Any tips for buying a diamond ring?

[goon]

Hi all!
My best friend is proposing very soon and needs to buy a ring ( under $4.5K budget) for his gal friend.
He asked me for suggestions but I really know nuts about buying diamond rings so hopefully some of u good folks who have some experience ,please do share tips on where ,how if possible coz maybe some time down the road,some of us will need to buy one hehe.:heart:

 

[huggable]

Dug out a lot of info when I was getting a proposal ring, that was like, almost a decade ago.

Think there are 4 'C's to look out for,
Clarity (Flawless, VVS1, VVS2 etc)
Carat (size)
Color (D, E, F etc)
Cut (how well it reflects light)

Try getting a solitaire, it's more timeless.

 

[Old Boy]

IF ( flawless) and D color is top grade but very expensive and rare. Mostly diamonds come with certificate to indicate the quality. These are the factors to consider : color, grade ( IF, VVS! etc ..) ,cut quality and type of cut ( personal preference) and of course carat size. Watch out luminescence which can either bring down the value or add value depending on the color. Normally this would add value to lower colored grade but not high colored grade such as D. Most people would not able to tell the color grade so size matters :bsmilie:

 

[ConnorMcLeod]

Hi all!
My best friend is proposing very soon and needs to buy a ring ( under $4.5K budget) for his gal friend.
He asked me for suggestions but I really know nuts about buying diamond rings so hopefully some of u good folks who have some experience ,please do share tips on where ,how if possible coz maybe some time down the road,some of us will need to buy one hehe.:heart:

Go to the shops and find out.
I learned a lot from those shops just by talking to them.... the 4C's. They can give your friend an idea what he can get for his budget. I believe he needs to up his budget if he insists on perfect cut.

 

[garagez]

i'm not getting any ,but good info

 

[huggable]

Oh yes, only diamonds above a certain size and grade will get GIA certs, with serial number. For proposal ring, it's better to get one with GIA certification.

Anyway on the 4C thingie, you'll be surprised that bigger stones are not necessarily more expensive, if the quality is not good. I got mine previously from Goldheart, your friend can check out other stores too. Most salesperson I've encountered are more than happy to explain the 4Cs and other info with your friend.

All the best!

 

[wayne900]

i bought a diamond from USA and have it shipped over and set it in a local shop. You might go to www.proposalring.com to read more.

 

[Old Boy]

You can ask the salesman to provide you a 20x manifying glass and check the diamond certificate number on the girdle if it matches the certificate. The girdle is the very thin circumferential land around the diameter of the diamond ( if it is round and not covered by the ring). If cost is concern, color F,G and H is still reasonably acceptable by most collectors. As for inclusions, it will need high powered magnifying glass to detect them for grades like VVS1, else VS1 or VS2 is good enough. I think the budget may be able to get reasonably good diamond. Lustre is another key factors that most collectors will look at as it indicates "life" . This is different from sparkle which is reflections of light. The certificate tells so much that one do not need to go in depth. Just make sure the certificate is genuine. In S'pore, I think it is pretty safe. Don't buy from places like Thailand unless you are a connoiseur or gemologist.

 

[aryanto]

tell her this: darling you know how much a diamond ring cost right? so here is a swaro chrystal ring that look like a diamond ring, and here is the cheque for the difference. Keep the ring and cash out the cheque. They are both yours.

 

[ConnorMcLeod]

tell her this: darling you know how much a diamond ring cost right? so here is a swaro chrystal ring that look like a diamond ring, and here is the cheque for the difference. Keep the ring and cash out the cheque. They are both yours.

I would say, "Darling, here is the diamond ring. There is a serial number engraved on it. I used part of my budget on this super dper macro lens to take a picture of the serial number.' and she should figure out why the diamond is small :bsmilie:


I got my wife a good quality D vvs perfect cut from Lee Hwa. Quality wise I think its very good already BUT its not 1 carat, she does not care about quality but size - maybe she wanna show off at friends and size is easier to appreciate than D vvs except the experts' eyes. So guys beware... size matters!

 

[gwunwai]

I think the solitaire cut suggestion is good.

The common situation is such that everybody knows about the 4C, but the Carat is the most visible C (bigger Carat, bigger sized diamond)

For Clarity and Colour, most people won't be able to differentiate unless you put 2 diamonds of different grades side-by-side.

Some people go for a high carat but low clarity, low colour and thus cheaper ring because it's minimum cost, maximum impact; some people go for good clarity, good colour, so-so carat, which can be a lot more expensive.

