from scratch for me and every now and then I've had photos whatsapped to me out of the blue with the progress he's made. He's enthusiastic, open to questions of all types and has been patient with me. It's obviously a big deal and you want to get it right and he understands that. Everything about him felt right which is why I was prepared to spend the extra money.

Later I'll post a few of his pics but I can't access them right now. I can't recommend him highly enough.

The other thing I'd say is people are happy to put stones etc. on hold for you but this comes at a cost. I had three stones on hold for me with two different people when I finally decided to go with Eddie. When I rang them to thank them for their time but to release the stones they both tried to tell me that theirs were better. That I'd payed more than necessary. Effectively they tried to denigrate the stone I'd chosen and the jeweller I'd decided on. I told both of them where to go and that this was supposed to be a positive experience. In a way it firmed up to me that I went with the right person. They only wanted the business and had little interest in making me happy.

I'll post some pics this evening if I get the chance. It's worth giving Eddie a ring just for a chat, even if he doesn't turn out to be right for you.

Good luck!

[tobywatches]

Probably worth adding that there is, IMHO, no particular order of importance when looking at a stone.

The colour you choose partly depends on if you'll be going with white or yellow metal. If yellow there's less point going for a colourless stone. It will pick up the yellow in the ring so not worth it. I've gone for a yellow gold ring with a white gold setting to offset some of the yellow coming through the stone.

I looked at a VSI1 stone and a SI1 stone and could see the inclusion in the VSI one but not the SI one. It's partly about where the inclusion is, not just how big. Also, inclusions can be almost entirely hidden by an excellent cut so it's worth a look through a loop to see if you can spot them.

The dimensions of a diamond is also key. A 1 carat can look really big or really (relatively) small depending on the table and depth. You don't want too much depth as it makes the diamond look small. But equally too much table can make it less "shimmery". So look at loads of diamonds and read certificates to get an idea of the percentages you like.

Fluoresence feels not that important to me. After all how often are you under ultra violet light?

The only thing I'd say is it's down to personal taste.

The only advice I kept coming back to, though, was that cut is the most important thing. A good cut can cover a multitude of sins.

The other bit of advice I had repeatedly was that other women ask how big the diamond is. Saying "1 carat" is a badge of honour that a lot seem to like. Mine is a shade under a carat but it has a relatively large table and a good depth so it looks very similar to most of the carat diamonds I saw.

Enjoy the search.

[tobywatches]

Eventually I discovered Eddie via a link to Pistonheads on this very forum: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...93284#41086710

I designed my own and it's now almost complete.

Later I'll post a few of his pics.

It's worth giving Eddie a ring just for a chat, even if he doesn't turn out to be right for you.

Here are the aforementioned photos...

The diamond I chose is an oval, VS2, E colour, 0.90 ct. stone.







This is how the ring began!:



And developed slowly:

















Closing in on my design now:



This is effectively the design for my collet:





Now to be polished up with the diamond in place:





Ring ready to be sent away for hallmarking:





and upon return Eddie set the diamonds into the shoulders to finish it:





These are just a few of the pictures Eddie sent of the process. I couldn't be happier even if I'm yet to see it in the flesh. It's now gone away for valuation, which I'm reliably told is likely to be considerably higher than what I paid.

I should also add I've no affiliation with Eddie other than as a (so-far) satisfied customer.

If you like what you see I can PM you his number.

[scanhenry]

Here are the aforementioned photos...

The diamond I chose is an oval, VS2, E colour, 0.90 ct. stone.







This is how the ring began!:



And developed slowly:

















Closing in on my design now:



This is effectively the design for my collet:





Now to be polished up with the diamond in place:





Ring ready to be sent away for hallmarking:





and upon return Eddie set the diamonds into the shoulders to finish it:





These are just a few of the pictures Eddie sent of the process. I couldn't be happier even if I'm yet to see it in the flesh. It's now gone away for valuation, which I'm reliably told is likely to be considerably higher than what I paid.

I should also add I've no affiliation with Eddie other than as a (so-far) satisfied customer.

If you like what you see I can PM you his number.

Looking great! - And sure you will love it more when it arrives in person!

I will drop you a PM as I get more into my search

[Robsmck]

Bit OT but perhaps not. After two divorces, if I ever felt like getting married again I wouldn't, instead I would just find a woman I disliked intensely and give her a house. Save a lots of time.

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