Engagement Ring

[Shaner]

Where is a good place to get a custom made engagement ring. Looking for a ring about 2 carat, and willing to spend upto SGD 20k.

NO Tiffanys!!

[Strong Eagle]

Where is a good place to get a custom made engagement ring. Looking for a ring about 2 carat, and willing to spend upto SGD 20k.

NO Tiffanys!!

Dunno... and can't think of a bigger waste of money. Would not want to be hooked up to the gal that thinks a $20K ring is the way to go. Super shallow. What could one do with $20K that is meaningful? A million things, far better than buying a stupid, overpriced rock.

[ksl]

Try selling it the same day, and you will be lucky to get $1000 no kidding!

My wife kept on about a diamond ring too, Though she changed her mind after i explained just how worthless diamond rings are as an investment, so she said okay just give me the money I had a better idea and put a ribbon around it, that made her happy

[tinkerbell88]

Dear Shaner
well done on you! Diamonds are a woman's best friend as the saying goes, and it's not without reason. Obviously no sensible girl is going to refuse a rock when proposed to. I recommend Trader's gems at Shaw centre, Orchard Road. It's on the 3rd floor. Had my tennis bracelet custom made there. They are fabulous, and very accommodating, excellent quality, high grade diamonds. They are very reasonable for what they charge, but you do get as good as you give.
Ask for the owner, William, who is really creative and will give lots of care and attention to detail as he chats with you about your designs. Good luck!

[JR8]

I wouldn't buy it in SG at all, you'll get way better value abroad.

I participated in other threads re: diamond-buying on this forum within the last year. Use the search function as I can't be bothered to repeat myself, and my insight and advice has not changed one iota since last time.

[jsc20]

couple of thoughts and personal insight

ive researched this before and found that Singapore is reasonable for solitaire prices (if you can get some negotiated store discount) , also within singapore you should go to the boutique smaller shops that have less overheads and can often get better quality/specs, stay away from the big chains like Lee Hwa and Tiffany. I cant comment on buying in russia, africa or holland!

I bought my solitaire in Singapore after seeing prices about 30-40% higher in hkg and korea but the price i paid was still about 10% higher than listed online US prices (but i claimed GST back of around 5%).

@shaner, PM if you need recommendation for retailer that i use, for 20K sgd if you are aiming for 2 carats then you will have to severly compromise on cut and clarity

@JR8, the US websites have a lot of "real" diamond prices to use as a reference, slightly cheaper than the boutique retailers here ( i dont know what Singapore sellers you are comparing to), google "Blue nile" and "diamond price guru" for more info

@strong eagle, a diamond is a special sentimental item that has personal meaning hence the premium (just like how people go to concerts instead of buying CD or watching sports live at a stadium instead of on tv etc...), the price is not really fungible and demand is still there

@ksl, in terms on investment, diamonds are a reflection of the global demand which is somewhat correlated to say the stock market performance and general financial health (ie as more people make money they can spend on luxury items)....add to this the expanding demand in China (i know, same old cliche) then there will be support in prices
http://www.cnbc.com/id/43450328/The_Kin ... s_to_China

[ksl]

@ksl, in terms on investment, diamonds are a reflection of the global demand which is somewhat correlated to say the stock market performance and general financial health (ie as more people make money they can spend on luxury items)....add to this the expanding demand in China (i know, same old cliche) then there will be support in prices

I agree!

Though you will still only get scrap value for a diamond ring, right? So with gold price's being high, it's still a very small percentage of the retail price paid, you would get for scrap, and you certainly wouldn't get the diamond price back.

I mean yes I would buy if i had money to throw away, and I'm sure all Men love diamonds as well as Women, I love diamonds more than women for the simple reason I can see straight through a diamond

[jsc20]

@ksl, in terms on investment, diamonds are a reflection of the global demand which is somewhat correlated to say the stock market performance and general financial health (ie as more people make money they can spend on luxury items)....add to this the expanding demand in China (i know, same old cliche) then there will be support in prices

I agree! Though you will still only get scrap value for a diamond ring, right?

yes, my supplier/retailer will only pay you approx 70% of market value if you want to upgrade...thats a nice 30% bid/offer spread for them to scalp you, having said that look at it as a long term investment, buy the best you can at the time and when you can afford go for another. This is not a day trade but more of a long time buy and hold asset.

you can theoretically hedge the diamond price (against the rapaport index, just ask your friendly broker) and take a view on whether to go physical now (and take paper short to hedge price drops) or take a long paper position for future delivery/proposal planning!

jsc

[JR8]

@JR8, the US websites have a lot of "real" diamond prices to use as a reference, slightly cheaper than the boutique retailers here ( i dont know what Singapore sellers you are comparing to), google "Blue nile" and "diamond price guru" for more info

Thanks I am familiar with Blue Nile, and the other 'usual suspects'. Have you used Pricescope, if not it might interest you.

I paid something like 35% less for my wife's ring in the US than the equivalent in SG. But it is a super-ideal cut and when such cuts are marketed under a brand name in SG ('Hearts & Arrows' etc) they whack on a ridiculous premium it seems.

Anyway it is far from easy to compare stones versus SG, unless you went and individually inspected the certificates on stones in SG that you wished to compare. The devil is in the detail (fluorescence, graining, treatment etc) and SG jewellers don't seem to put their certs on line.

[Shaner]

Thanks... I think I got what I was looking for. Probably check out Trader's gems to see what they have, but ultimately I think I will go with my initial approach of getting my ring made by a custom designer in NY.

If there are any other good places in SG to check out please let me know.

[tinkerbell88]

Dear JSB20,
who is your retailer please? I am so impressed you guys out there are so informed about diamonds. Agree on market forces and global financial health, but diamonds are for keeps.

[jsc20]

tinkerbell / shaner

ive PM'd you with further info

regards

jsc

[JR8]

Dear JSB20,
who is your retailer please? I am so impressed you guys out there are so informed about diamonds. Agree on market forces and global financial health, but diamonds are for keeps.

Hi Tink,
I'm curious how you are able to judge the quality of stones in a tennis bracelet. Are you professionally trained?

[jsc20]

there wont generally be any certification or laser engravings on stones in a tennis bracelet under a certain size (unless its one made up of 1ct solitaires!!)

however you can view under microscope to check for any imperfections

jeweller can confirm the grades and cuts, you can ask to compare them with larger solitaires with known specifications to see if clarity and brilliance is as expected, though this will be slightly subjective, at the end of the day its what you think of the product together with trust in the retailer's information and guidance

im no expert so any comments / clarification are welcome

regards

jsc

[JR8]

there wont generally be any certification or laser engravings on stones in a tennis bracelet under a certain size (unless its one made up of 1ct solitaires!!)

That is my point. Therefore it would seem you need to have an intimate knowledge to be able to state that a bracelet of 50-60 stones is 'very high quality' (or similar).


however you can view under microscope to check for any imperfections

But you have to be trained in order to know what you are looking at, and how imperfections might impact value. You can't do that as an average Joe with something like a tennis bracelet. Realistically I think you can only go with proper certificates and the name and reputation of the retailer.

jeweller can confirm the grades and cuts,

Worthless. That is why good stones have professional certs from proper labs.

you can ask to compare them with larger solitaires with known specifications to see if clarity and brilliance is as expected, though this will be slightly subjective, at the end of the day its what you think of the product together with trust in the retailer's information and guidance

No 'average buyer on the street' would be able to determine this (again, that is why buyers often want the protection of a proper cert which runs to (IIRC) about US$200 a stone)

im no expert so any comments / clarification are welcome
regards
jsc

I'm no expert either*, though I see the art of valuation for the average punter as as challenging as judging the relative value of two similar cars from a distance of 20 metres. Impossible. Throw in a couple of brand-less Asian vendors and you're going to get stuffed one way or another.


*I did get so far as being offered a job as a diamond grader with De Beers, though I ultimately decided not to take it up (not to put too fine a point on it I was apparently 'the wrong religion' to make any kind of career of it).