Engagement Ring

aneles

New Member
Any tips on buying a engagement ring? Need to know more about what are good quality, value for money diamonds etc
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ariesta

Member
Hi Peach,

For the engagement solitare ring, diamonds are valued according to their 4 Cs. (Color, cut, clarity, carat)

Color: D is colorless (best among "white" diamonds), E, F, G...Z (Worst among the "white diamonds, most yellowish under sunlight). *Pls note that for colors beyond Z is different, the diamonds are no longer considered as white diamonds, they can be pink, yellow...etc and their cost is much more than white diamonds)

Clarity: I can't really rem the different grades of the clarity, think the clarity is based on 3x scope that is used by most jeweller.
There is the internal flawless (not totally flawless, but flaws can't be seen in 3x scope), VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2 ...I(can't rem the grade, but the worst means can be seen with naked eye.)

Cut: This determines the brightness of the diamond. There are different theories for the ideal cut. E.g Larry, Hearts and Arrows in Goldheart have their own theories of what cut will make the diamonds more brillant. There is the brillant round cut (i tink). Dependant on the table to the crown ratio... This u will have to do more read up on.

Carat: size of the diamond. In my personal view, not impt. Average is 0.3cat and above for engagement ring...
 

aneles

New Member
Wow, thanks ariesta. Really appreciate your info. Any recommendations on which shop has the best value for money but good quality rings? Another thing is GIA certified diamonds good? I heard from a friend, diamond prices now is the lowest in 19 years. So do you think the price will go lower soon or gain back its strength
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ariesta

Member
GIA certified diamonds are good. However u get a fren who is knowledgable in the cutting. Coz for Carat, and Clarity and Color, these can be stated in the certification. However cutting is more subjective and requires skill. In my case, my SIL is very knowledgable in diamonds, hence she was able to help us to look at the diamonds.

I've got mine at Tian Po. Tink Lee hwa's okay.. but be careful of the 4 prongs rings, these are very unstable. Another way of getting cheap diamonds i feel is via auctions of pawnshop. One of my fren (used to work in one of the jeweller shop) told mi that the cheap diamonds are actually from pawnshops and they recast and sell as new ones. However, i dun know how to source for the pawnshops auction....

*By the way, i didn't keep track of the prices after buying the diamond ring.. coz dun wanna heart break....***=)
 

aneles

New Member
Ok noted. Hmmm ... I saw a GIA diamond at Sookee which I like but not love yet ;) Anyway I think I need to explore to more shops.

When's your big day? I'm so lost in this. It's only the beginning and not even half way thru all the preparations yet and I'm quite freaked out at the thought of the preparations.
 

magnolia

New Member
hi girls, my exprience is, so far i think meyson has one of the best hearts and arrows price in town. i find the marked up reasonable.

as long as u get hearts and arrows cut, doesnt matter from where, it's going to be a beautiful diamond. go low on clarity because it is something u cant really see and it will not affect the brilliance too. get a high colour, anywhere from D-G.

as for GIA, it is just a certification. anyway diamond can be certed by GIA but it doesnt mean that it's a good diamond. it can be a lousy diamond too. as long as u pay them, they will certified it for you. certified means grading. it doesnt mean that it has a certain good standard.

well, so if u have a budget, and want a big and beautiful diamond, i would suggest to go for a hearts and arrows diamond, high colour and low clarity.
 

ariesta

Member
Hi M, true true, the cutting is not covered by the cert. However, at least wif the cert, u can send the diamond for polish and not afraid of ppl swopping the diamond wif an lower quality one....Mahahaha....

Peach: My AD is on 29th Apr 2006... So still got like 6months to go..but my parents and PIL hav not met up to discussed the Guo Da Li or the dowry....Haizzzzzzzzz
btw, r u planning for wedding banquet or buffet?? wat's ur BS??? Mines' at Noble House rest, and BS @ French Bridal....
 

kashdoggie

New Member
hi ariesta,

if u can, do try to get diamonds with international recognised certs, eg GIA or HRD. Dun get those inhouse certs if possible.

U can try Soo Kee's brilliant Rose, they sparkle more...i can't remember clearly....but for normal cut, its abt 36 facets but for brilliant rose, the same diamond is cut with abt 56 facets (I can't remember the exact figures). Same for Lee Hwa's Destinees.....

