Hearts on Fire Help in the UK..

[Tuma]

Hi there all,

This is my first post so be easy on me....
Here is my problem i''m planing a trip to the rockys in september and i plan on asking my partner of 16 years if she will marry me!!

I''ve seen a HOF trilogy ring in my local jewelry store the setting is platinum with 3 stones the centre stone is 0.49 and the 2 side stones are 0.25 each the color is H with a VS1, as the jewelry store has had the ring for about a year they are selling at £3000 which converted into USD is $4900 is this a good price?

Many Thanks

 

[susimoo]

I am no expert, new here myself, so i won''t give a definative answer on this one. Hang on and one of the experts will come your way!

I would reckon the ps''s on here will be able to find you a better deal than that! It would appear that we do not get good deals here in the UK when it comes to quality diamonds. However that comes down to personal choice.

Congratulations on your decision to ask your partner to marry you. Good Luck. I will follow the progress of your ring search with great interest.

 

[Maisie]

I think you could do better with a PS vendor.

 

[Tuma]

What is a PS vendor?

 

[susimoo]

That is a Pricescope Vendor. It is a jeweller who meets pricescope''s high standards. If you click on resources above you will find them listed as diamond vendors.

If you give it a bit of time one the experts will spot your post and will give you some advice as to how to proceed with your purchase.

Good luck.

 

[Tuma]

Thanks i''ve had a look on the WF web site and priced up the stones and setting and there is not alot in it really, so i''m thinking the the HOF is a pretty good deal.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[risingsun]

Date: 2/21/2010 10:43:03 AM
Author: Tuma
Thanks i''ve had a look on the WF web site and priced up the stones and setting and there is not alot in it really, so i''m thinking the the HOF is a pretty good deal.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

There are many excellent vendors who advertise on PS. HOF comes at a high premium. That being said, my rings [and other pieces] are from the HOF collection. Their diamonds, settings and jewelry are stunning, but you need to be willing to pay the piper if you want HOF

 

[susimoo]

Hey Tuma

I went diamond looking today and went via HoF especially given your post. I have to admit they are beautiful looking diamonds!!!

I think that whilst UK wise you may have a "buy" as far as this ring is concerned, if you are willing to put a bit of time into this project some of the vendors who come highly recommended on here could probably blow the specifications and size of this piece out of the water.

I know just from what I have paid in the UK for diamond jewellery, compared to what I now find I could get in the USA, including the 20 to 30% increase for importing it, I could get a lot more with far higher specs!!

Maybe UK in the title of posts puts our American cousins off. Perhaps put another in saying you want a 3 stone ring for X amount and maybe someone far more diamond savvy than me will step in and help!!

I also know that Bestdiamonds which has a UK base was recommended to me by Lorelei, resident expert and Prosumer no less! Check them out if you prefer a UK only transaction.

Good luck at let us know how you get on.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/21/2010 2:14:52 PM
Author: susimoo
Hey Tuma

I went diamond looking today and went via HoF especially given your post. I have to admit they are beautiful looking diamonds!!!

I think that whilst UK wise you may have a ''buy'' as far as this ring is concerned, if you are willing to put a bit of time into this project some of the vendors who come highly recommended on here could probably blow the specifications and size of this piece out of the water.

I know just from what I have paid in the UK for diamond jewellery, compared to what I now find I could get in the USA, including the 20 to 30% increase for importing it, I could get a lot more with far higher specs!!

Maybe UK in the title of posts puts our American cousins off. Perhaps put another in saying you want a 3 stone ring for X amount and maybe someone far more diamond savvy than me will step in and help!!

I also know that Bestdiamonds which has a UK base was recommended to me by Lorelei, resident expert and Prosumer no less! Check them out if you prefer a UK only transaction.

Good luck at let us know how you get on.

Hi Tuma and welcome!

Thats a great suggestion from Susan, Dr Indira Marchant from www.bestdiamonds.co.uk sells Crafted by Infinity h&a which might be an excellent choice for you Tuma. Indira is located in London and sees clients by appointment but she can also work remotely.

www.craftedbyinfinity.com is the main Infinity website so you can read up on this brand.

