Where to buy an Engagement ring; help!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy my love an engagement ring very shortly and was wondering if some stores are priced better than others (just like TF prices at Myer vs Kmart). I've done a little research on diamonds (4 c's) but know nothing about jewellery stores.

So store-wise, are any decent? Or moreso, are any worse (lower quality but high price)?

At the moment I'm talking to staff at Wallace Bishop's and Michael Hill's etc.. and feel I'm at the mercy of whatever they tell me.

Oh, if price has a big bearing, anything over $3000 would really be a stretch for me.

And should stay away from the bigger store-chains and head to a Diamond shop in Brisbane.

Any thoughts are appreciated, thanks.

Here

Yep that'll go down well :D

ahh an engagement ring, the hardest one to buy cause you cant ask them what they like :P

since my missus loves jewelery ive been to a few places. i found that goldmark was good, got her some decent stuff from there, and i think that bevels was a bit more pricey. best thing you can do is get a clear picture of what you want and then just look around at all the different shops, you might get a real bargain

Tiffany & Co is where i bought mine from *hehe*
but i guess that could be out of your budget range...

jay's suggestion looks cool but my fiancee sort of "hates" it when i gave her the idea

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Originally Posted by iceburn

Tiffany & Co is where i bought mine from *hehe*

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+1

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x...urgerringz.jpg? or http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x.../u12127961.jpg?

I wouldn't say no if I was a girl and someone proposed to me with those rings

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Originally Posted by jaydisc

Here

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Originally Posted by gamblor916

Yep that'll go down well :D

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:D They could be the wedding bands but she would be the Decepticon.

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Originally Posted by jaydisc

Here

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That's freaking awesome! I would only marry a chick that would be thrilled with receiving something like that as an engagement ring.

..I know ;)

I bought mine for my woman in Vietnam. Better gold (24K) as opposed to the 18K crap sold here. Also them Vietnamese like it when you haggle them down.;)

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Originally Posted by TheDirtyDigger

I bought mine for my woman in Vietnam. Better gold (24K) as opposed to the 18K crap sold here. Also them Vietnamese like it when you haggle them down.;)

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i read wrongly and saw this as "i bought my woman in Vietnam....better than getting gold..." :D

From a jewelry shop derrrrrr


I personally dont like asian gold, its sorta orangey

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Originally Posted by jacksplatt11

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x...urgerringz.jpg? or http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x.../u12127961.jpg?

I wouldn't say no if I was a girl and someone proposed to me with those rings

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What about these "rings"? :D

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ndom/cuffs.jpg

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Originally Posted by Pulse

What about these "rings"? :D

http://cherished79.files.wordpress.c.../handcuffs.jpg

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Depends on the situation, but if she was even moderately attractive and she was thinking what I was thinking, yes

A police officer, probably not

Out of all that, I hope you got some helpful tips there Deonasis. It really is hard for us to stay on topic, no matter what the topic is... :p

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Originally Posted by griffin

Out of all that, I hope you got some helpful tips there Deonasis. It really is hard for us to stay on topic, no matter what the topic is... :p

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Ah, the OTCA mind wanders but what can we do ;). I have gotten a thought or two out of this thread so far but I'm really surprised at how fast everyone's replied, thanks all.

I'll be taking notes for most of the week so keep any thoughts coming ...some female views on stores/rings would be valuable too. Cheers,

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Originally Posted by griffin

Out of all that, I hope you got some helpful tips there Deonasis. It really is hard for us to stay on topic, no matter what the topic is... :p

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We try our hardest to stay on topic, We really do... :o

I'm just glad were not like some other boards who delete all irrelevant posts :) (else alot of mine would vanish :D)

good luck in finding the right one. and hope she likes it ( as in truly and not that fake beauty queen type smile - yah know dog grin) Do post a pic here if you can once youve bought one. get some thoughts from the group hehehe. we need a womans perspective, isnt mel , hotaru or any of em girls gonna read this thread.....

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Originally Posted by griffin

Out of all that, I hope you got some helpful tips there Deonasis. It really is hard for us to stay on topic, no matter what the topic is... :p

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We're not that bad are we. It isn't like we have a really short attention span...Hey look! A cat with a fluffy tail!
http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:...noinitials.jpg

that cat actually looks like one of mine, coincidentally he is called Fluffy

and they say males have a short attention span....

Back on topic, you could buy the diamond on its own (assuming you know what you're after), then have a specialist jewellery maker make a ring to your specifications. It can work out cheaper than buying one from a store but thats on the assumption you know what you want and can get the best price for the diamond itself. When I got my wife her ring I bought the diamond myself from a diamond supplier (with GIA certificate) and had the ring designed by a specialist maker in the city. To buy a similar spec ring from a store would have cost me $7500 but I had it done my way and it cost me just under $6K. Just one option you can explore.

