Jewellery Help

[saddler andy]

Hi All!

I have made it known on here a few times that I intend to propose to my girlfriend on her first visit.

I am now putting some serious thought into a ring.

Question is;

Buy in UK or in FL?

I am currently looking at two shops, both located in Premium Outlets.

Kay Jewellers
Ultra Diamonds.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


Andy

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

Firstly, how exciting
Can i ask,if you get the ring in Florida, how easy will it be to shop for it without your girlfriend wondering what your up to? as i presume it would take a good few hours to do, and also if you get there and don't really like any of them, you maybe pushed into buying something thats not 100% what she would have liked?? One more thing if the ring was bought in Florida and something happened to it e.g. a stone fell out(unlikely i know) you couldn't just pop back to get it sorted!So i think im saying buy in the UK

 

[saddler andy]

Firstly, how exciting
Can i ask,if you get the ring in Florida, how easy will it be to shop for it without your girlfriend wondering what your up to?

I aim to buy it onine before hand and have my family pick it up for me as they fly out a week before.

I have been very coy when walking around jewellery shops with her droping things like;

"if you had to choose an engagement ring what would you pick, this is what I would pick"

 

[Lisa x]

I'd also personally buy in the uk, if it needed resizing or like already said, a stone comes out, it will be easier to sort it this way. But having said that, iv had my engagement ring for 9 years and iv never needed to take it back for anything. So that was completely unhelpful ooops!

Good luck with the proposal though, how lovely!

Oh and if my husband had said things to me like "if you had to chose an engagement ring......." My radar would turn up to full and I think I would know what was coming! I hope she hasn't sussed you and gets a lovely surprise

 

[pascalstongue]

DH bought my engagement ring in Florida although I can't remember which shop it was (possible Kays - not sure where i put the box).It was 10 years ago now. We had been looking at rings together and I pointed some out I liked. He then rushed back to buy it whilst I was trying clothes on in another shop. He surprised me by proposing with the ring later that day during Wishes. The ring has been great - no problems at all and he bought me a much bigger diamond than he would be able to afford in the Uk.
Best of luck with your proposal.

 

[Minniesgal]

Engagement rings need maintenance, the claws checked to make sure they still hold the stones etc alse I get mine revalued for the insurance every 5 years. Easiest to do all that if you have access to the shop

 

[Kath2003]

Buy it in the UK. You'll need to size and maintain it. If you got the size incorrect, you would need to pay back in the UK for it ti be resized. You'll also need to pay duty on it when you return to the UK.

 

[Magic Megadegs]

You could also look at Zales outlet. I would not hesitate to buy in Florida, you'll get a lot more bling for your buck!

I have an antique ring which is lovely and again afforded us a much broader choice than the usual platinum / solitaire combo which whilst beautiful, all my friends have. You could look up antique shops in your area as they have some very unusual and lovely settings and most jewellers would tell you they feel the settings etc are very good quality and built to last.

Good luck, how very exciting xxx

 

[london75]

I have to say my Mrs would prefer something smaller that came from Tiffany's in Mall at Millenia or another reputable dealer than larger from an outlet store but that's maybe just my Mrs.

Also don't worry about repairs and valuations etc anyone can do those admittedly at a fee but given what you'll save buying outside this country it's worth it.

I got the Mrs a diamond eternity ring from Tiffany's in New York years ago at half what I'd pay for the identical ring over here and a pearl necklace and earrings from Tiffany's in mall at millenia a couple of years ago again for a fraction of the UK cost.

I asked my Mrs to marry me without a ring which we then went and chose together as she knows shed loads more about diamonds than I do. There are diamonds and there are diamonds. A small but high quality one will appreciate in value, whereas a large but flawed one will be worth little in years to come. Not so much for selling it on as everyone would hope that doesn't happen but even for insurance purposes, if stolen the insurance company will give you a pittance for a lower quality diamond ring regardless of the valuation.

 

[tinkerpea]

Buy it in the UK. You'll need to size and maintain it. If you got the size incorrect, you would need to pay back in the UK for it ti be resized. You'll also need to pay duty on it when you return to the UK.

Why would you need to pay duty? I wouldn't imagine that anyone would have any idea that she wasn't wearing an engagement ring before she left for Florida! ??
It's not like electrical goods that could be more obvious its a ring!

 

[saddler andy]

This is proving to be much harder than I expected.
I have sent a few emails, I will see what happens!

 

[Kath2003]

Why would you need to pay duty? I wouldn't imagine that anyone would have any idea that she wasn't wearing an engagement ring before she left for Florida! ??
It's not like electrical goods that could be more obvious its a ring!

Assuming that you were comfortable with knowingly taking the "nothing to declare" channel, you would need proof of duty paid for insurance upon your return to the UK anyway...and, of course, for any future trips out of the country that the ring may partake in to avoid paying duty upon your return...

 

[wilma-bride]

I wouldn't worry too much about Duty as how do they know where you bought it.

Why would you need to pay duty? I wouldn't imagine that anyone would have any idea that she wasn't wearing an engagement ring before she left for Florida! ??
It's not like electrical goods that could be more obvious its a ring!

Regardless of whether anyone would know, duty should be paid on it if it exceeds the allowed value of goods to be brought into the country.

We do not encourage people to break/evade/dodge the law here on the DIS.

 

[Magic Megadegs]

If the product is bought and enjoyed in the States ie ring bought, proposal made and ring worn stateside then relevant sales tax has been paid. I do not believe that is evasion but you could of course double check that.