Few people would argue that the diamond ring represents how much the girl is worth in the guy's heart. Conversely, I think it also shows how the guy thinks of himself to his wife-to-be.

I'm not advocating either approach, just that this thread reminded me when I proposed to my wife

 

[ConnorMcLeod]

I think the solitaire cut suggestion is good.

The common situation is such that everybody knows about the 4C, but the Carat is the most visible C (bigger Carat, bigger sized diamond)

For Clarity and Colour, most people won't be able to differentiate unless you put 2 diamonds of different grades side-by-side.

Some people go for a high carat but low clarity, low colour and thus cheaper ring because it's minimum cost, maximum impact; some people go for good clarity, good colour, so-so carat, which can be a lot more expensive.

Few people would argue that the diamond ring represents how much the girl is worth in the guy's heart. Conversely, I think it also shows how the guy thinks of himself to his wife-to-be.

I'm not advocating either approach, just that this thread reminded me when I proposed to my wife

Fully agree - carat is most easily noticed.
Colour/cut/clarify, you need to really know the stuff to tell & appreciate the differences.

 

[genegoh]

For size, do take note that there is a big jump in price from a 0.49 carat to a > 0.50 carat diamond.
Likewise for 0.99 to 1.00 carat. Slight diff not noticeable but price is very different.

Oh yes, size matters over quality, cos size is the first thing pple see!

 

[yao86]

:think:For me Carat come last because if the rest of the C’s is not good, how big the size is, it is still a stone to me.

For Clear Diamonds I’m not sure?

I’m a Colour Gem Stone lover:heart: include Colour Diamonds.

 

[stonefish35]

Hi all!
My best friend is proposing very soon and needs to buy a ring ( under $4.5K budget) for his gal friend.
He asked me for suggestions but I really know nuts about buying diamond rings so hopefully some of u good folks who have some experience ,please do share tips on where ,how if possible coz maybe some time down the road,some of us will need to buy one hehe.:heart:

Your Best Friend's a photog too ? If so, there is only 1 golden rule.

Make sure the cost of the stone is > than the most expensive lense/body in his dry cabinet.

With this rule observed, there shouldn't
be a problem getting another lense in the future. :bsmilie:

You can try to go to the local diamond factory to select your stone, and choose the setting. Its located at Lower Delta. GIA cert included. Or the EU version, can't remember. Tell them the budget, they can offer advice. A buddy did that. I find it more unique and personalised than off the shelf Lee Hwa and the likes

 

[ortega]

size matters

the rock is for showing off only

or a really meaningful design
be careful when you buy
as the next one cannot be smaller than the first one

 

[desertstrike]

interesting read!

 

[NineEleven]

Hmm, for under S$4.5K. You should only be able to find a mounted, half carat of under F colour & hopefully VVS.

Anything D with good cut & clarity, GIA + 1 carat is well over S$10K excluding the ring which can cost more than S$1.5K

Hope the prices still hold from what I know.

There's also Belgium cert. & qualified locals.

 

[iMac08]

u shld try find some reliable online site.i bought mine for wife at those shops...but is really not cheap. u can get better deal just buying the diamond and then send to a goldsmith and to frame it to a ring. can get pretty good deal for the same amt of money....i kinda regret buying from shop..but what the hack..the wife's happy and is easier for me...if u need can PM me. i will try to ask ard see if i can contact my friends where or what site they got it from. it comes with cert also.

an example i can tell u is for the same price at larry's my friend got something bigger and better quality by their 4C classification. he spent abt 20k...it probably costs 30k or more for the same thing in larry's. and Tiff and Co is also another overprice crap...it is crazy..but women loves it for the name...if your wife never say anything abt larry's or T&C....better don't bring it up to save yourself some money

 

[guanlim]

Don't bother buying from "branded" retailers if you want the most sparks for your bucks.

Why pay extra for similar quality when you are in fact paying for their rentals, staff salaries, A&P. Tiffany, Larry's, Cartier won't pay for prime locations in Orchard Road if consumers are not willing to pay a lot extra for that blue packaging.

Similarly, local retailers like Soo Kee, Lee Hwa and what not adapt a similar pricing strategy.

Learned this the hard way. Bought a Brilliant Rose from Soo Kee last year without doing much research. Realized later that similar specs stone when bought direct from dealers, with GIA certs, cost a lot less.

My $0.02