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Advice required on buying in Europe / UK

M

Mpck

Rough_Rock
Joined
Aug 6, 2019
Messages
11
Hi All!

I'm looking at buying a ring or a diamond. I've been searching this site and all the links attached and there seems to be good value to be had, the only issue is that buying and importing to Ireland will mean customs tax which takes the value away.

Can anybody suggest a good place to buy diamonds or a diamond ring in the UK or Europe? Wholesalers would be best if possible as a consumer.

Thank you in advance.
 
Have you done the calculations of importing vs buying locally?

What is the VAT and Import Tax rates for Ireland? (I presume 'southern' Ireland, not Northern Ireland?)

I found that one could get better quality for the same price buying from the US and importing!


That said, I think Blue Nile and James Allen can ship from the EU?
 
Thanks for the reply.

So they want VAT and customs tax.... it totally takes the good value out of it.

Hence I'm now looking for the UK & EU options
 
Yes, bluenile headquarters for their EU business are in Ireland afaik and iirc. If you want top quality cut, Fortrez in Belgium and Durham rose in England carry CBI diamonds. They have online Shops an/or ship EU wide. No additional fees for you, no hassle and a return policy. I know the high street prices in the EU and specifically in Ireland also and you could get a far (FAR) better quality for the same price.
 
Very interesting info and thanks for the response.

It seems that way for those shops vs what we have seen in some antique jewelers so far around Ireland.
 
Are you nearer to Dublin or Cork?
 
Hi All,

We saw rings today and are kind of torn / undecided.

Ring 1 Spec:
Solitaire
Ct 2.98
Colour: J/K
Cut: Round - Old Cut
Clarity: Unknown yet (will be able to update this next week hopefully). No cert.

This is an antique old cut ring set in platinum.

Price is 11900 euros.

Ring 2 Spec:
Solitaire
Ct 2.7
Colour: H
Cut: Round new cut
Clarity: Unknown but better than ring 1 and has a certificate.

Price is 14900 euros.

My questions are:

- What are your thoughts on the value?
- Which seems the better choice of the two?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
Mpck said:
Hi All,

We saw rings today and are kind of torn / undecided.

Ring 1 Spec:
Solitaire
Ct 2.98
Colour: J/K
Cut: Round - Old Cut
Clarity: Unknown yet (will be able to update this next week hopefully). No cert.

This is an antique old cut ring set in platinum.

Price is 11900 euros.

Ring 2 Spec:
Solitaire
Ct 2.7
Colour: H
Cut: Round new cut
Clarity: Unknown but better than ring 1 and has a certificate.

Price is 14900 euros.

My questions are:

- What are your thoughts on the value?
- Which seems the better choice of the two?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Without any ASETscope images or grading reports listing angles etc., there is no empirical way of knowing if these stones (or any other) will perform well or look like dead pieces of glass.
 
OoohShiny said:
Without any ASETscope images or grading reports listing angles etc., there is no empirical way of knowing if these stones (or any other) will perform well or look like dead pieces of glass.
Click to expand...

These are fair points. I'm afraid one ring doesn't have a cert its a very old ring and the other does (I should have the photo of the report this week).

I have photos of the two rings on my girlfriends hand but I'm guessing this isn't enough to go by?

Thanks for your response
 
Mpck said:
These are fair points. I'm afraid one ring doesn't have a cert its a very old ring and the other does (I should have the photo of the report this week).

I have photos of the two rings on my girlfriends hand but I'm guessing this isn't enough to go by?

Thanks for your response
Click to expand...
Ultimately your eyes will be the one viewing whichever you choose day-to-day, so choosing based on that basis alone is something that has been done for many years - it is only recently that we have technology to scan and measure and computer-control cutting of rough, and empirically assess finished stones!

If you are able/happy to purchase an ASETscope it could be used on mounted stones to give some indication of their performance, if not as accurately as when stones are unmounted.

If not, you will need to make sure that you view each stone in a variety of lighting environments - twinkly store lights (where everything looks amazing), outside under cloudy skies, outside in the sun, inside in 'flat' lighting (e.g. uplighters or natural light only coming in from a window on the other side of the room), holding the stone under the table or a piece of card to remove most light and see how it performs in low light environments...


Make sure to use the Pricescope search bar at the top of the forum to give 'new' prices for stones around the spec of the modern cut, and you can look at Old World Diamonds, Diamonds by Lauren and Love Affair Diamonds to check out comparable prices for equivalent stones to the Old cut stone.

Don't forget to haggle if you go ahead - there will, of course, be a wedge of profit included within that price, so there should be room to 'wiggle'.
 
I'd love to see the photos
 
This info is excellent. I never thought of buying one of these.

Although I would be concerned about not knowing enough on what I am viewing but I'm sure I can learn.

You are correct in what you are saying that it is down to what she is happy with as it will be on her finger at the end of the day.

I am just trying to make sure we get the best value possible...

OoohShiny said:
Ultimately your eyes will be the one viewing whichever you choose day-to-day, so choosing based on that basis alone is something that has been done for many years - it is only recently that we have technology to scan and measure and computer-control cutting of rough, and empirically assess finished stones!

If you are able/happy to purchase an ASETscope it could be used on mounted stones to give some indication of their performance, if not as accurately as when stones are unmounted.

If not, you will need to make sure that you view each stone in a variety of lighting environments - twinkly store lights (where everything looks amazing), outside under cloudy skies, outside in the sun, inside in 'flat' lighting (e.g. uplighters or natural light only coming in from a window on the other side of the room), holding the stone under the table or a piece of card to remove most light and see how it performs in low light environments...


Make sure to use the Pricescope search bar at the top of the forum to give 'new' prices for stones around the spec of the modern cut, and you can look at Old World Diamonds, Diamonds by Lauren and Love Affair Diamonds to check out comparable prices for equivalent stones to the Old cut stone.

Don't forget to haggle if you go ahead - there will, of course, be a wedge of profit included within that price, so there should be room to 'wiggle'.
Click to expand...
 
Sorry but the photos didn't attach
 
This diagram (with thanks to Garry H and John Pollard IIRC!) shows how the ASETscope colours show where the stones are collecting light from - red is light from around the head, green from elsewhere, blue is shadow/obstruction from the viewer's head:

ASET-Light-Setup1[1].jpg

Any white (on a white background) or black (on a black background) is likely to be showing areas of leakage, which can make a stone look dark and/or lifeless if there is too much.

You do need some contrast, though, to create visual interest and make the bright facets look brighter!
 
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