Diamond solitaire ring?

[ringringringring]

Can anyone offer advice please?

Would you mind sharing with me what a diamond solitaire, on a gold band, should cost (hugely variable, I know). I'm looking at 1 - 1.5 carat. Certainly no larger than 2 carat. Reasonably good quality stone (but just sparkly is OK!).

Tiffany (not in the UK) is offering 1 carat at £15k, which seems rather a lot to me - and whereas going to Tiffany/Cartier/De Beers etc might be worthwhile where there's a design element involved, it seems pointless for a diamond solitaire. Or have I got that wrong...?

We are overseas, but back in the UK shortly so wondering whether a trip to Hatton Garden might be the best option. But grateful for any guidance on price. Thank you (and please don't flame me.. I know it is a huge extravagance but this is a lovely treat from DH after a difficult few years!)

[barbie1]

My engagement ring is a marquise Diamond, 1.54 carat vvs1 and E in colour, so in all a pretty good one

Dh bought the diamond lose in dubai, cost about 3.500 GBP about 4 years ago. We bought it home and had it set in hatton gardens at a cost of about 1.400 GBP.

The ring is now valued at 12,000 GBP!

If you can shop around for a lose diamond i think you will get a better deal and also you can get exactly what you want. Just make sure it comes with certification.

HTH

[whoneedssleepanyway]

I think there is a massive jump once u get to 1 carat. So say u went for .75 carat it would be less than 75% of the price of a 1 carat ring. Tiffany do also charge a premium. Do u def just want a solitaire I have seen gorgeous rings with say one larger stone and then say tiny ones set in the band v sparkly as more stones but u could go for smaller mainstone. Def shop around Hutton garden good recommendation. Also my BIL got married 3 years ago and trawled all the big name jewellers for the ring and got best price at Boodles. Setting can also make stone look bigger. I have just under 1 carat solitaire in traditional six claw setting, SIL's stone is roughly same size but in 4 claw setting and it does look bigger.

[Tuggy]

I have a 1 carat engagement ring that is graded highest for cut/clarity(ie sparlyness!) and it was £15k however it's on a platinum band which is dearer than gold.

[gregssausageroll]

I have a 1.53 carat yellow square cut diamond set into white gold with tiny diamonds on the shank eitherside. Mine was bought abroad but valued at £14000 here in the UK.

It very much depends on setting. White gold being cheaper than platinum but also the clarity of the diamond. We bought mine in the Caribbean which is much cheaper than going to the likes of tiffany or de beers. We bought the stone loose and then had it set. DH also (unknown to me) bought enough to have an eternity ring made too which he gave me when DS was born. I think all in buying everything in the Caribbean separately it cost the equivalent to £4,000 - may be slightly less.

I have to say we did have that "oh shit - we hope that is real" when we were coming home but so delighted when the UK valuation came through!

[shortround]

Gregssausageroll - we had that same utter terror (dh bought some stones On a business trip) I've also got earrings and a little pendant on a necklace, there was total fear when he had them valued - huge relief they were ok, as obviously there is a risk, but he was assured by a collegue it would all be 'fine' he never told me thier worth! I don't think I could wear them so casually if I honestly knew.

I Realy wouldn't pay the Mark up of just having a ring from tiffany, unless it's just you personally have a lust for tiffany. (I don't)

[gregssausageroll]

It was a horrible feeling but deep down we knew they were fine. We bought them on St Thomas when we were on a cruise and the shop came specifically recommended by Princess Cruises.

I agree with what you say about Tiffany. OP if you can buy abroad research and see what you can come up with as the prices (as you can see from our stories) are massively different.

[Ambernj1]

I agree with what the other ladies are saying about buying stones abroad, but if that's not an option Hatton Garden is great - so much choice, I was like a kid in a sweet shop choosing my engagement ring! Like you I wanted a diamond solitaire, but eventually went for a 3 carat purple sapphire, flanked by 2 half carat diamonds because it was so unusual! Check out HG, much better than Tiffany (do you really want the same as everyone else?)

[ringringringring]

We're overseas but not really in a position to buy loose stones. I had wanted either a diamond solitaire or a blue sapphire ring ( something more unusual) - but I've not seen anything I like with a sapphire. Any inspiration you care to offer would be gratefully received!

Thanks for the advice so far. We're seeing an independent jeweler soon, but think it likely we'll wait until we get back to the UK ( we also get paid in sterling so the exchange rate is against us buying overseas I guess, too).

I just want a classic, sparkly ring I can wear everyday with my plain gold wedding band. DH is being very generous, but it's a one-off purchase so I want to make sure I get it right , and feel as though it is worth what we spend on it!

[Vulgar]

Have you thought about a tanzanite instead of a sapphire? They are a lovely cornflower blue. They look lovely with tiny diamonds around a bigger stone.

I also vote for cushion cut stones. They have that squarish shape but with the sparkly cut of a brilliant cut.

(I hope I'm not confusing you further)

Let us know what you get. I'm sure it will be lovely

[oohlaalaa]

My friend had something similar for her engagement ring, this was about four years ago, and they bought the diamond and had it made, at Birmingham Jewellery Quarter. I know they spent 7k.

