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in a bit of a pickle

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chocolatedelight

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
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Hi,

I have been lurking on this site for a few weeks now and I seem to be getting myself in a flap each day regading my ring, so I think its time I ask for help :-)

Ok, on xmas eve my ring was stolen, sadly the insurance had expried a few weeks before, and I kept telling myself I would renew and never did, low and behold the ring was stolen some weeks later, Fiancee has agreed to buy another ring BUT needs to be cheaper no more expensive than the original. I paid £1650 (the mount was £720 with free setting) 3 years ago for this ring in Platinum with a 0.80, G/H SI brilliant diamond (thats all the info I have on it, sorry)


I went back to the guy I brought the ring from and he can now offer me a 0.63 I/J VS2 for the same price (mount is now £760)However I have seen a different ring that I do like but the diamonds this particular shop use are all IGI certified and i have not been reading good things about these diamonds, my problem is I would rather source my own daimond (with the help of all you nice people) and get the ring made up, but so far so good, the jewelers in hatton garden that I have come across seem to want to throw me out the shop as soon as I mention I would prefer to get my own diamond but get them to buy/make up my mount ect.

Can anyone recommend someone in the UK that can help?

Sorry if this is a bit long and posted in wrong place :-)
 
Would you be open to having a US vendor provide the diamond and the setting? I live in the UK and have worked with Whiteflash and Brian Gavin Diamonds. They are both excellent reputable companies. You will get a bigger diamond for your money and it will be a higher quality too.
 
Thanks for the reply :-)

Im open to the USA, the more I think about it the more I DON''T want to give the Hatton Garden clan my money!
 
Great! So let''s find out exactly what you would like. Is colour or clarity more important to you? Would you consider a stone which is SI1 but eyeclean? A well cut I or even J can face up lovely and white. Also going down in clarity and colour will save you money so you can get a bigger diamond.
 
Was your setting White Gold or Platinum?
 
Just for starters (I am running out to Tesco!) Brian Gavin Diamonds have a .72 J VS1 for $1955 (approx £1208). If you wanted a plain white gold setting I''m pretty sure this would come in on budget. Something to remember though, you will have to pay 20% in import duty and VAT when the ring is shipped to the UK. For your budget this would come to around £330. Would this also have to come out of the £1650?
 
Thanks.

My setting was platinum with some little diamonds on the side, my budget is no more than £1650 all in, The cost wouldnt have been a problem if this was my first ring back then he had a larger budget, it just happend to be the ring I liked was only £1650 back in 2007 (3 years ago today oddly enough), but now we have a baby, im a full time mum, so naturally he is being very strict with this budget :-(

SI but eye clean is fine by me, I colour is fine by me also, not too sure about J, although at saying that the one I saw the other day that was a I/J was quite nice and whiter than I expected. I have no intentions of ever selling my ring (unless he really gets on my nerves..teehee) so colour is more important than clarity, but then I dont want one that packed full of flaws either or am I now just wanting far too much for my budget?

Thanks.
 
that was my only concern with buying abroad, the duty and vat that would really take a good chunk out of my budget
 
http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/Whiteflash-ACA-cut-diamond-2231062.htm <<< ACA diamond - top of the Whiteflash range.

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/Solitaire/-Sleek-Lines--Diamond-Solitaire_688.htm <<< Platinum Setting

Total price $2258 - with taxes £1670. This is approximate but close enough.
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Hi Chocolatedelight, sorry to hear about the theft of your ring.
I''m in the UK too and while I have found that customs charges eat into budget, I''ve also found that I can get more for the money buying from the US, so that can even it out a bit.

If you''re set on a round brilliant, I don''t think you''d go far wrong with the ones Maisie suggests. They look beautiful. I''ve worked with Whiteflash from the UK with no problems, too.

However, if you''d consider something different, how about something along these lines? http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/halo-diamond-ring-45-cushion-floating-halo- I am in love with Daussi cushions at the moment, maybe a teeny bit obsessed.
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I replaced some pieces a few years ago and went with completely different looks so I wasn''t forever ''comparing'' in my head. Just something to think about, if you''re decided on a RB, just ignore me! One final thing, have you talked to your insurance company? If you''re a long standing customer, just occasionally, if you appeal to them, they will bend the exipry date a little as a good will gesture if you weren''t too far over (Direct Line insurance did this for me). I wouldn''t count on it, but it might be worth a try.

Congrats on your new baby,

Jen
 
I don''t know the conversions off the top of my head
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If you wouldn''t mind factoring in the duties and subtracting it from your total and then telling us the amount in US dollars you can spend, then I''d love to help you out in looking too!
 
I make it around $2176, accounting for a £330 customs charge, and based on today''s exchange rate.

Also worth bearing in mind that some vendors offer a PS discount / other discounts - have a good search around websites to stretch that budget as far as you can!

Jen
 
Ooooh! I''ve never come across this vendor before, but now that I have, I''d like their 7.02ct version please!

Maisie, I''ll guess that your calculation is more accurate than mine, I''m famous for being bad at arithmetic.
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Date: 1/21/2010 12:43:07 PM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Ooooh! I''ve never come across this vendor before, but now that I have, I''d like their 7.02ct version please!

Maisie, I''ll guess that your calculation is more accurate than mine, I''m famous for being bad at arithmetic.
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Haha, no! I think I was wrong because I only calculated £300 for duties
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Aww thanks guys, your all so helpful :-)

Im not bothered about Brilliant, princess or whatever, at this point I just want whatever works out cheapest,lol would love a asscher cut diamond, but I think we can safely say that is not going to happen.

I have put a link of my original ring (the first one) and the second one is the one I have now fallen in love with but would like to make a few minor alterations, but way out of my budget :-(

http://www.london-victorian-ring.com/3512.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/golden-wardrobe/Gold_Details.aspx?ItemCode=WF-4151&size=6.50#
 
Insurance ran out 6 weeks previous, and they are having none of it, I just hope the lady who took it chocked on her Turkey after making my xmas so rotten
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Your original ering is very pretty. I think thats a pretty good price for platinum and diamonds. Would they be willing to sell the setting without the diamond?
 
yes, they sell it without the diamond, but by the time I buy the diamond then the charge for the jeweler to fit it, then it really gets expensive.
 
Are you willing to wait and save some of your spending money to get something that you really want? Alternatively, you can buy from a company with an upgrade policy and get a larger or different stone later on.
 
Date: 1/21/2010 12:57:59 PM
Author: chocolatedelight

Im not bothered about Brilliant, princess or whatever, at this point I just want whatever works out cheapest,lol would love a asscher cut diamond, but I think we can safely say that is not going to happen.
Click to expand...

Why not, chocolate? If you''re okay with a smaller asscher (.50 - .60 ct) I don''t see why you couldn''t have one.
 
Woohoo! I have managed to find someone who can make my ring and use my own diamond without making me feel bad or cheap, now just need to find a suitable diamond.

Many thanks for all your help :-)
 
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