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How and where to buy diamond rings?

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ksl
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Post by ksl » Mon, 16 Jun 2008 1:14 am

SittingBull wrote:
taxico wrote:i think the place is called diamond centre (or diamond soemthing).

they're also jewelery store so they do all your resizing stuff.

ive never been impressed by their diamonds - i shopped there before.

I guess thats why most people go to shops like Larry, D Meyson to get them. At least it's a lot safer in terms of the 4Cs... btw, do you think the Larry's 0.63ct, E,vs2, is a good buy at 4.6k?
You can do better!
Try this http://www.pricescope.com/RepScope.asp

The diamond expert cutters!
http://www.diamond-experts.com/diamonds_prices.htm

Then set your heart on your discount! Cut grades are not part of the report. There is enough info there, to give you a sound base. Remember the economic climate will also have an effect on your bargain power, they still have to pay the rent, and maybe there is a slow down in sales.

Diamond rings are not good investments, by the way, so use the information wisely :wink:

Petales Soufflez!
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Post by Petales Soufflez! » Mon, 16 Jun 2008 6:21 am

OK, where do I start?

Proposing is a serious business and unless you suddenly have a more important budget in the next 2 years, you wouldn't be changing the ring. You do not want to be light on the matter and end up 1) being cheated on your diamond 2) upset your girl because you hadn't put in more money and effort in your enterprise.

As a general rule, the 1st diamond should be worth 2 months' of your salary.

Next, I have bought diamonds in shops, through the guy supplying boutiques like the ones at Hotel Crillon in Paris, on the Net, second hand jewellers, private sales, at Diamond Industries in Singapore etc etc.

I've been cheated very often on the Net - because you cannot gauge your diamond (not even thru photos, so-called diamond apparaisals etc) and it is difficult to know if your stone is natural or has been treated until you get it and have it appraised independently yourself. Then of course you may not wish to buy war diamonds from Africa and end up supporting some evil cause.

Buying diamonds is also a complicated art and science. Art because it is personal and subjective and science because it does come along with well-developed measurements and standards e.g. the 4Cs, refractive index, proportions, combination of everything.

Buying directly from someone in the business is the best bet but you need to know one, of course. If you know of auction houses or 2nd hand jewellers where you can actually visit and touch the stones, they could be great. They also usually have inhouse experts and eventually work with jewellers who may be able to set your stone for you. Of course for a proposal I wouldn't advise a 2nd hand ring, but it'll be ok with loose stones.

Unless they've since revamped, diamonds sold at Diamond Industries in Singapore are commercial grade diamonds. Great for the nice diamond pendant, earrings and odd pieces of pleasure jewellery, but I would be a little more careful with a proposal ring. Girls talk about their rings with other girls, they compare. For such a significant ring, they'll want at least a H colour (size actually may not be so important for this 1st ring but best be above 0,5ct), perfect cut (e.g. 58 facets), round or princess (but you know your girl better she may prefer Emerald or Pear), and your setting better show the stone off to advantage (mine has gold ring white gold claws but it's classic and some girls want it in antique style, filigree or with side stones, even coloured gems...). Clarity too would be important for a ring because that's what people look at 1st, so nothing worse than VS2 or SI1. And if your girl is unusual, she may actually prefer a coloured diamond.

One reason why you are right to not want to set your stone is that unless you know it well, it could be replaced during the setting if your setter is not honest. Otherwise classic rings are easy to set.

I am lucky to be invited to private internet sales in France like once a year. I've bought from Mauboussin, Golay etc this way, usually at less than half price what you would pay in their boutiques. In Singapore I know that they have jewellery sales (not the House of Hung eternal 80% off kind) at hotels from time to time, keep your eye on the Straits Times for the adverts.

You may want to visit a few small boutiques and ask them if they have offers on their loose stones. You never know, they may want to clear stock. And you can at least see what you're buying in person.

Also, there are a few more reputable internet sellers like Blue Nile and you'll find other recommendations in Pricescope. With the USD going down, it could be interesting buying from boutiques selling in USD especially when many have a refund policy. Get the whole ring then as they may even allow you to customise your ring for no extra charge.

