I live in Zurich but i m planning to go to Munich and buy the proposal diamond ring from there (to get something better for same budget). I have couple of questions:
- I found the prices on https://www.renesim.com somehow cheaper than in Switzerland for comparable products. Do you think there are any tricks?
- Any insights on VAT return on jewellery? Also, is there an import fee or something? (I m trying to calculate the actual amount that i would pay)
Enough shops who agree on getting the paper over mail and refund after this. But the VAT discussion has to be done before a sale has performed, not all shops do this.
I think it really depends on the piece you're looking at (and which stone you choose) as to whether it's good value. Feel free to PM me with your ideas (so the future Mrs can't see what you're up to) and I'll give my opinion on whether or not it's worth your time and money.
By looking around more, i found that https://www.bluenile.com/ch would have even more competitive prices. Did any one use them or heard something bad/good about them?
Very competitive pricing, but I’ve heard that they take the diamonds that the jewellers don’t want - the stones have the 4C attributes on paper, but are sometimes lacking on the more minor attributes that give a really top stone its allure. This was a jeweller who said this, so perhaps take it with a pinch of salt and it may be that what he was referring to is only something an expert would notice.
You could buy the stone someplace and have the ring made to fit elsewhere.
Antwerpen is still the world's diamond trade center. Buying the stone there may be significantly cheaper than here or in Munich simply because you'd bypass one or two levels of the supply chain. Provided of course the traders there sell to small fish like us in the first place.