Buying diamonds online from Austalia

[Wombats]

Good Morning

We are looking at purchasing a diamond ring for our 10 year anniversary online in the US, from Australia. We hope we can get better value this way, but are obviously feeling cautious and would appreciate some feedback and guidance please.

We are most interested in feedback on reputable dealers who ship internationally and about the best way to source the ring; either diamonds and setting separately or a completed ring. And also feedback on whether our wishlist is achievable in our budget? We're also new to some of the custom cuts (e.g. Hearts and Arrows) and curious as to what gives best value vs most sparkle? Hubby's feedback is that after three kids, including twins, I can have whatever I want!

We are looking for:

* 5 stone ring
* Round diamonds
* approx 2.0 cts total weight
* 18ct yellow gold with platinum claw setting
* Size 4.5 ring - long, narrow fingers
* Wear on right hand or on other side of plain yellow wedding band
* Similar quality to E-Ring (see below)
* Considering, six prong, shared prong or trellis setting (E-Ring is a 6 claw traditional setting, so would need to be sympathetic to this. I haven't seen any six prong, 5 stone settings on the board, so am not sure what the current fashion on this is?).
* Budget A$10000 (US$7500-US$8000) - flexible depending on what this can buy

Our current E-Ring:

* 18ct yellow gold and platinum trilogy diamond ring
* round brilliant cut diamonds in six claw platinum setting
* Centre = 0.7cts
* Outer stones 2 x 0.32cts
* Colour G
* Clarity SI1
* Value in 2006 was A$8500 = US$6500
* Worn next to a plain 18ct yellow gold wedding band

Thanks so much for your feedback and assistance.

 

[laurenk]

Hi Wombats! I'm a fellow Aussie and have been a member on here for a while now and I can honestly say if you stick with Pricescope preferred vendors and factor in all the things like exchange rates, Gst etc.... Then you will know exactly what you're up for.

Many vendors have shipped to Australia plenty of times and they are aware of all the forms required to ensure you don't pay extra on the import.... (Free trade agreement).

Personally, I have recently purchased a loose pear from Jewels By Grace who specializes in vintage and antique diamonds. This diamond is now with a fabulous jeweler, Victor Canera, he's very much loved on PC and his work appears to be amazing. I'll have it in a few weeks.

A Five stone ring will be Devine and I'm sure many vendors could do a brilliant job. Just be sure of what you want?

Have you got a budget in mind? Are you planning to keep your current diamond and incorporate into your ring?

 

[Wombats]

Thanks for your quick response laurenk, it's reassuring!

We're planning a brand new ring, with a budget of US$8000, but are still trying to understand what we can get for that at this stage.

Your ring sounds lovely, hope it turns out well. [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH]

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[laurenk]

Hi again
Do you want the stones to be all the same size like pic? Or graduated? So larger Centre then smaller sides and smaller again?

I'd contact white flash - they have online chat systems too. You'll have to factor in 10% Gst when it hits our shores.

 

[laurenk]

Or..

 

[Wombats]

Hi there,

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I've settled on 5 stone @0.3cts each, in a U setting / shared setting or trellis setting. Yellow gold band. I have an Australian J/4.75 ring size. I tried on a 0.4 x 5 stone ring today and it's too wide on my finger.

Thank you, I will look at those sites. I haven't yet tried on a trellis setting, so still need to do that.

Cheers

 

[Gypsy]

Make sure you ask for a quote from IDJ for "PS quality stones".

I do love BGD's settings for trellis styles the best though.

 

[arkieb1]

You could buy 2 x more smaller diamonds and make a 5 stone out of your existing ring. Grace from Jewels by Grace has some lovely bands from time to time as well, you could email her and ask if she has anything arriving fitting your description, other wise I agree IDJ usually has great prices, jewellers here could probably also make you a band as another option, it just depends what style you want.

 

[Wombats]

Thanks so much. I'm keen for a new ring for my right hand, and live my ERing too much to have it reset.

I've contacted IDJ, BGD and White flash for quotes. It will be interesting to see what they come back with.

After trying on a few more settings today, I've settled on a shared setting, 1.5-2.0cts total weight, similar to this:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-d-jewelry-5-stone-ring.142391/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/i-d-jewelry-5-stone-ring.142391/[/URL]

I'm curious as to how the price will compare to what us available in Australia.

I'll be sure to report back.