Good luck.
Je pense donc je suis. Le reste du temps, je ne suis qu'une fleur.

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:53 am

Petales Soufflez!,

Thanks for an excellent and informative post. I learned quite a bit.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by taxico » Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:23 am

+1 on the auction (especially when there're people in the know there whom you can use to gauge on what the going price is).

+1 on the buying of loose stones from the store too. i've found singapore jewelers to be generally honest.

and if you know where the one or two (okay, maybe more depending on how much you pay for it) flaws are, you can borrow a loupe to check when it has been set.

this is especially a must unless you buy one of those weird diamonds with serial numbers inside...

+1 on clarity over size and another +1 for minimum of 0.5 carat (if you set it on classic 4 claw, it can look bigger than what it is).

i don't actually agree with the engagement ring = twice your pay. you should know what would suit your girlfriend.

i believe pink diamonds are way expensive; i was looking for one but they were all kinda big carat diamonds.

they had yellow diamonds but they don't look good and it may be mistaken for some other type of stone at a later stage.

the normal white ones look the best though, now that i think about it. just classic. weird cuts and those pretend "fire intense brilliance trademarked copyright 1million facets new age cuts" don't work too well either.

i actually know the guy (shalom!) who started bluenile and i know they make a decent profit even with the lousy dollar (but only because of their intense buying power).

however i would be wary of buying over the internet though... caveat emptor! anything can happen post-sale!

as for war diamonds... to be honest, one can never tell. just make sure you get something that's value for money.

like i said earlier, and plarlevoofrancais mentioned, you gotta put some leg work into it. or you'll hear no end of it. trust me.

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Post by earthfriendly » Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:44 am

:shock: Wow, after reading thru the posts by all the male forummers, I realized I have been shortchanged by Mr. EF . I let him off the hook too easily. And to think that I slaught for hours in the kitchen preparing one of his favorite dish for Father's Day, BBQ ribs :cry: .

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Post by Jeppo » Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:42 pm

earthfriendly wrote::shock: Wow, after reading thru the posts by all the male forummers, I realized I have been shortchanged by Mr. EF . I let him off the hook too easily. And to think that I slaught for hours in the kitchen preparing one of his favorite dish for Father's Day, BBQ ribs :cry: .
Haven't you heard the old Singapore saying "If you can't live with the diamond, don't live with the man"? :P

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Post by SittingBull » Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:21 am

Levikane wrote:
SittingBull wrote:It seems like too much trouble. Quite honestly, i would rather get a ready-made ring, rather than purchase the diamond and have it set up with a jeweller. On that note and with my given budget, what would be the best option for me?
Seriously? Are you going to apply the same luckluster attitude towards the rest of your relationship? If the effort of choosing the right diamond ring is too hard for you to bother, I dont have much faith in your relationship being succesful! Proposing is a big deal, you should take the time to get it right. Surely if you have been together long enough for you to propose you will know what kind of style and setting she prefers - dont get her any ring, get her the perfect ring...

A good website for educate yourself that isn't too taxing:
www.thediamondbuyingguide.com

Lucklustre attitude? It's precisely my desire of making everything all too perfect that leads me to ask advices on something which i have absolutely no idea about. The reason why i am not getting the stone separately is there is no way i would know the quality. As least through shops, it is a lot safer. Also, diamond rings is not a daily topic between couples. If so, then the guy is hanging out with the wrong lady. I appreciate your advices nevertheless

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Post by SittingBull » Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:25 am

Many thanks to all, esp Ksl. Your advices are very appreciated. :)

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Post by RULDS » Wed, 18 Jun 2008 5:56 pm

I know you can't 'advertise' so I will select my words carefully. I just moved here from the U.S. and on the side I am a diamond broker. If anyone has any questions on prices on if they are getting ripped off or what a good price is, feel free to PM me.

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Post by cococo » Tue, 24 Jun 2008 4:34 pm

Cococo,

We hate shills, solicitors, and advertisers here. you and your friend "ffgg" who are probably one and the same or two employees using the company computer as you are both using the same IP address and are both new and the ONLY people using that IP address.

You and yourself are history here.

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Post by RULDS » Tue, 24 Jun 2008 5:47 pm

While those prices are good....they still are not the best.

