Singapore Expats

Any suggestions? Walked into Tiffany store are astronomical. I remember buying a small diamond ring in Tiffany years back in the US and it was no way that expensive. The price disparity here is ridiculous. I don't mind checking out the local brands here. As long as they are shiny and get the job done, all is good.

Clearly, you must have just gotten off the bus. Walk down Orchard Road... one side... and back up the other... there are a million jewelry stores selling everything from costume stuff to high price pieces.

Find something you like. Get your best price... then do some comparison shopping... Google for bad news... seriously, there are so many legit shops you have to do your own searching and shopping.

There are a lot of stores, but I've discovered that local friends who are recently married tend to know a more affordable spot in town than the retail stores that have to pay high rent. I am looking into this now actually, my friends already have their rings and unless they're lying to me, the price isn't bad at all. You can also cross check the prices online - I looked at Tiffany's website and they have prices per country you are shopping in. Don't forget sales tax, either.

Do a search of the forums, it's been asked before. One such discussion below.

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/viewto ... ement+ring

All depends on what you want. Note that Singapore is not a diamond "hub" unlike London and Hong Kong. HK being a diamond trading centre, it also has workshops so you can practically get anything you want from any store, even the major chains. Most diamond retailers in Singapore have to order from HK or Europe. Usually in Sg, diamond retailers only have what they have and that's it.

If you're sure you want to buy here then there are some specialists in Far East SC and chains on Orchard Road.

Thanks for the suggestion guys!

Yes, I thought Tiffany would be a good start for that one ring... but that mark ups are crazy. And it's not like I can tell if someone's wearing a Tiffany ring. I found jewellery store guide for Singapore, http://www.proposalring.com/buyingIntro.htm
It seems quite old but summarizes everything pretty well.

I'll be travelling to HK in December. Perhaps I can pick something out there.

@sgtrait - Is one of the specialist in Far East SC Jannpaul? Read quite alot of good reviews about them.

Go to Larrys at Ion. They have Lazare diamonds there and the price and quality is better than what you see at Tiffany. Look for Tony. I bought my diamond from him and he's been working there for a very long time.

He will also take the time to explain the Cs of diamond hunting for you.

In fact the quality of the stones at T is not as good as what you find at other stores but Tiffany explains that their cutting method is so great it turns a not so great stone to a great one. And you are not given the cert immediately to see the other dimensions of the diamond they claim that you should trust the brand. Enough said.

And you are right. The prices here at T are inflated (for obvious reasons of course)

Happy hunting!


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And size does not matter. Personally I can tell the difference between color grades at one or two glance and it's particularly obvious when the stone is big.

For size usually the price increases sharply at 0.5 mark so you should look for sizes around 0.45-0.49, 0.95-0.99, 1.45-1.49, 1.95-199 etc. eg: a 0.49 costs a lot less than a 0.51.

Of course you need to look at a lot of diamonds in order to find the one closest to the specs you have in mind. Remember coz its natural the dimensions/specs cannot be customized.


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L.Jaff wrote: @sgtrait - Is one of the specialist in Far East SC Jannpaul? Read quite alot of good reviews about them.

Go into Hung Jewellers in Far East SC. They too can advice, if you are serious.

RedRidingHood wrote:Go to Larrys at Ion. They have Lazare diamonds there and the price and quality is better than what you see at Tiffany. Look for Tony. I bought my diamond from him and he's been working there for a very long time.

He will also take the time to explain the Cs of diamond hunting for you.

In fact the quality of the stones at T is not as good as what you find at other stores but Tiffany explains that their cutting method is so great it turns a not so great stone to a great one. And you are not given the cert immediately to see the other dimensions of the diamond they claim that you should trust the brand. Enough said.

And you are right. The prices here at T are inflated (for obvious reasons of course)

Happy hunting!


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Thanks! I'll check them out

ecureilx wrote:

L.Jaff wrote: @sgtrait - Is one of the specialist in Far East SC Jannpaul? Read quite alot of good reviews about them.

Go into Hung Jewellers in Far East SC. They too can advice, if you are serious.

Do you mean House of Hung Jewellers? Are they the same as JannPaul?
https://www.facebook.com/JannPaulDiamonds

They have the same address but different names.

RedRidingHood wrote:Go to Larrys at Ion.

...If price is no concern. Whilst there you might as well drop by Cartier where the mark-up versus the real-world might be 100%+ too. I've pondered this one before, since diamonds are rather like buying used cars. So would you pay twice as much to buy the same car from Ion, as you would from some non Orchard Road jeweller? I don't know, maybe the shop it's from is perceived to come with some kind of bragging rights? Hmmm... from a pragmatic point of view, I don't care whether the jeweller is 'Larry' or say Whiteflash in Texas; and I expect most people haven't heard of the latter. Go and look at a few rings in SG, and note carefully the specifications, from their professional lab certificates. Then do a like-for-like stone search on Whiteflash, 'Blue Nile' etc. Then you'll see you have a choice: Pay double in SG for some 'Larry bragging rights', or get circa twice the stone for your money from elsewhere (esp. abroad).

To be clear IME, SG is a very expensive place to buy good jewellery, and the local mark-up on diamonds is breath-taking.

Yes that's the one - Jann Paul.

I agree that the likes of Cartier, Tiffany, Bulgari may have high mark ups. However, you pay for the name as you do with all consumer things. Ultimately its about the woman, and she will normally want the prestige of saying "oh its from so-and-so you know".

Also, if you ever had to auction it off, I know which ring the auctioneer would get a lot of interest in. Imagine "Lot 1 is a 1 ct diamond ring from Cartier" versus "Lot 2 is a 1.5 ct diamond ring from Real Love White Gem Trading Co, which is not trading anymore but the owner seemed a nice chap".

I know which would garner more interest.....

My wife and I solved the expensive diamond issue by agreeing never to buy another one, and instead spend the money on experiences... vacations, charity... instead of on things... lots more fun, actually.

If time is not of the essence you could check out police auctions of seized items. Usually they are multi carat gems and high end watches. Of course explaining to your SO as to how you acquired it might take some embellishment

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