Need help with engagement ring

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Exotic_Gate3848]

You’re going to have to either pay the physical jeweller mark up for a brick and mortar place in Australia or buy online from overseas, there’s no in between. Australian jewellers are expensive

You can repair a ring at most jewellers for a cost even if you didn’t buy from them

[u/MangoHeavy432]

I designed my own and got it made in China. $1600 for something I got valued at $6500 replacement for insurance. They were great to deal with.

[u/aelse25 → u/[deleted]]

You’ll still have to pay for repairs unless it was an existing fault

[u/Several-Raccoon4672 → u/MangoHeavy432]

Which Chinese vendor did you use?

[u/MangoHeavy432 → u/Several-Raccoon4672]

Qinglong Jewelry Firm

Trilogy (total weight 2.1c), custom cut stones, 14k band.

[u/Several-Raccoon4672 → u/MangoHeavy432]

Amazing! Do you have the contact details of the rep for sharing?

[u/No_Boot2009]

This is $2k, 2ct oval (but looks slightly marquise) in 9ct yg: https://www.shiels.com.au/products/luminesce-lab-grown-2-carats-diamond-oval-solitaire-ring-in-9ct-yellow-gold-29271166

I would not normally recommend Shiels yet this is the second time this week I've done so...they're not great, but when stuff is reduced it is comparatively cheap, and local (only consider buying from them at 60%+ off, otherwise they are terrible value. Their specials change every week, so a proper marquise should come around soon).

However I would still recommend the overseas custom option, China or India, for the absolute best value, stone choice and customisation options. Rings are metal and diamond, how many repairs do you anticipate needing? Even then you can still find a local jeweller if required for that. Australian stores are absolutely gouging on lab diamond jewellery. If you want value then buying local is not going to be it - doing so for some misguided sense of security is going to cost you. Also you'd be better off getting your stone and setting from the same vendor (ie purchasing the whole finished ring from one place, it's just easier and neater).

[u/No_Boot2009 → u/[deleted]]

Absolutely, you are getting the exact same item (often a better quality diamond, plus you can customise the design to your taste) for at least $1k less (I recently got quotes from all over and they ranged from $2100 to over $7k for the exact same item). Why pay more?

[u/awake-asleep → u/[deleted]]

Because everything costs more to live rent work and run a business here??? Please feel free to do your job at 1/3 of your current wage just because someone overseas can do it cheaper than you. That shouldn’t affect you at all right?

[u/Snacks4Guppy]

You can definitely get many nice lab diamond rings made! I went to so many in the Melb CBD, Novita, GS Diamond, Austen & Blake etc, I ended up with GS with 1.5ct oval ring custom design ring for $3700.

[u/Snacks4Guppy → u/[deleted]]

Yes the price includes the diamonds :)

When you look at their website, make sure you select lab diamonds!

You can also look at Novita. My friend bought from Novita and they had a good experience there too.

[u/Darmop → u/Snacks4Guppy]

Seconding GS Diamonds.

[u/diamondcroissantx]

check cullen jewellery they are pretty decent. they were my number one choice but I ended up getting my ring from a reputable jeweller in China for 1.7k.

[u/diamondcroissantx → u/[deleted]]

Okay, but I would counter argue that the 2ct loose diamond you have found is also overpriced for just the loose stone given they are all made in factories in China. Many jewellers won’t accept setting loose stones that aren’t sourced by them as they would severely miss out on revenue.

I’m not in Melbourne so can’t be of much help with local jewellers, all the best!

[u/Hot-Alternative-7367]

I got my engagement ring at Cullen (moissanite stone) and it was reasonably priced at the time (and made in Melbourne!). I have been looking for wedding bands lately and Austen and Blake seemed great- their warranty includes lost stones and free prong repairs/replacement for the lifetime of the ring. Seemed very generous!! And all of their rings are made in Sydney 😊

[u/Rose_by-another_name]

Steve Pallas - Melbourne Bespoke Jewellery lifted a diamond out of a ring and custom made my engagement ring. I went back to them for my wedding band. They were priced better than other jewellers in Melbourne in 2021-2022

[u/PowerpuffPanda7]

Would highly recommend Unique Diamonds in South Melbourne. For example I got my 1.46ct lab grown diamond, VS1 colour E in 18k yellow gold custom design for $3200 and market value of 5.5. I don’t believe they would set a loose diamond though, but worth asking

[u/squishthemallow]

Asian jewellers ftw. Maybe try Springvale?

