London romantic needs advice

[George]

I have done a bit of work, but really need some good advice please.

My budget is £10,000 = $14,357. I have been looking in London's Hatton gardens. I have found two contenders, both prices including a platinum setting and two 20 point baguettes:

1) 1.42 carat Brilliant F VS1 GIA-certified for £10,500 = $15,575

2) 1.51 carat Brilliant F VVS2 BGI-certified for £10,000, which subsequently
I asked to be tested by the Gemmological Association & Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain and turned out to be G VS1 according to them, so the price is now down to £9,200

Would I be completely foolish to buy either of these? Need help, many thanks,
George

PS Does anybody know about a place called "Ace of Diamonds" in Hatton Gardens?

 

[lawmax]

Hi George,

Unfortunately, I know nothing about London jewelers. It would be advisable to ask the jewelers for Sarin reports so you can get all of the diamond measurements. Then you will know the cut quality of the diamonds and can get a better idea about the diamonds' light performance and can better compare prices. Many buyers in Europe have bought diamonds online from US vendors and have done quite well in terms of price for excellent cut quality. If you want to buy in person, consider buying an ideal scope (see the menu bar above). They are quite inexpensive and will give you a good idea about what you are seeing.

Keep us posted and, especially since you are romantic, please post on our proposal forum about how you gave your sweetie the ring.

 

[FionaH]

Hi George

I live in the UK and diamonds have become a bit of a hobby of mine. I recently completed a diamond grading course at the Gemmological Institute in Hatton Garden (I just found out I passed the grading exam!). During breaks in the course I spent time looking around all the Hatton garden shops and went into Ace of Diamonds, hoping to test out my newly acquired knowledge. They showed me stones which they claimed were F colour and VS clarity, but when I looked at them I could see inclusions with the naked eye and my own assessment was that the stones were H colour and SI clarity. I wasn't impressed by the accuracy of their sales patter, or their prices.

Although Hatton garden can be cheaper than some other high end retailers if you know what you are looking for, it is still expensive compared to the States.

I recently bought a beautiful 2ct princess cut stone from Abazias.com in the US, and had it sent to me here. I paid exactly half the price for the diamond as compared with a 2ct stone of equivalent colour/clarity etc that I had looked at in Hatton Garden.

I would recommend buying from the US and having the stone set over here. I would suggest you only select from GIA certed stones as with any other labs you cannot be sure that the quality will be as you expect.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[lawmax]

----------------
On 4/11/2002 11:01:26 AM

I recently completed a diamond grading course at the Gemmological Institute in Hatton Garden (I just found out I passed the grading exam!). ----------------


Congratulations FionaH!

 

[George]

Thank you very much for your reply Fiona. I have to say, I was in a bit of a panic to get the stone before the engagement party, but I held off because I really didn't feel confident about what I was doing. Your advice is exactly what I wanted to hear and confirms my feeling that with a bit more work I could really get something better for the price. Sorry not to reply sooner but been away for a few days. Regards, George

 

[nina coodien]

Yes I do

I opurchased my engagement ring from them. Service was excellent and very informative.

 

[chmaiden]

I bought my missus' ring from them...they were excellent...great service, good prices, took another piece in part exchange at a reasonable and fair price, and gave us a v good deal on the wedding bands as well.
thoroughly recommend them to anyone

 

[james100]

this post is more than a year old!