Help me find the best diamond ring for my sister

[Fridakahlofan]

Hi Team!

My older sister's lovely boyfriend has just asked me to help him buy an engagement ring. His budget is approx £2k and I know she wants a 'simple classic diamond ring' with a gold band. Ethical too please

I have put some images of the kind of things we think she would like. He is a bit down that he can't afford more but I have promised him we will find something beautiful and not to worry. She was actually proposed to by a previous horrible boyfriend with a huge ring budget and so I think that makes him more sensitive as people still bring up the ring in front of him!

I know that £2k is a lot of money but rings get silly very quickly...

Should we go antique? Where should we go? What is the best we can do for the money!

I'll be in the UK for one week in a couple of weeks and he would like to buy the ring with me and then propose to her that same week so we can all celebrate together. Our shopping trip will be in London or easily doable from London.

Help us not be ripped off! All tips gratefully received...

Also look at them in daylight. All jewellery vendors have spotlights everywhere and white walls which make everything sparkly even ones with bad cuts. And sparkle hides inclusions. You need to take the stones to a window, or outside preferably, ideally on a dull day. Sunlight makes diamonds look great too. There are lights that replicate daylight in the jewellers but they’re not the same.

@fedup21 That is what my husband and I did and I couldn't have been happier but I know (as a result of our conversations about my engagement) she would prefer to be surprised with the ring (she can always change it if she hates it though...)

Not sure if you are near a John Lewis but my engagement ring is from their second hand range, it was very affordable so worth a look if your closest John Lewis has a section.

Also would you consider another stone rather than diamond?

@coffeeforone John Lewis is a good shout!

I think it has to be a diamond or something that looks like a diamond... Not another coloured stone.

I Elise go second hand. The diamond market has been falsely inflated for decades due to good marketing and a monopoly.
Try fellows.co.uk

If size and sparkle are most important, what about moissanite? It’s much cheaper, more sparkly and very hard wearing. Also ethical

This one?
www.fellows.co.uk/2508-lot-463-A-brilliant-cut-diamond-single-stone-ring?accessories=&arr=0&auction_id=9791&box_filter=0&brand=&category=&colour=&department_id=&exclude_keyword=&export_issue=0&gender=&high_estimate=2060&image_filter=0&keyword=&list_type=list_view&lot_alert=0&lots_per_page=&low_estimate=1510&page_no=0&paper_filter=0&product_type=&search_type=&sort_by=&style=&sub_cat=&utm_source=&view=lot_detail&year=

Or go second hand for the diamond and then get it reset?

@espoleta that's a beauty... So he can go and see it in real life before bidding online?

I need to work now but will login later. If anyone has a chance to look at the London Diamonds ring I suggested then please let me know.

I am so grateful for all your help

Yes he can see if in London and in Birmingham. They have a very good online bidding tool so you don’t need to commission bids.
One thing is that there are fees on top of it- so the max he could spend was 1.5k bidding.
Honestly don’t buy a diamond first hand it’s really not worth it!

I think it has to be a diamond or something that looks like a diamond... Not another coloured stone.

Have a look at moissanites! Almost as hard as a diamond, just as sparkly or even sparklier, same colour, ethical, much cheaper. You could easily get a ring like the ones in your first post if you go for moissanite. I believe the Forever One hearts & arrows cut from Charles & Colvard is currently the most similar to a diamond in terms of cut, colour and sparkle.

Agree with HermioneWeasley you get a lot of sparkle for
your money with a moissinate ring, op.

Eg: www.charlesandcolvard.com/engagement-rings/shop-all?page=3

The Fellows diamond ring has P1 clarity - you can see the inclusions in the photo, let alone seeing it in the flesh. If your sister shows it to anyone, they will see speckles immediately. That’s the reason it’s so cheap. It is worth working out what you want to prioritise. Size / colour / clarity. And in what order.

It looks like finger coverage is important to her. If ethical is important I would go for a man made diamond rather than a mined diamond. They are cheaper. For example this MMD and setting would be on budget and a considerable size. I have selected from ideal colour and cut (including table and depth so it will have a good light return and spread for its size).
www.brilliantearth.com/lab-diamonds-search/view_detail/8572043/
www.brilliantearth.com/2mm-Comfort-Fit-Ring-White-Gold-BE101-1151785/

If she wanted something more vintage the setting would cost more but she could get something like this www.brilliantearth.com/rings/cyorings/view_diamond/8842377/?sid=5586269 www.brilliantearth.com/Luminesce-Diamond-Ring-White-Gold-BE1D4008-5586269/

Just remember, with auctions you pay an extra 30% on the hammer price afterwards in tax and to the auction house.

I like looking at the Gatsby website for antique jewellery, they have some stunning rings at good prices.
It is definitely worth looking at high end pawn shops like Mallards Jewellers again for good value rings. They also operate an 'upgrade system' where you buy from them, but if you get bored with your jewellery, you can buy something else with the full purchase price you paid, as long as your upgrade is 25% more. This is my guilty pleasure every few years!

My engagement ring is from Etsy and I would 100% recommend looking there. I know it's nice to see the ring in advance but I'm sure the seller would take it back if you weren't happy.

Just be aware of potential import duty if buying from abroad on Etsy.

If you are going to London, try Burlington Arcade just off Bond Street - lots of jewellery shops with second hand and new jewellery - some bargains to be had too!

If you can go to an independent Ring maker, I have a friend that does it , bAsed in Leeds tho. Or go to an independent jewellers (not high street diamonds are overpriced and rubbish) , plus you could get a preloved ring for good price.

Dubai have the best diamond shops 🤪. They were amazing. Not very local tho!

Go to Hatton Garden. There are many many jewellers and diamonds dealers there. Explain you have £1800 - £2k max to spend and ask what you can get for that. Then once you have an idea of what you can get go to the next shop and ask same thing. After 5 shops you’ll know. You then play them off against each other. Less popular shaped diamonds may be cheaper. Worry about diamond colour and size. The budget isn’t big enough to worry about inclusions. As another poster said only worry if you can see it by eye. Don’t worry too much about what the diamond is set in - you can easily upgrade the setting later when he has more money. Spend max on the stone. The jewellers will pull a diamond out of an old ring and polish it if it’s good so you won’t necessarily get cheaper with older diamonds unless the diamond has no certificate but for your budget I don’t think certificate will be on your radar. Good luck.

Kayes of Chester do a great selection of vintage diamond rings, still expensive though but worth a look. Or you could take a look at Milton the jewellers. I agree you need to be massively lowering your expectations on the size of diamond you can expect for 2k. Good luck though and very exciting.

I got my engagement ring from this antique jeweller in Sussex - they have some good options around the £2k mark.

friarhouse.com/collections/antique-diamond-solitaire-engagement-rings-1?page=2

I’d be tempted to go for something like this if she likes Art Deco style:

friarhouse.com/collections/antique-diamond-solitaire-engagement-rings-1/products/art-deco-diamond-in-a-square-setting-solitaire-engagement-ring

The Burlington Arcade is VERY expensive! Their rents are massive so because their overheads are huge they can’t afford to give you bargains - I found a pair of earrings in one of their shops for £22k and the identical pair (same maker, same design, same tcw etc) for £6k. Great for ideas, terrible for actual buying.