 

[Bcow]

Tuma I was in your shoes just a few weeks ago. I went to brick and mortar store that sold the HOF diamonds. My fiance'' love them (big shock I know). The prices were quite outragous so I hit the internet. Well I ended up with a Brian Gavin signiture series H&A stone at 1/3 the price. Check them out you''ll be very happy if you went through them. Unless you''re the type that likes to pay more to say you have the "hot name brand" I wouldn''t buy a HOF diamond. They are great stones but at a huge premium. The general public seems to be getting more and more educated about the diamond business and I highly doubt 5 years from now the HOF stones will still hold that HUGE premium people are paying for them now.

I am no diamond expert but a perfectly cut diamond with perfect hearts and arrows pattern and perfect polish and symmetry should be virtually the same no matter what name brand is attached to it. My feeling is why pay the huge mark up for the name brand as well as all the mark to cover operating costs that a brick and mortar store has.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Tuma, if you''re up for buying online from the US, you may save quite a bit of money on at least comparable quality diamonds, plus you''ll be able to specify exactly the combination of colour, clarity and size you want for your budget.

That being said, if you buy from overseas, remember to factor in 2% import duty and 17.5% VAT, which you will be charged when the ring ships here.

Adding nearly 20% to the total cost for the stones and setting and paying shipping charges may very well see the price being not a million miles off the HoF price. It will depend partly on the exchange rate when you buy (obviously). If that''s the ring your partner has her heart set on, and you can afford it, it might not be too bad a deal in the end. Maybe see if there is any room for negotiation?

My aunt has the most stunning HoF ring and I have admired it many times. They are very nice diamonds.

Good luck!

Jen

 

[Tuma]

Thanks for all your advise on this matter, i have looked into the B&M option with Brian Gavin and the costs are more for the same size stones and the setting!

The woman in the store that is selling the HOF said that the ring was priced up wrong and that it should have beed over £6000.

Any Thoughts

 

[susimoo]

Hi Tuma

Is the store now wanting £6000 instead of the £3000 they originally quoted you?

 

[Tuma]

No it turns out that they have had the ring for 1.5 years and the cost of the ring should be £6000 at todays price, however the ticket price was £3999 on saturday and i got them down to £3200 for cash...which they will honor.

 

[susimoo]

I am with you now.

As I said in my previous post I am no diamond expert. I had hoped that someone with more knowledge would have been able to do a price comparison.

Perhaps do a separate thread without Uk in the title, post the specs and the price and simply ask if it is a good deal or if it could be bettered.

I am sorry I wasn''t able to help any further.

 

[Tuma]

I phoned another store in a different part of the country today and asked them for a price on the same spec ring and they came back with £5700 as a budget cost so the price of £3000 seems to be a good one.

 

[Tuma]

I''ve had a quick search on the net and found the ring on this web site for $9000 so the $4800 sound like a good deal..

Link

Although i have been looking on the Brian Gavin site and i can get something with a simular spec but with certs on all of the stones unlike the HOF ring and the settings on the BG site are very nice.

 

[LD]

I''m in the UK and regularly buy diamonds here. If you shop around you will most definitely beat that quote out of the water. £6,000 for those size diamonds (even if they are HOF) is ludicrous.

I''m not going to post up where I buy most of my diamonds from because I may be accused of favouring a vendor but in all honesty I''ve had repeatedly good deals and fabulous customer service of the years. I have very very very rarely ever found a better deal in the US once you take into account the import costs etc etc. The exception is on coloured diamonds that I can''t find easily in the UK and in fact, nearly always buy abroad.

If you look at my posts specifically about diamonds I''m sure you''ll find the vendor I''m familiar with. However, I would say that you need to phone them and NOT judge a book by it''s website - their website is dire!!!!

 

[Tuma]

I agree that £6000 is too dear for this setting and stones and i would never buy this ring at that price, but at £3000 which is half the retail price this ring seems to be a good deal.

Cheers