best place in world to buy a diamond retail??

[Gulumbit]

We saw some nice engagement rings in London on the weekend but I am troubled by two questions...

1. Are there big differences in diamond retail prices across countries? I imagine a lot of the London retail price is linked to London being expensive and was wondering if South Africa, Belgium, Asia, Australia, US or elsewhere might be better value. I travel a lot... should I be looking elsewhere??

2. Our favourite was an eternity setting but the baguettes in it were too small for GIA gradings. It was the price of a good 1.1 carat single stone and Im concerned about spending all that money without knowing exactly what I''m getting. Any advice for how to get some peace of mind?

thanks & regards to all...

 

[denverappraiser]

Gulumbit,

Certain countries have higher tax structures than others but there is nothing inherent in a piece of jewelery that will make it more expensive in one place than another. Diamonds come from one place, platinum from another and craftsmanship from a third. It's all pretty portable. The US based dealers who participate in the pricescope search engine are a pretty competitive bunch and I'm sure most of them are happy to ship internationally under the right circumstances. It shouldn't be much of a problem to shop them and see if they are competitive with your local markets. In general, the 'diamond markets' that are distributed about the globe are not a place to shop. The forum has lots of discussion about this topic.

There is something to be said for shopping in your home country where you understand the laws and taxes that apply to your situation but this issue varies from country to country. In the US it's pretty easy to figure out. Here are the rules, straight from the horses mouth:

http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/import/infrequent_importer_info/

If you're not in the US, there may be import taxes and other regulations associated with buying overseas that will complicate your decision but you can probably find them fairly easily from the local authorities.

Best of luck with your purchase,

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver