As promised, I am now writing a detailed post about getting my ring from Cara Jewellers. I read lots of posts on the internet, mainly from TripAdvisor on Cara. I hope that my own experiences can help someone else in their quest for the perfect engagement ring. 

A few days before I left for Dubai, Kiran from Cara Jewellers called me and gave me his number to call when I arrive. He said he would send his car out to get me. I tried his number almost a hundred times but the line was always busy. So my fiance and I decided to go to the Gold and Diamond Souk and seek out Cara. We also thought it would be better if Kiran’s driver did not pick us up because we could stop by Tiffanys and ask about their rates and compare some other stores with Kiran’s offer that he had made over email. At Tiffany’s there was only one Novo ring on sale and it was 2 carats. It looked too big on my stumpy little fingers. When I inquired how much a 1 carat ring would cost, the salesman said it would be about £14,000 but depends on the cut, clarity and colour as well. 

When we entered the Gold and Diamond Souk, we were really suprised that there were no customers at any of the other shops but Caras was really busy. Im not sure if all the talk on the internet forums have helped! Kiran was not at the office but his other business partner Rupesh met me and showed me a range of diamonds. They first brought out the very big diamonds and showed me a range of styles. I regret this as my fiance said it weakens my bargaining power. My fiance said that the longer I stay in the shop, the most vested interest I have to seal the deal. I should have gone into the shop, told him exactly what I wanted and then bargained down. Instead, we spent about 3 hours looking at different rings and finally deciding on my original plan to have one made similar to the Novo but with a slimmer band. At the end, I also decided on the 1.03 cushion cut diamond that I had been emailing Kiran about. The other choice was a 1.5 carat diamond and my fiance and I thought it might be too big. 

A lot of other bloggers have written about the culture of bargaining so I expected to knock off atleast 20-30% off the price that Kiran had quoted. Unfortunately, Rupesh did not budge an inch. Well maybe he knocked off a 100 Dhirams which is only about 14 pounds savings, which isnt that much

So I finally decided on the 1.03 carat centre stone and .3 carats on the side for the eternity band. Rupesh said he would bring the diamond ring to my hotel as he lived in the vicinity. 

Also, I was not offered a taxi ride home which other bloggers mentioned that Cara offers. Im not sure if Rupesh just didnt like me or something. I could tell he was a very good salesman in how confident he was when he was bargaining and presenting the ring to me. At one point, whilst bargaining, he told my fiance to key in his offer and said that he would not show it to me. I told him that we are partners and it would not matter how little or much my fiance paid, the household would be saving money if we got a good bargaining. I’m not sure if he plays off people. 

I wanted to mention this blog to see if Rupesh would give us a discount. A lot of other bloggers mentioned tripadvisor and got a bargain. But my fiance advised me against this because he said I am a small fry and it looks petty. So sadly, that bargaining tactic also fell flat on its face. 

So finally, the next night, Rupesh turned up with my ring. Its amazing how safe Dubai is. Rupesh turned up at the hotel with a bag which had Jewellers blatantly advertised on it and no body mugged or robbed him. I also saw lots of Arab women dripping in Diamonds. Maybe its just staying at the Hyatt…

Anyways, my first reaction was that the diamond ring did not look exactly as I asked him to make it. The original quote was based on a thicker band and Rupesh had made my band a lot thinner. I was about to mention that it must have saved costs that way and thus make a smaller reduction but my fiance did not allow me to mention that. We are happier with a thinner band as it looks more elegant and actually makes the centre stone look bigger. Perhaps its because I am training to be a lawyer but I believe that if you dont get what you ask for, you should complain. Secondly, my diamond was not cushion cut as on the certification and in the tamper proof box. It looked very square. Rupesh argued that he needed to make it square to secure the diamond. Hmm… Im beginning to think he’s a very good salesman indeed. 

Anyways, my fiance paid for it (the credit card company first declined such a large amount so sometimes you should call the company directly to clear it) and I thanked Rupesh. I did tell him that if anything goes wrong in the UK, I would be calling him. I am now looking for a place to value my ring. I found one near Mansion Place which does a free valuation. All I needed to do is email the specialist my certificate and she told me the market value, which is different from the value for insurance purposes. Im not quite sure why the two figures are different but I imagine that the latter one is what the ring would be selling in the shops and how much the insurance company must pay out to you to get a replica made whilst the former is a base cost of the diamond. Just based on the centre diamond, she quoted a value twice the amount I paid for, which makes me think Rupesh is not such a bad guy. 

I’m hoping to get a valuation for insurance purposes, hopefully the ring will be worth over £10,000 as the Tiffany’s salesman’s estimate of £14,000 was for a 1 carat ring and mines is 1.3 carat flawless diamond. But I also realise that Tiffany probably adds the extra 30-40% just for the brand name. 

Oh before I forget, a picture of my ring. I absolutely love it and it sparkles so much. My fiance stared at it for hours and said it was the most beautiful piece of jewelry he has ever seen. 

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