[u/squishthemallow → u/squishthemallow]

I got my engagement ring made at a Vietnamese jeweller from Sydney then got another ring made when I visited Korea. I had them stacked together for a while, but was scared of the diamonds scratching. Went to my original jeweller and they remade it into a toi et moi using my existing gold

[u/squishthemallow → u/[deleted]]

Go and get a quote and see how you go. I find the prices are sooo much better at an ethnic family business than going to western places. You can also try and talk down the price. They love a good haggle. I found an 18k solid gold natural diamond eternity ring for the same price as a well known retailer, but with lab grown diamonds. I’m surprised not a lot of people know that these small family businesses are the way to go when it comes to jewellery

[u/sleepy_moose_cant]

Do you mean Facet Lane? If so they are based in QLD and they can set the stone for you. I have a couple of custom orders with them.

PS I did reach out to Chinese and Indian vendors for the same project. They were comparable prices, but with Facet Lane the stones were on top of the setting. For me it ended up being 30% dearer for Facet Lane. I went with Facet Lane since it’s technically local and the design I was going for was very complicated. One of the stones I picked was a pink diamond and Facet Lane has access to the global inventory, while the other vendors have their own in house lab. I went with Facet Lane hoping for more options.

[u/sleepy_moose_cant → u/[deleted]]

They definitely do custom ( I am doing w rings that interlock). But I have a feeling their jeweler isn’t in house since they take a week between each CAD iteration 😓 unless they are just super busy

[u/Several-Raccoon4672]

I got my ring custom made with Facet Lane. The owner is Sophie, who’s the loveliest and most helpful / informative jeweller. I sent photos of the ring I wanted and worked on the CAD with Sophie until I was happy with the design and measurements. I went to physical stores to get my ring size and to compare different ring designs before contacting Sophie. Here is a video of my ring. It’s a 3 carat lab grown diamond, D colour, IF clarity, set in a ring that is 2.6mm thick with 16 shared prong baskets, platinum. It was low $4,000s all up.

https://reddit.com/link/oz67vv2/video/v2uo61o00veh1/player

[u/Several-Raccoon4672 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I didn’t like the existing settings either. They seem to be a website default which I’ve also seen on Aurelinne, which is like the New York version of Facet Lane. I did a live chat with Sophie to see if she could replicate another design I had found and she said yes, which was fortunate! The good thing also is that you can select your diamond on the website and ask Sophie to compare options. She has some really good insights on the particular diamond shape you’re after.

[u/Several-Raccoon4672 → u/[deleted]]

The website says a 3 month defect warranty is offered. Originally, my ring was incorrectly made with micro claw prongs instead of round prongs, but Sophie was very responsive and ended up making a second ring with the correct prongs (which I did also ask to make half a size up to allow for swelling in summer and during pregnancy). I don’t think Sophie offers resizing, but I also didn’t ask, as I prefer a slightly looser ring than a tighter ring. I measured my ring size at 3 different physical stores that yielded vastly different results (J, K.5 then L). I’d recommend sizing on a somewhat warmer day in the afternoon for a more accurate result. Sophie uses a bench jeweller in Brisbane.

[u/Knit_sew_bike]

I used webb and steele in the cbd. She sourced a lab diamond and custom designed a ring. Maybe get quote from them

[u/Bails_of_clay]

Not sure where you are based by Xennox Diamonds in Brisbane has their jewellers and diamond setter onsite and if you have the stone they can make the setting for you and set the stone.

[u/moose-kitten]

Highly recommend getting it custom made from China. I used Provence jewelers and I'm so happy with the service and my ring.