So, after two weeks of actually going to the B&M stores, local Toronto jewellers and wholesalers to view stones, I''m leaning towards committing PS sacriledge and buying from Tiffany''s ... I realize that won''t be a popular decision around here, but for a number of reasons (not least of which is that my fiance-to-be absolutely adores the Tiffany setting and will absolutely flip when she sees the blue box 
I''ve decided to go this route, even though it''ll definitely mean getting a smaller stone within my budget ...
Now, the plan is to propose this summer on a trip of ours to Europe. Tiffany''s of course has stores in Paris, Florence, Milan and Rome and we''ll be in all those cities at some point (yeah, it''s an awesome trip, cutting into the budget for this ring a bit, but it''s worth it. I was thinking that instead of bringing a ring over from Toronto, that I''d surprise her with an empty blue box (for the proposal) and set up an appointment for us to go and view some rings and pick one out in one of the Tiffany & Co.s across the pond.
Now, I have several questions that hopefully some of you PSers might be able to answer:
- Will prices be reasonably comparable (after exchange rate considerations of course)?
- Can I expect the staff in those locations to have a reasonable command of English (although her French is perfect, mine''s atrocious and we know no Italian)?
- Does the VAT rebate for foreigners apply to luxury items like an e-ring? The minimum for any purchase is 50 euros but is there an upper limit to the rebate amount? (Considering the 15% tax I''d pay at the Toronto store, the 18% vat that I might save there would be a considerable savings if I could claim this)
If any of you have any experience when it comes to buying rings in Europe generally, I''d be glad to hear about any other good jewelers that you may have been to.
Cheers,
holepunch
I''ve decided to go this route, even though it''ll definitely mean getting a smaller stone within my budget ...Now, the plan is to propose this summer on a trip of ours to Europe. Tiffany''s of course has stores in Paris, Florence, Milan and Rome and we''ll be in all those cities at some point (yeah, it''s an awesome trip, cutting into the budget for this ring a bit, but it''s worth it
. I was thinking that instead of bringing a ring over from Toronto, that I''d surprise her with an empty blue box (for the proposal) and set up an appointment for us to go and view some rings and pick one out in one of the Tiffany & Co.s across the pond.Now, I have several questions that hopefully some of you PSers might be able to answer:
- Will prices be reasonably comparable (after exchange rate considerations of course)?
- Can I expect the staff in those locations to have a reasonable command of English (although her French is perfect, mine''s atrocious and we know no Italian)?
- Does the VAT rebate for foreigners apply to luxury items like an e-ring? The minimum for any purchase is 50 euros but is there an upper limit to the rebate amount? (Considering the 15% tax I''d pay at the Toronto store, the 18% vat that I might save there would be a considerable savings if I could claim this)
If any of you have any experience when it comes to buying rings in Europe generally, I''d be glad to hear about any other good jewelers that you may have been to.
Cheers,
holepunch
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