The mark up on jewellery is huge, I know my DH managed to negotiate £700 off my engagement ring, and it wasnt a hugely expensive ring.

[RufousBartleby]

Dont get tanzanite! I made the mistake of getting a tanzanite engagement ring - it gets damaged so easily I can't wear it all the time.

[ZenNudist]

I don't know how much my rings cost (a lot I think!) would second the recommendation of Birmingham jewellery quarter. We used DJ Gold to choose stones & design ring. It's nice to have personal involvement in choice of stones & ring design, there are lots of other 'ready made' rings too. So much choice & you know it's not got the mark up of a high street jeweller. Is HG the London equivalent jewellery quarter?

[cremeeggsbenedict]

I've not been impressed with HG. When we went there looking for a wedding ring for DH they did the classic workman thing of sucking the air through their teeth and saying "that'll be expensive" - we were quoted between £1,500 to £2,000 for a plain, slightly chunky platinum ring for him. We bought one in De Beers for £600. A friend who bought her wedding ring there had a stone fall out of it on her wedding day, and the replacement they made her was the wrong size. Another friend whose engagement ring came from HG had to send it back several times to get the setting fixed - there was, after one "fix", a gap a couple of millimetres between the band and the setting. It looked awful.

Oddly, nobody I know has ever had any problems from the jewellery quarter in Birmingham.

My engagement ring is from De Beers and they knocked about 15% off the price without us even asking. The service was incredible which I really appreciated as I thought that sitting and haggling would have been an unpleasant end to a very enjoyable shopping trip.

[Vulgar]

Rufous- thanks for letting me know about tanzanite being easily damaged. I'm such a klutz, I'm the last person to have something that is easily wrecked.

[OTheHugeManatee]

My enagement ring is 1.2 carat, top quality for cut and colour and pretty good for clarity. It's valued at £18500. You can get a diamond for much less though if you're willing to compromise on the three Cs.

Don't bother going to Tiffany - it's not worth paying the 'designer label' premium for a simple solitaire. If you're in the UK for a bit go to Hatton Garden, buy a diamond and get it set. You'll get more for your money and a perfect fit.

I think it does depend where you go though. Mine was bought from and set by Jade in HG, and I haven't had any problems at all. Other shops might be dodgier, I don't know.

[ringringringring]

Thanks you all again. I would like a nice stone, we're buying this once so I want it to be right. There's just such a potential for being completely overcharged that I am a bit wary so grateful for guidance!

I agree, I think, that it's not worth paying the designer tag for a simple solitaire. Looks like HG when we come back to London (thanks for the Birmingham recommendations, too - not sure I'll make it there during our short stint back in the UK though! We're just round the corner from HG so easy to pop in).

We have looked in De Beers, too - there seems to be a pretty standard price for the 1 - 1.5 carat diamond ring in the jewelry shops here, but not sure if that is over the odds or not (£15-18k), compared to, say HG.

[Librashavinganotherbiscuit]

I have a £15 engagement ring from Avon. Very sparkly and no-one has dared ask if it's not real .

[Fluffycloudland77]

I got all my jewellery from birmingham jewellery quarter and I've never had a problem with any of it and my husband always haggles the price eg solid gold and diamond bangle £1000 down to £700 and it got half a carat of diamonds in it.

I've seen lovely solitares for 5-6k but I was advised by a colleague who worked with jewels years ago to go for a round cut brilliant cut so your paying for the stone and not a wastefull cut like a pear shape.

[scotsgirl23]

Could be worth checking out blue nile too - online ordering but very good certified stones. Mine is nothing like as big as yours (but I have teeny hands!), but when we bought it it was valued at about 2.5 times the price we paid.

[MrsMilton]

Another thumbs up for Birmingham Jewellery Quarter. Ask for Marie at Cirrus Diamonds - she's wonderful. We made a few visits, they get all the loose diamonds out for you and you can choose your own stones and setting. The discounts are huge compared to high street retailers and they really know their stuff. I wouldn't touch Tiffanys for a solitaire. Nobody will ever know you got it there unless you tell them. You're paying purely for the little blue box IMO. Use the money you save to buy a Tiffany necklace or something but never a ring.

[MrsMilton]

Oh, just read your last post - HG also very good. All my friends got their rings there.

[Optimism]

My engagement ring is a 0.95 carat emerald cut solitaire, vvs1, d colour, set in platinum. We paid about £4000 from a place in Hatton Garden about 3 years ago. I know there's a huge jump in price when you go over a carat but an extra £10k for .05 carat seems like an awful lot. Happy shopping!

[nocake]

I know it should be all about the stone but a good setting can make a diamond look fabulous while a poor setting can make it look very average. So I think it's worth paying a bit of money to get a nicely designed ring. DW's engagement ring only has a 0.5 carat diamond but it's custom designed and made so it looks stunning.

[BlackSwan]

Once piece of advice when choosing your ring. Remember this: Diamonds SHRINK.