May I ask why a VS2? While, the diamond is a beauty, it is often not the best value for your money, in fact...you may be wasting a lot of money.

If you buy a GIA certified diamond, you will not have any carbon or feathers in the diamond to the naked eye at the SI level (SI1 or SI2). So whether you get a VS2 or an SI2, to the average person you can't tell the difference.

I know this diamond is not a VS2 but an SI2 and smaller, I just pulled this quote for a local lad here in Singapore and I had it handy in an email. You won't find a cheaper price, if so...let me know because I will start buying my diamonds from them instead of the diamond cutters I have. You can bencmark from this (prices in US dollars):

Cts. Color Clarity Polish Sym. Flourescence Cut Cert. Price
.52 E SI2 Good Good Medium VG GIA $1015
.54 F SI2 Good VG None VG GIA $1039
.53 G SI2 VG VG None Ex/Ideal GIA $1050

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Post by ffgg » Tue, 24 Jun 2008 7:48 pm

ffgg,

We hate shills, solicitors, and advertisers here. you and your friend "Cococo" who are probably one and the same or two employees using the company computer as you are both using the same IP address and are both new and the ONLY people using that IP address.

You and yourself are history here.

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Post by ksl » Tue, 24 Jun 2008 7:58 pm

This is becoming interesting, any more diamond dealers about, lets get those prices down! :lol:

30 years ago, one could buy a diamond for 1 pound sterling at the open market, they would literally put it between two coins and hit it with an hammer, the diamond would pierce the metal coins, to prove they were original. Only to discover that they were worthless industrial stones.

I'm looking for a diamond myself, a 1 carrot, I do have a contact in Taiwan, who buys diamonds, but i am wondering If I am capable of doing a good deal, what is the best method used for testing the diamond?

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Post by RULDS » Tue, 24 Jun 2008 9:16 pm

Sounds like one of Isaac's buddies put up a post about a diamond dealer he 'knows'....I showed how cheap I could be so Isaac created a username and displayed his prices (just joined/1 post?!) and put it off as some customer.

I am not sure if I would want to be following a 'trend' in Singapore about diamonds. I don't deal on a local level, only on a global level. I literally buy my diamonds straight from the guys who cut the diamond (New York, Israel, Canada). I simply posted the some stats to show you what a good buy was...not the ideal cut or the best offer. Still the best value is with the SI, I have seen plenty of very good GIA SI2's that I would buy my wife. I am not sure why you would buy a VS2, there is not a point unless you have a bunch of money and you could say that it is a VS2. This is why you need to pay attention to who is rating the diamond (GIA, EGL...).
Last edited by RULDS on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 10:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by ffgg » Tue, 24 Jun 2008 9:36 pm

RULDS wrote:Sounds like one of Isaac's buddies put up a post about a diamond dealer he 'knows'....I showed how cheap I could be so Isaac created a username and displayed his prices (just joined/1 post?!) and put it off as some customer.

I am glad that you were able under cut that quote knowing what I displayed and even calcuated the exchange rate and everything. I was simply showing you that the quotes displayed were not the best prices available.

Good job, but did yours include the band, setting, shipping, GST...

I am not sure if I would want to be following a 'trend' in Singapore about diamonds. I don't deal on a local level, only on a global level. I literally buy my diamonds straight from the guys who cut the diamond (New York, Israel, Canada). I simply posted the some stats to show you what a good buy was...not the ideal cut or the best offer. Still the best value is with the SI, I have seen plenty of very good GIA SI2's that I would buy my wife. I am not sure why you would buy a VS2, there is not a point unless you have a bunch of money and you could say that it is a VS2. This is why you need to pay attention to who is rating the diamond (GIA, EGL...).
Sorry I think you completely misunderstood thinking that I am a supporter for the diamond dealer. (war begins) :) my name is fiona and also looking to get my dollar worth.

You should call and ask him about the prices he quoted, coz I am not sure if it includes shipping or not. I have seen some SI2 diamonds from taka and it don't seem to be a choice for consumers in singapore. All the diamond rings that my mum and sisters had are all VVS and VS, and buying a SI is a no no as I was told. :(

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