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Originally Posted by TheDirtyDigger

I bought mine for my woman in Vietnam. Better gold (24K) as opposed to the 18K crap sold here. Also them Vietnamese like it when you haggle them down.;)

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The eighteen k 'crap' they sell here is because it lasts longer, is more durable, and is stronger. True 24k gold is malleable like lead, and the gold slowly rubs away thru everyday manual handling. I wouldn't be confident putting any gems in a 24k ring....

Deonasis,

Haggle. Even if it is already discounted. Jewellery is typically marked up between 150% and 250%. Yes, Michael Hill still make 100% profit at the '50% off' sales. Make the salesman work for your business, don't tell them you want an engagement ring now.

Shop around. Don't buy the first ring you like. Talk to lots of salesmen, most off them will just parrot what they've been told too. Find someone who actually knows what they are talking about. Also, investigate the buying a wholesale diamond, before you just jump in and do it. Most of them have impurities or lack clarity, thats why the jeweller's don't buy them.

Good luck, you'll find something. If you can't chosse between a few take her mother with you. Those brownie points will come in handy when you buy an 100 pt AFA graded Sixshot! :)

Bad time to buy as people deal in the U.S dollar when it comes to Diamonds so you can guess what has happened to the price recently:eek:. It's well and good to buy a Diamond seperately but you really do need to know what your looking at, you see these sales with large cheap diamonds, well their quality isn't much above industrial Diamonds. In case your wondering how I know this it's because my wife works in the jewellery business, the comment she says the most when it comes to Diamonds is you get what you pay for, you buy big and cheap you will get a low quality Diamond. Your better off going with a smaller Diamond that is far better quality. I find out what the going prices are for Diamonds and post it here up on the board for you if you want Deonasis.

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Originally Posted by 1orion2many

Bad time to buy as people deal in the U.S dollar when it comes to Diamonds so you can guess what has happened to the price recently:eek:. It's well and good to buy a Diamond seperately but you really do need to know what your looking at, you see these sales with large cheap diamonds, well their quality isn't much above industrial Diamonds. In case your wondering how I know this it's because my wife works in the jewellery business, the comment she says the most when it comes to Diamonds is you get what you pay for, you buy big and cheap you will get a low quality Diamond. Your better off going with a smaller Diamond that is far better quality. I find out what the going prices are for Diamonds and post it here up on the board for you if you want Deonasis.

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That would be great if you could :)

erm...is your future-wife-to-be particular about Diamond size or not? if yes...then ignore the clarity and colour and go for the biggie.

For mine, i'm particular (not my fiancee) about those 2 hence i ended up with a "small" diamond but one that blinks really brightly

Hehehehe waiting for a girlie to answer you? Well errmmm I'm still waiting for a proposal so I don't know what to expect... :D :D :D *hint hint to the other half*.

But for me, I wouldn't want to wear something that costs so much on my finger! :eek: I'm might be a scaddy-cat who's afraid someone might come rob me or chop my finger off, but more because I believe true love for each other is the one that matters the most, ain't it? ;) So I don't need a fanciful engagement ring that cost thousands...

Back to answer your question, it depends on the likes of your to-be fiance. Does she like jewellery and bling-bling? You can almost find out the type of taste she has by looking at her jewellery (her earrings, necklaces, bracelets). There are plain and simple engagement rings at Tiffany & Co. that don't cost a bomb too. Those plain white gold wedding bands are about $600-$1000. Of you can get a small diamond one for about $3000?

I think generally most girls are already overjoyed with being proposed by the one they love. So I'm sure any simple ring with a small diamond that "blings" brightly like what Icy bought for his fiance will suffice. :) Hope that helps.

Go for the Decepticon ring.

I can't offer too much advice as my missus bought the ring while she was working at goldmark when a sale was on. I think she ended up getting a total discount of 70%. She also bought the wedding ring and some earings at the same time. That being said I can tell you that even when jewellery stores have sales their products are still way overpriced...

Hey look a cat with a fluffy tail. :D

Although i am not into the stuff..:rolleyes::confused:

What is this "Diamonesque" that my sister,mother and Grandmother like? :confused:

Apparently, from what i have heard "The" only way they can tell the difference between this and a real diamond "is" some sort of heat probe? :confused: :confused:

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Originally Posted by Bartrim

I can't offer too much advice as my missus bought the ring while she was working at goldmark when a sale was on. I think she ended up getting a total discount of 70%. She also bought the wedding ring and some earings at the same time. That being said I can tell you that even when jewellery stores have sales their products are still way overpriced...

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IMO that's by far the best way to look at it - Let her pick it out so you can't go wrong... :D

yeah..that will work out too. actually, my fiancee was the one who requested where the ring should be from. if your missus have seen a ring that she liked...you could use that as a guideline

Just an update.. she said yes :D and we are now on holiday. Currently on a stopover in Taiwan. Rough travel plans are here..

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...71203#poststop

Thanks for everyones input, some (not all) advice was taken. Best wishes for the festive season.

glad it's gone all smoothy! have a great holiday!!