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!)

If your going to hatton garden I would recomend Abrahams, they have some beautiful settings and will fit the dimond of your choice while giving great advice. We were going to tiffany but I have quite dainty hands and found the tiffany settings to large, so happy we didn't as we ot so much more for our money in the end.

With Tiffany and other brands, you are paying mostly for the design and the name. Their diamonds are GIA certified so you can compare the same quality and carat weight with any other GIA certified diamond.

For £15k you should be able to find a beautiful G/SI round diamond with very good to excellent proportions (which is what determines how much it will sparkle). Such stones are available in Hatton Garden for much better prices than the brand-name shops, but if you want absolutely the best price, you should find a dealer that you trust that is nearer the source (usually from Belgium or Israel). When comparing GIA stones, you can be guaranteed the finest quality and accurate grading, so that shouldn't be a concern.

Another point to make is fancy shaped diamonds... Princess cuts, cushions, etc. are traded at much lower prices compared to rounds and so you can get a higher carat weight, better quality diamond for less if you choose one of those shapes.

We www.ShireeOdiz.com are jewelry designers based in Israel and New York and can design any ring you desire as well as provide wholesale prices on any diamonds you require at guaranteed lowest prices compared to anywhere in the UK, including Hatton Garden.

If you're going to HG, I'd very much recommend john Lawrence. We bought my engagement ring and wedding rings for us both there. And I have friends who have bought engagement rings there too. Really classy jewellers. They have a website for browsing!

DH and I recently bought my eternity ring, which I'm really pleased with. I don't volunteer this information to anyone in RL, but it is a second hand one, and we bought it from a jewellery shop called Doyles in Brighton. Its properly authenticated, and we paid less than half the valuation cost of it. Its platinum, half band, with princess cut and baguette diamonds. I'd definitely buy second hand (sorry, vintage) again, and can't see myself buying brand new ever again really.

I never thought I would, but I ended up buying a ring online because looking in shops became overwhelming and I always felt I was being quoted ridiculous prices. I designed my own ring--setting, diamond, everything. Also a solitaire and opted for a 1.11 Carat K-VVS2 Ideal Princess Cut. The site, JamesAllen.com , is American but they do international shipping free (free!). I got a very good deal.
The advantage of shopping online is you can easily compare/contrast prices with other sites.

You should, at least, attempt to buy a diamond that has been ethically sourced.

Has anyone ever used www.purelydiamonds.com? I only ask because I fell in love with a Tiffany's wedding/eternity ring but it was a bit out of budget(!) and I've seen a very similar one on this site for a fraction of the price. They seem legit and a google turned up a recommendation from someone on the moneysavingexpert forum but it's always good to canvas opinion!

Does it have to be new? I have a beautiful 1920s art deco platinum and gold set solitaire. We bought antique for ethical reasons, but some rings are truly stunning and you get a lot of sparkle for your money.

"Diamonds Shrink" ????!!!!

What?

Diamonds don't shrink!

My ring is from the jewelry quarter, off the peg I wanted to buy it that day before DH sobered up changed his mind !
No regrets though great service, they have polished and tidied the settings a few times, I will be getting my 10th anniversary present from there for sure.

Gosh reading these makes me realise my oh got a bargain! My engagement ring is a heart shape diamond (either love it or hate it! Obviously I love it!) The "c's" are all good/ excellent and it is so super sparkley! He had to get a jeweller to have it shipped over from usa (couldn't find heart shape anywhere- I had hinted :) ) and got it for 4000!

Mine is from Tiffany. No idea what it cost!

Mine is from Tiffany and I love it. It's a square cut Lucida. Their diamonds are ethically sourced. Like someone else said - I adored the 1+ carat diamonds but the price jumped massively and I just couldn't justify it at the time.
Also with Tiffany they do something so that if you want to upgrade it later you are guaranteed the purchase price so you only pay the difference. I think most jewellers do that though?

It's .95 carat , VVS2 and was $11,600 4 years ago...