Diamond engagement rings

[Leeda]

Help! Can I do this??

My fiance and I are going to be buying a diamond engagement ring in London in next couple of weeks. We have return flights to Australia (I am Australian, he is English) in 4 weeks. We will be in Australia for 3 weeks.

Would it be possible to claim the VAT back at Customs at the airport since we are taking the ring out of the EU?

I am not sure how it all works over here... but obviously I dont want to break any laws.. if we can do it, then I can get a nicer ring.

[rootsnall]

Help! Can I do this??

My fiance and I are going to be buying a diamond engagement ring in London in next couple of weeks. We have return flights to Australia (I am Australian, he is English) in 4 weeks. We will be in Australia for 3 weeks.

Would it be possible to claim the VAT back at Customs at the airport since we are taking the ring out of the EU?

I am not sure how it all works over here... but obviously I dont want to break any laws.. if we can do it, then I can get a nicer ring.

It's the other way round I think if you are resident in the UK !?!? I bought some opals in Oz and we claimed the sales tax back at Sydney airport by supplying a UK address and passport as we left Oz.

[Leeda]

It's the other way round I think if you are resident in the UK !?!? I bought some opals in Oz and we claimed the sales tax back at Sydney airport by supplying a UK address and passport as we left Oz.

Well.. I am living here at the moment.. but I have an Australian passport.

I dunno what your Customs is like here.. what questions they will ask.

I presume it should be okay.. the jeweller has said that at the airport, we can get our invoice stamped by customs and then return it to her to be exempt from paying the VAT!?

[Gonzo]

Well.. I am living here at the moment.. but I have an Australian passport.

I dunno what your Customs is like here.. what questions they will ask.

I presume it should be okay.. the jeweller has said that at the airport, we can get our invoice stamped by customs and then return it to her to be exempt from paying the VAT!?

I brought a watch in Australia. The shop could sell it without the GST but it had to remain in a sealed container until it left the country.

I had to tell them which airport I would be leaving the country from and when I did I had to go to customs, they were expecting me, checked that it was still sealed and stamped a form. Job done.

Just make sure that you are wearing it when you arrive back in this country and lose any presentation containers on route to save pesky questions. Should be OK then.

If you are returning on an overnight flight from the Far East I have never seen any customs officers at Heathrow at 6am in any case.

[EDIT] I should say that the legal thing to do would be to declare your purchases to customs officers on arrival in the UK. Even if there is noone there in the red channel when you arrive they provide a phone so that you can call them

But it seems they tend to go after the softer targets - I have seen officers at Gatwick at 2am on a Sunday morning stopping people that they think might have brought back more than the 200 Duty Free fags allowed from the Canary Islands.

[BrilloPad]

My rules for successful life as a bloke :-
1. dont get married
2. dont have kids
3. if a woman says she is infertile, have the snip anyway.

Was just at lunch yesterday with someone I have worked on and off with since 1992. He usually earns less than me. He now has 6 houses. I have 1 heavily mortgagued house and struggle to pay the bills. All because of 1 stupid mistake in 1994.

Of course there is nothing wrong with marriage - only divorce. But only 1 sure way to avoid getting divorced...

[Captain Dispensable]

Back onto the the subject of diamond rings. I'm so tight I tulip diamonds. Oh that's a different type of diamond ring, sorry.

[Fishface]

Of course there is nothing wrong with marriage - only divorce. But only 1 sure way to avoid getting divorced...

After marriage in the UK a man is totally exposed for a divorce in the UK - it seems in other places in the EU, US LATAM the divorce laws are a million times more sensible - they treat the women as a capable individual that can look after herself and a divorce settlement is more like a redundancy payment to see her through in her transition in her life.

In the UK women are still seen as property of the husband and therefore dependent for their life.

Do not let your missus file papers in the UK at the moment.

I pray for the UK to be in *Europe* everyday.

We still have feudal laws on property - leasehold and freehold??? I think it is the only country in the world that does this sh1te.

Falklands £100m on security forces for 2000 people !!! no commercial oil or minerals.

[Sully]

Go to Dubai - Save £££ plus free holiday!

I got my GF's engagement ring in Dubai. Huge savings to be made. Platinum band, 1.5ct Solitaire, G colour, VS1, Good proportions, good finish. HRD Antwerp certified. £5,600. Also got the platinum bands for £400 for the 2 and they are great quality, not the thin bendy stuff you get in many places here for twice the price. Had the ring valued here at £19,500 by Goldsmiths. OK, that may be a little high for insurance purposes but you would be hard pushed to get a ring of that quality here for under £15k.

