Did you get your rings from Hatton Garden?

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And if so-can you tell me what it’s like, I’ve never actually been! Which tube stop do we need!?

Are there 500 different jewellery shops all next to each other? Are some better than others!!

Is is likely I can get a second-hand platinum diamond solitaire (0.5+ carat) for less than £1500? I am happy to have something second-hand.

Or is it the sort of place where you might get a bargain of a £10,000 ring for the price of £5000 but it’s no good for ‘cheaper’ rings?!

If you want secondhand from Hatton garden go to Berganza. My engagement ring is from there. New it would cost about £1.5k more than we paid as you don’t pay tax on it.

There are a wide range of rings from the very expensive to the very affordable. There are also loads of second hand jewellery shops. There are lots of places to get rings made too. I got a art deco ring and had a wedding ring made to fit around it but that was years ago.

The nearest tubes are Holborn, Chancery Lane and Farringdon. Not far to walk from any of those.

Look at the berganza website.farringdon or chancery lane best stations. I had a bad experience berganza and was unimpressed, can get better cheaper at local jewellery shops selling second hand.

Definitely give Hatton Garden a go- huge range of shops and stock to suit all budgets in many of them. You’ll get your money’s worth there. 5-10 minute walk from Farringdon, Holborn, as pp said

Have you looked at auction houses? Bonhams regularly has beautiful engagement rings.

Yes, excellent service from Steve at Arlington and co. Not 500 shops but quite a few.

Thanks for all of the replies. I have just looked on the Berganza website-there are no platinum solitaires anywhere near my price range though-which doesn’t bode well :(

I am worried it will be a wasted trip.

Don’t look at it like that, OP, just go and see if you get lucky. Your chances are very good and you can go and have lunch somewhere nice around Exmouth market on the other side of the main road afterwards

You say 0.5 carat or above, what about the colour, clarity etc? A poorer quality 0.5 will be much cheaper than a completely clear, unincluded diamond. There’s a lot of variation with diamonds. My ring is from diamondsfactory which is online but we visited their Hatton Garden show room, great service. Have a look on the website and fiddle with the different diamond and metal options to see how the price changes. Having an understanding of the differences between diamonds will really help you.

Also Hatton Garden is fab, it won’t be wasted trip whatever. The second hand shops are more down the side streets so be prepared to wander around. But do your research on what you really want first.

There is a place near Bond Street tube that has 3 floors of jewellery shops mainly selling antique and second hand rings. I would also try there

You say 0.5 carat or above, what about the colour, clarity etc? A poorer quality 0.5 will be much cheaper than a completely clear, unincluded diamond

Well, I’m limited by my budget-so it was a case of seeing what I could get.

There wasn’t one platinum solitaire anywhere near being under £1500 on that website though (before looking at any sort of clarity or cut!), which made me think it’s wouldn’t be worth the trek!

Mine is a 0.5 carat solitaire on a platinum band and was £2100 (second hand/vintage) but there was a HUGE range - def worth a look! Don’t be afraid to haggle/tell them if you’ve had a better offer elsewhere - we got £200 knocked of my husband’s wedding ring that way. We used Farringdon tube stop. Have fun!

I got my wedding ring from Hatton Garden although my engagement ring and DH's wedding ring came from Stephen Einhorn in Islington. There is a really wide range of rings, I was on a very tight budget and had a wide choice.

As the PP said it is the experience which is fun, looking in all the shop windows and wandering in and out of shops with the intention of actually spending money, it made me feel like Holly Golightly.

Go for it. You will find something within your budget there. Some shops might be sightly above your price range, but if your tell them your budget they will find a ring to suit. There are so many jewellery shops there you really can't not go.

Farringdon or Holborn are closest stations.

P.s. don't limit yourself to diamonds you get alot more for you money with a moissanite.

Have you tried Grays antique market near Bond Street? My engagement ring is from there many years ago and my bro also got SIL hers there recently - and from the same seller coincidentally. They have lots of independent stall holders and lots of vintage/antique/second hand and across all price points.

I’d looked at Hatton Garden stores and never found anything that ticked my boxes but of course it’s luck of the draw. Also don’t forget to haggle hard. Happy shopping!

Thank you for all of the replies-I guess it’s probably going to be worth a trip!

P.s. don't limit yourself to diamonds smile you get alot more for you money with a moissanite.

I do know that I definitely want a diamond rather than a synthetically created stone-that’s the one thing I actually have decided on!