Really depending on your budget, Larry's lazzare cut is also very very beautiful
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also u have to decide whether u prefer bigger carat while lower colour? things like that...normally, F or G colour is pretty good liao...but if u can afford E ...go for it
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also try to wait for those 40% or 50% discount promo
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good buy during those times :p

also, try to get big diamonds...i dunno your age, but as u grow older, u will want to have bigger and bigger ones...u will probably not even wear those smaller like 0.4 carat below....
 

magnolia

New Member
ya, actually i am very scared when i allow the shops to clean my diamond. once they took so long to clean it and when the diamond came back, i keep thinking that they might have swapped the diamond, subconciously. but i dont think so la. so these days, i better clean my own diamond. my jeweller told me that i can use a tooth brush and tooth paste to brush it (like brushing teeth), this is how they do it in the shop too, if they dont use the sound machine.
 

aneles

New Member
Hi All,

My worry is I'll make a wrong choice. Every diamond just looks so beautiful to me. I saw this GIA cert ring from Sookee and the sales manager told me that now is the lowest diamond price drop in 19 years. I'm not sure to wait or to get it now. Like what kash said, if possible I would love to get a bigger carat ring. So when its on sale then it would be more affordable

Ariesta, my AD is on 27th Sept 2006. I'm just starting to plan everything. Have not even informed any of our parents. I'm like so lost. Don't know where to start. I wanna held my solomnisation @ Ritz Carlton. Just received their proposal. And now I'm lost again. Haa haa ... all this while I thought getting married is a piece of cake. Its NOT!
 

magnolia

New Member
actually peach, diamond sale is a gimmick. there's really no such thing as diamond sale. you can actually get those 'sale' prices on a normal day when there's no sale as well. dont u have some jeweller recommendation from your friends? you will probably get a good price too.

from what i gather, d'meyson and taka jewelry has quite good affordable prices. but i know a lot of people would think that they have very lousy diamonds just because they r cheaper. but it's not true. as long as u know how to choose the good ones from the bad. if u dont know how to choose, then get hearts and arrows (which would guarantee something) from this 2 places.

u can get quite a big diamond if u go to taka jewelry and dont need to pay so much. get a high colour (anything from d- g).

even taka has GIA certed diamonds. go compare the prices!
 

ariesta

Member
Mahahaa~~~ Peach, that's true, getting married is not easy, it's no longer abt the two of you..... Think u have to inform your parents first ba... get your fhb to sit down wif your parents and ask them for your hand (Chinese tradition.. hahahaha).

How abt ur family members or frens??? Anyone wif knowledge on diamonds? One way of gaining more knowledge is to compare the normal diamonds with the high-end diamonds, e.g hearts and arrows in Goldheart, destine @ lee hwa (but dun get the destine, very unstable), ask the sales person to compare a normal diamond wif their HnA diamonds, and see the diff. U can ask to look at the color diff,, clarity diff and diff in cutting.

Read up on the ideal cut ratio, this info can be found in the GIA cert but do note that the cut ratio is not everything. It is just a guide.

I still rem my search for my diamonds wif my hb... it was veri fun. We went to Leehua, diamond industrial, goldheart, tianpo...etc. Sadly then, we tot d'meyson was out of our range soo nbr go there. Only later, tat we know that d'meyson is quite reasonably priced too.
 

greengal

New Member
hi!
I have a contact wholesaling in diamonds.
Can get all kinds of diamonds (the different Cs), shapes, setting etc
They can also send the diamonds for certification.
then coz is wholesale, they sell cheaper.

Have another contact for custom making rings :p

anyone keen, drop me an email [email protected]
 

ariesta

Member
Hi sweetheart, just tat destine is 4 prongs... Some brides in the forum is already seeing their diamond shaking in the ring. During my search, the jeweller was also advising mi not to get the 4-prongs. if wanna do re-cast, shld do either 5 or 6 prongs.
 

aneles

New Member
Hi Ariesta,

Nope ... my family knows nuts on diamonds. My friends as well. But 1 of my close friend just ROM'ed last May but she is still as lost as I am when it comes to diamonds. She told me for her as long as its a certified diamond that looks beautiful in her eyes can already.

Anyway I was at Great World last nite and I went to Goldheart to take a look at their diamonds and wedding bands. Not very nice. Didn't have that " IT " factor that makes me go ooohhhhhh.

About the prongs, I feel more than 4 prongs makes the diamond look very crampy. Unless the diamond is of a bigger carat. Your's is how many? Where did you get your ring?

Hi M,

Ok I will check out Taka jewelry this weekend. Hopefully I'll see something really good there. Thanks.
 

ariesta

Member
Peach: Mine's 6 prongs i tink. Got it at TianPo... Tink that time got 30% off, so we buy... 0.43carat. my hubby told mi that the diamond will be first and last diamond from him.... Hahahaha~~~~~

Btw, did u ask to see their hearts and arrows??? Coz the last time i went there, they showed a hearts and arrows diamond compared to a lousy diamond... can see abit diff.
 

aneles

New Member
Hey Ariesta,

Yeah I saw the hearts and arrows. Still didn't fall in love with it. Maybe the designs they have now are not so nice compared to that time when you saw it. Anyway tmr I'm gonna check out Lee Hwa. Hopefully I'll see something nice there.

Oh your hubby is so funny. Anyway in a way its good that its his first and his last ... if you know what I mean ;) You are his first and his last eh ;P

As for me my future hubby told me he's getting me the engagement ring and I'll get him the wedding band ( actually I'm getting both our wedding bands ). Don't know if its " pantang " for me to do this. Haa haa. Thought of getting a platinum band. Any recommendations?
 

ariesta

Member
Hmmm, i didn't think of that like tat...
Was tink wat a cheapo he is.... but then now glad that he is veri thrifty coz the wedding is costing a bomb!!!
 

magnolia

New Member
hey peach, if u get something at taka jewelry, make sure they give u 30% off!! sometimes, they can even go lower than that!
 

ariesta

Member
hi peach, actually my hb got me the engagement ring and i got him the wedding band too....hahahaa You Lai You Wang. I got mine at De'Sivar (dun know the spelling) at Raffles City. Can custom make ur wedding band. Platinum is good. Mine's white gold. Tink alot of the jewellers have nicee wedding bands....
 

chrissrp

New Member
Ladies,

I have been to Goldheart, Lee Hwa & Soo Kee seaching for my engagement ring..

These 3 jewellery shop's diamond is all certified by GIA (Except their signature diamond)... How come there is price difference btw each shop? Is it due to their cut? The diamonds shld be of the same quality according the the GIA standard right? The only reason that i can think of is the branding...???

-Chris-
 

dolphin48

New Member
chris, depends on what is the size of the diamond? i'm using a 4 claw for my 0.54 ring. if you use more claws on a not so big ring, it tends to make the diamond smaller......
 

verylastminute

New Member
I'm curious - how come so many of you prefer 4-claw to 5? I went for a 5-prong 'cos I thought the 4-prong makes the diamond look squarish. And also 'cos I thought it's more stable. Wouldn't wanna risk losing my diamond!
 

dolphin48

New Member
Chris, i bought my ring from a friend who runs a jewelry shop (it's one of those normal unbranded jewelry shop). He recommend me to take 4 claw for stability for any diamond that is more than 0.5. But as verylastminute mentioned, it may make the diamond squarish but 5 claw may overcrowd the diamond, making it looks smaller esp if the claw is quite thick unless the diamond is more than 0.6 in size?
 

chrissrp

New Member
Daphne,

How much did u pay for yur ring? If its not convenient, u can email me: [email protected]

I intend to get size btw 0.4+ to 0.5+... Then i think for "safety purpose", i better get a 4 claw...

Verylastminute,

May i know where u bought yur ring?

-Chris-
 

kashdoggie

New Member
hi chris,

really depends on the design u like.....u shd take a 4 claw, 5 claw and 6 claw together and do a comparison. I was told by a few frens that Goldheart's settings not very stable...a few experienced their diamonds dropping out.

mine is from sookee - 4 claw.....i wanted a 5 claw but in the end, still went for 4 claw...mine is 1.02 ct...hence, i think 4 claw makes it look more "classic" feel.

hi peach,

check out jorn rainer from lee hwa for wedding bands...all hand made from switzerland, hence, can have the "comfort feel"
 

chrissrp

New Member
Daphne,
Have received yur mail... Thnks... U got my mail too...

Kash,
I dun really like goldheart design either... Find that their claw and band is thicker than other shop...
Wow.. 1.02ct.. Its big.. I dun really feel comfortable wearing so big...
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Perhaps my thinking will change one day...

I find that 4-claw is squarish... But 3-claw is unstable right?

-Chris-
 

chrissrp

New Member
Kash,

I think so too... Right now feel more comfortable with 0.5 ring...

Then i better not go for 3-claw...

-Chris-
 

ariesta

Member
Hi all,

just wanna say tat my ring's 6-prong, and it didn't make my diamond looked small. maybe its how the prongs are designed tat makes the diff....
 

ariesta

Member
hahaha~~~ elven_princess (r u arwen??? LOTR) 6-prongs rocks! Didn't really tot it reflects more light, but i do feel tat the 6 prongs makes my diamond looked abit bigger and nicer...
 

lizzie517

New Member
kash, excited chris - hi, am new here. happened to read your advice on rings. mine is only 3-prong but it's quite stable. i guess it's also how the design goes?
 

sparkley

New Member
mine 3 prong only also. the design looks quite stable so i guess it should be fine. *pray hard* actually wanted to change to 4 prong but the sales lady told me the setting design it comes in is a new design.
she said it takes repeated banging on the same part to make the claw gives way and also there is tell-tale sign befor the diamond eventually fall off. just have to feel your diamond every now and then to see if its loose loh.
also an annual check up for the ring is needed since its on our hand, lots of rough movements.

actually, not very sure if what she said is just sales talk or what but at least it makes some sense to me.
peach--> have you gotten your ring yet?
 

jgal

New Member
hi all ... me also scouting for engagment ring on behalf of my FH
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just something to share after scouting ard for the past 6 mth..
the biggest factor for the value of the diamond is the cut because to get ideal cut (8 equal hearts and equal 8 arrows) , they need to forsake some carat.
Why ideal cut, cos' the diamond mathematically give out the most light.. so will sparkle most.

If you go to any jewellery shop, sookee/leehwa/tianpo.. their ideal cut diamond discount is very low cos' the value for these diamonds is very high.. and wont go down.

why is diamond cheaper esp GIA diamonds? cos' GIA is going to revise their certification criteria so some of the diamond these company hold now may not make the grade under the new system.. so they are selling them low to get rid of them quick.. while the cert is still valid..

Which cert is better GIA or AGS ? AGS cos' they also grade the diamond according to its cut on top of color , carat,clarity. normally if the cut of the diamond is not so good, diamond wholesaler will sent to GIA for cerification so that get a better grading because GIA grade for cut is not strigent.
 

jgal

New Member
You can send you diamond to new york or antwerp for re-evaluation of cos'. However, it's of no purpose for an engagement ring cos' you wont change it. And over the yrs, standard will change again. There are some talk in the industry to measure the real "light" reflected instead of rely on the mathematic measurements. You can check out
http://www.ideal-scope.com/about.asp

Just some information if you buying diamonds for keepsake.

For you information, if you diamond is less than 1ct and not ideal cut. The re-sale value is low cos' there are enuff diamond in the world fill a cup for each american.- this is read somewhere i cannot remember.

It is de-beer that is controlling the mining to keep the market price high.
 

aneles

New Member
Hi guys, I've been so busy lately until I got no time to stop by here. Anyway I still haven't bought any ring yet! Still very confused and can't seem to find that perfect ring with the perfect look and price. I checked out Taka, Sookee, LH, Goldheart, D'Meyson and SK but so far only rings from Sookee, SK and LH have great designs. But the price a bit steep. Any other place to recommend?
 

dreymin

New Member
i recommend larry's. my FH got mine from there and it is a 0.49 carat with 6-prong coz he said dun wan to worry abt me losing the precious diamond. i got the lazerre cut, the 6-prong doesnt make it look less elegant.
 

aneles

New Member
Hi All,

Larry a bit too costly lei. Anyway last weekend I finally got my engagement ring. Got it from Sookee, their brilliant rose collection. Finally 1 headache is settled. Thanks all for your help and advice. Mine however only have 4 prong so hopefully its very secured
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dazzle81

New Member
Hi Peach, Congrats on finally choosing your engagement ring. Me too, I guess we bought our engagement rings almost the same time. haha

just being curious, how much does your brilliant rose collection cost? Mind if you share the specs with me? Cus I just bought destinee for my engagement ring last weekend too..just being curious, cus I have not checked out the rings at Sookee.

If its not convinient to share, nvm
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Can email me [email protected]
 

thelovebox06

New Member
hi dreymin, may i know how much did ur bf pay for your larry ring? cos my bf got me a tiffany one, find it's quite x..any advice?
 

jenu

New Member
hi, am new here. planning to get married in 1 or 2 years time (depending how fast we can save for the wedding lor =D). I actually started to shop around for ring, gown & shoe whenever got change.

just curios, why u gals mine to show the price of the ring on this forum?
 


madeinjapan

New Member
Helo,
I 've learnt tat some rings come with "comfort fit"..which means the inner surrounding is buffer till very smooth and abit rounded..so when u wear it its very comfortable
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..so far I know Soo kee, Goldheart & Lee hua have this. those neighbourhood jewellery shop dun have..but compair the price..neighbourhood whitegold n platituim is much cheaper.
 

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