It may come as a surprise to find that one of the most romantic jewellery purchases in your life loses its monetary value instantly. Yes, in the vast majority of cases engagement rings don’t hold their value. If you were to purchase an engagement ring in a shopping centre from a household named jewellers at around the £1000 mark, it is likely to be worth next to nothing after you’ve swiped your credit card - well, perhaps around £30. Buying your wedding jewellery well is important if you don’t want it to depreciate in value faster than you can say ‘I do’.
Obviously, the nature of this purchase is not rooted in investment, but with such an enormous loss at stake, it makes sense to understand how high street jewellers work. It is widely reported that the most recognisable jewellers on the high street have profit margins of 300% plus VAT. To avoid soaring costs and get the best ring for your money, we asked the experts and conducted our own research to find out how to make the best value purchase.
If you want something truly unique you can get your ring made by a goldsmith for significantly less money. This option means you will have to buy your diamond separately. Most reputable goldsmiths offer this as part of their in-store service. Ben Johnson, Website Manager and Co-Director, of Miltons Diamonds explains what you should be looking for when choosing a diamond separately,
‘We would insist people be educated about the four characteristics that affect the look and value of the diamond which would also affect the price of the overall ring, these include cut, colour, clarity and carat weight.’
Choose your wedding jewellery wisely
When selecting the diamond you need to, first of all, ask yourself what is important to you. If you want a huge diamond and you don’t have a huge budget then the colour and clarity will suffer. If you’d prefer a small subtle diamond and have a larger budget you can look at the top end of the colour and clarity scale.
Alternatively, if you want to shop the existing market and find a real gem, the general consensus between expert jewellers is that you should be shopping for an antique or a second-hand ring. Factor rarity into this - does it look unusual? How old is it? Is the style typical of this era? Research indicates that Victorian and Art Deco rings fare better than most when it comes to retaining their worth.
We selected the below styles from Miltons Diamonds. The first is a modern take on Art Deco design, with a large 1.35ct central diamond:
Platinum Diamond Halo Engagement Ring - 1.85ct £7,999.00
The other is a large diamond antique ring in a stunning setting from Miltons with ‘Old European Cut’ Diamonds which are set into Art Deco style ring:
Platinum Old European Cut Diamond Solitaire Ring 2.24ct
When it comes to choosing wisely Ben, from Miltons has these tips, ‘remember to avoid imitation diamonds such as moissanite, as these won’t hold value. You definitely get more bang for your buck buying second-hand diamond rings, often they retail for half of the new retail value.’
Ultimately though, when purchasing an engagement ring you shouldn’t be worrying too much about its future value instead you should think about the happiness that it will bring you both.
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