You don't buy clothes in Disney or mall of millenia and wear them and then declare them to pay duty on them when youve already paid sales tax on them. I don't believe so anyway as the product was partially consumed / enjoyed in the States.

As for showing proof of duty for insurance etc, never, ever have I been asked for that despite presenting overseas purchases for insurance purposes. A receipt or valuation yes but proof of duty no x

 

[tennisfan]

If the product is bought and enjoyed in the States ie ring bought, proposal made and ring worn stateside then relevant sales tax has been paid. I do not believe that is evasion but you could of course double check that.

You don't buy clothes in Disney or mall of millenia and wear them and then declare them to pay duty on them when youve already paid sales tax on them. I don't believe so anyway as the product was partially consumed / enjoyed in the States.

As for showing proof of duty for insurance etc, never, ever have I been asked for that despite presenting overseas purchases for insurance purposes. A receipt or valuation yes but proof of duty no x

To bring items purchased abroad back to the Uk you have a duty/tax free threshold (this is a UK tax not sales tax) if exceeded you are meant to declare the goods and pay the tax on them.

 

[wilma-bride]

If the product is bought and enjoyed in the States ie ring bought, proposal made and ring worn stateside then relevant sales tax has been paid. I do not believe that is evasion but you could of course double check that.

You don't buy clothes in Disney or mall of millenia and wear them and then declare them to pay duty on them when youve already paid sales tax on them. I don't believe so anyway as the product was partially consumed / enjoyed in the States.

As for showing proof of duty for insurance etc, never, ever have I been asked for that despite presenting overseas purchases for insurance purposes. A receipt or valuation yes but proof of duty no x

It's not just about paying tax, it's about import duty too. And sales tax is different.

From the relevant page on HMRC website:

Tax and duty on goods brought to the UK from outside the European Union

Other goods including perfume and souvenirs

You can bring in other goods worth up to £390 without having to pay tax and/or duty.

If you arrive by private plane or private boat for pleasure purposes, you can only bring in other goods worth up to £270 tax and duty free.

If you bring in any single item worth more than your allowance, you must pay duty and/or tax on the full item value, not just the value above the allowance. You also cannot group individual allowances together to bring in an item worth more than the limit.

Declaring goods to customs

You must make a declaration to customs when entering the UK from non-EU countries if:
"you exceed your allowances
"the goods are for commercial use - see link below for information on merchandise in baggage
"you have 10,000 euros or more (or its equivalent) in cash
"you think you may have banned or restricted goods

To do this you should use the red channel or the red-point phone. The customs official from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) will tell you if any tax or duty is owed and how to pay.

I have never personally exceeded the individual allowance but, had I done so then, yes, I would have gone through the 'red' channel at the airport and made a declaration.

 

[Kath2003]

If the product is bought and enjoyed in the States ie ring bought, proposal made and ring worn stateside then relevant sales tax has been paid. I do not believe that is evasion but you could of course double check that.

You don't buy clothes in Disney or mall of millenia and wear them and then declare them to pay duty on them when youve already paid sales tax on them. I don't believe so anyway as the product was partially consumed / enjoyed in the States.

As for showing proof of duty for insurance etc, never, ever have I been asked for that despite presenting overseas purchases for insurance purposes. A receipt or valuation yes but proof of duty no x

As the previous poster declared, you MUST declare any items if you spend over the current UK personal import allowance of £390. It doesn't matter what the items are - clothes, electronics, jewellery - that is the limit and you are legally obliged to pay duty on goods over this amount, worn or unworn, used or unused, engagement or not. To not do so is evasion. Would you get caught? Who knows - but you could. Would an insurance company ask for receipts in the event of the engagement ring being lost of stolen? Perhaps (is that a risk you'd be willing to take?). But all of that is irrelevant since you have to pay duty on any item(s) over £390 - it's that simple. Since most engagement rings cost more than this value, this is the only advice the OP needs - if he plans to buy the ring abroad, he must also budget for the duty on that item.

 

[Magic Megadegs]

I've never added up what we've spent on items prior to coming back to the UK but would be surprised if it didn't exceed that. Have to say the combined purchases for the 4 of us would not exceed £390 x 4.

I have just read the whole section on the HMC website and see its 2.5% on values between £390 and £670 or something and then the duty varies item dependent.

I have often provided receipts from purchases abroad to add to our household insurance but not had the duty stamp and it was never asked for. I would never do something illegal knowingly but honestly would have expected if you enjoy the product in the country I would not have counted it. If I was bringing goods in to sell that would have been different.

I am quite taken aback by the low personal threshold but as we will be travelling as a party of 4 I guess our allowance would be £1560 total so we'll be fine this time.

 

[Magic Megadegs]

OP even budgeting 2.5% of the purchase price beyond £390 for the duty it would still be much cheaper and more choice buying in Florida than over in blighty xxx

 

[wilma-bride]

I've never added up what we've spent on items prior to coming back to the UK but would be surprised if it didn't exceed that. Have to say the combined purchases for the 4 of us would not exceed £390 x 4.

I have just read the whole section on the HMC website and see its 2.5% on values between £390 and £670 or something and then the duty varies item dependent.

I have often provided receipts from purchases abroad to add to our household insurance but not had the duty stamp and it was never asked for. I would never do something illegal knowingly but honestly would have expected if you enjoy the product in the country I would not have counted it. If I was bringing goods in to sell that would have been different.

I am quite taken aback by the low personal threshold but as we will be travelling as a party of 4 I guess our allowance would be £1560 total so we'll be fine this time.

A lot of people assume exactly the same as you that anything bought and used there doesn't count but, as Kath says, it all counts.

It is a personal allowance, though, so yes it's £390 each.