Hi,

I am very very shocked by the mark up price of diamonds by retailers
in the UK.  I am
looking for an engagement ring for my fiancee.  I think she would like
a 2 carat princess cut stone of very very good clarity and colour in a
platinum band.

Could you please help me find the cheapest place to buy a diamond ring
in the UK ( I am based in London). (And I dont want just 'Hatton Gardens' in
london as the answer!) How much can i expect to pay?  Ideally a short
list of the most competative vendors would be good.

Could you also tell me where I could buy this cheaper in Europe or
further afield.  How far would I have to travel to get a real discount
on a diamond. Somewhere where i can be assured that I am buying the
genuine article and not some cheap knock off or some Conflict Diamond.
I am hoping the current exchange rate with the expensive British pound
can be used to my advantage.  I would need a certificate of
authenticity.  I only have a few weeks to buy this and so would need
to be able to travel to this place in a weekend and back.

Hope you can help!

S

"I think she would like" is not the same as asking what she would like.
A non-diamond idea might be worth considering - discussed before here:

http://ask.slashdot.org/askslashdot/02/08/13/2010256.shtml

Diamonds are of course dirt cheap if they don't look special (like
this diamond sharpening tool I have with me).

Hop the ferry to Amsterdam - save about 1/3.

Buy an unset stone and have it set afterwards. Check the taxes on
finished jewellery and unset stones in your country, and also check
whether there are any taxes on Estate jewellery (i.e. second hand).
Look at second hand jewllery with a view to selecting the stone and
resetting it. Watch for differences in cut in older pieces.