Best thing to do is do your homework. Lots of books and info on the net. Go to a good Jeweller here and ask for advice (obviously tell him you want to buy from him!). Learn your 4 c's but also learn about the importance of proportions and finish. Proportions are very important when it comes to how the stone will sparkle. Don't underestimate it. Get a clear idea of what you want. Spec of stone and design of ring. Even get a picture of a design you like.

Get yourself on a flight to Dubai. Good deals out there on flights and hotels.
Go to The Old Gold Souk in Deira in Dubai. Don't dress and look like a tourist. Look like you mean business and know what you're doing. For example wear a pair of trousers (no matter how hot it is, the shops all have freezing cold AC) and a shirt. Don't go there in your Bermudas and baseball cap! Don't worry, it maybe called a market but it's not like a load of dodgy stalls with blokes selling out of suitcases. It is an area of around 100 small Jewellers.

Get a spec for a stone before you go and stick to it. There are thousands of diamonds in the market. A lot of the shops are owned by the same people and if they do not have a stone in stock they can source it from the wholesalers or other shops very quickly over the phone. Don't waste time looking at made-up rings. You need to concentrate on the stone. Unless you really know what you are doing you need to buy a stone in a security sealed package. The grading laboratories seal them up in these tamper proof boxes after grading them. You are best to go for HRD Antwerp or GIA certified diamonds. HRD do also have grading labs in Mumbai and now Dubai but I am told that they are not as safe a bet. For example, if a diamond is borderline F/G, Antwerp will grade it as the lower grade G but Mumbai and Dubai will grade it up to F. Fine I suppose if you want to impress the GF more but you may be paying over the odds for a stone which is not quiet as good as you think.

Go to lots of shops and take your time. If you want a real bargain be prepared to spend 1 or maybe even 2 full days in the Souk. Get written quotes from each. Remember, compare like with like. You will be amazed at how the first price you get will tumble as you travel around and get a feel for what you can really get off. Always be prepared to walk away. I had guys refusing to drop their prices anymore so I walked out and they ran down the street after me, got me back in the shop and took another £1000 off the price after getting the manager. Get a realistic budget and stick to it. When you are getting prices get a price for the stone, a total price for the stone and band set and another package price for the engagement ring and wedding bands.

Again, act like you know your stuff. I have a brother in Dubai so it was a bit easier. Say you know peolpe locally who buy lots of Gems. You will be recommending them. Ask for business cards. You need to be confident, strong and patient. It can be hard work but fun also and rewarding in the end.

Any of the shops will make up a band to your design. Get the stone opened and set in front of you. You can go to their workshop and stand over the guy as he does it all. Check the ring fully through a glass before final payment but you will have had to pay a hefty deposit before they break open the sealed box.

I chose the ring with my GF which is nice to be honest and then you can spend a few days relaxing in the luxury of Dubai before heading back. Another word of warning here. You are obviously liable for tax on your ring if bringing it back to the UK so think about this.

Summary:
Do homework
Decide on a budget
Decide on Spec and stick to it
Go to Dubai
Don't act like a tourist, act professional and tell them you're not interested in tourist prices, literally.
Concentrate on stones to your spec. Forget made up rings. You can get any design made. It wastes a lot of time otherwise.
Stick to HRD Antwerp or GIA certified sealed box stones if possible
Get the stone mounted in front of you.
Haggle hard, be prepared to walk away, really, do!

Enjoy a great holiday.

Right, hope that helps. This post is a little longer than I had intended!

[BrilloPad]

I pray for the UK to be in *Europe* everyday.

Due to the amount of stuff I did for f4j I got legal help(McKensing) from the best chap in the Country(Dr Pelling). He went to Europe on the UK family courts over the secrecy thing. He lost.

Remember that our law is as good as continental law. The 1989 Children Act contains everything that f4j want. The problem is getting it implemented.

How do the courts get away with ignoring parliament?

This is one of the reasons that f4j target church and royalty(York Cathedral, Buckingham Palace).

[Troll]

Remember - a fake ring doesn't mean fake love. If your love for each other is real, what else matters?

Hmmm not sure about that approach - depends if you're upfront about it being fake or try to pass it off as real - the first thing women do when receiving jewellery is have it appraised "for insurance purposes" i.e. how much has he spent = how much does he love me