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You are probably already familiar with Diamond District if you are from the US. Like most
 US cities, London is a reasonably well-planned city. The city has a clean and
 vibrant Central Business District.

Close to London's CBD
 is the city's version of a diamond district, known as Hatton Garden. Having
 gotten its name from Sir Christopher Hatton, Hatton Garden is a commercial street
 in the Holborn district. Initially, it began as a mansion for the Hattons. With
 time, developers turned this mansion and adjacent gardens into a plush
 residential development. The Hatton Garden emerged as one of
 London's most famous diamond trading centers.

The center boasts
 approximately 300 jewelry outlets. Hatton Garden has hosted prominent jewelry
 merchandisers throughout its existence, including, among others, DeBeers,
 Regency Jewels, Webley London, and Hearts of London.

Like most diamond
 trading centers, Hatton Garden has numerous advantages and pitfalls. For
 starters, it is an excellent place to bag fair bargains on diamonds—fair, in
 this sense, implies exceptional quality at reasonably affordable prices. As
 mentioned, the street features plenty of jewelry stores, each of which
 endeavors to outdo others to market their merchandise.

Apart from quality and
 fair rates, the Hatton Garden also promises variety. Whether you are looking
 for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/diamonds/">loose diamonds</a>, diamond engagement rings, or
 solitaires, the Hatton Garden has it all.

Furthermore, diamond
 merchants in Hatton deal in various brands, and brand loyalty is paramount when it comes to jewelry. You want to buy from a renowned brand to get
 quality—&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/tiffany-co-jewelry-review/">Tiffany &amp; Co</a>&nbsp;is
 one of the district's favored jewelry merchants.

The most
 prominent advantage of Hatton Garden is its well-advanced security offerings.
 Unlike most diamond districts, this street features additional security
 measures. As you may know, shopping for any jewelry comes with concerns.
 Thankfully, the Hatton Garden features an extensive underground network of
 vaults. Therefore, it is not only easy to buy diamonds and other jewelry on this street, but you can also store them under tight safety conditions.

However, please
 remember that the UK is not among the top ten diamond-producing
 countries. Therefore, much of the trade at the Hatton Garden
 deals with imported diamonds. Also, like every other imported product, imported
 jewelry comes with hefty markups.

For instance, the UK's
 default Sales Tax Rate (STR) is 20 percent, which applies to all goods not locally produced, including jewelry. The default rate is nearly four
 times what countries like the United Arab Emirates charge for similar
 merchandise. But do not think importing your diamonds from the UAE alone is cheaper. If you escape the STR, you will still pay about 20
 percent in VAT. Therefore, you will be better off buying locally than importing diamonds from other countries.

Please note diamonds
 cost higher in the UK than in countries that mine them due to the incidental
 costs that come with value addition. As always, it is the consumer like you
 who shoulders these markups.

Also, as a diamond trading center, prices are only sometimes stable. It is common to
 find massive price variations for the same quality of a diamond. It all comes
 down to how much of your attention these merchants can get, which is a common
 drawback because you cannot expect everyone to play by the rules. You will
 occasionally bump into merchants that offer their diamonds at
 industry-competitive rates. But if you are not lucky, you could pay
 exorbitantly for a not-so-great quality.

Most Popular Place to Buy Diamonds in London

Typically, diamond
 trading centers should offer variety and affordability in one package, and to
 some extent, they do. But for the most part, these centers could be better than you may think. If you weigh the benefits of shopping at a diamond trading center
 against the drawbacks, the scale will almost always tilt toward the drawbacks.
 Thus, Hatton Garden may not be an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/best-place-to-buy-diamonds-or-engagement-rings-online/">ideal place for buying diamonds</a>&nbsp;in
 London after all.

First, and as already
 mentioned, prices are only sometimes standardized. Unstable prices translate into
 significant differentiation, which may work for jewelry traders. But
 it will indeed not work to the advantage of a diamond buyer. As a buyer, you
 should feel sure about getting good value for your money, so you must begin
 by understanding how gem experts price diamonds. This knowledge will help you
 establish whether a given price tag is fair. It will also help you when
 it comes to haggling. Price negotiations only make sense when you understand
 the prevailing industry rates.

We discussed variety
 as a benefit of shopping for diamonds in the Hatton Garden, though diversity
 can be a two-edged sword. When fewer forms of the same merchandise exist, your judgment of the best quality may be compromised. You need a
 market where the flow of jewelry is well-regulated so that you can tell which
 form of diamond is trending. You will also understand the most prestigious shapes
 and popular color shades, among other parameters. Diamond trends in Russia differ from those in the US, so every diamond that
 gets into the UK should be standardized for quality assurance.

We also highlighted
 the Hatton Garden as one of the most secure diamond streets globally, but only
 when four men changed the narrative. In April 2015, Hatton Garden witnessed
 one of the most audacious jewelry heists in recent history. According to
 a&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/23/europe/uk-hatton-garden-heist-trial/index.html" target="blank">CNN news
 article</a>, the carefully-planned and meticulously-executed robbery
 targeted a 6-foot-thick wall. When it was finally over, the villains made away
 with jewelry merchandise worth £14 million. The incident proved that diamond
 trading centers might take reasonable proactive measures against crime but are not entirely theft-proof.

Is Hatton Garden the Most Ideal Place to Buy Diamonds in London?

Right off the bat,
 your best bet when shopping for diamonds in London is to buy online. We will
 cover a few&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/buying-engagement-ring-or-diamond-online-tips/">advantages of buying diamonds
 online</a>&nbsp;later. But for some reason, you might consider buying
 diamonds from a brick-and-mortar outlet in Hatton Garden. To get a great
 bargain, you should heed the following standard precautions.

Assess the 4Cs

You are probably
 already familiar with the four main parameters to consider when choosing
 diamonds: Carat, Cut, Color, and Clarity. Each of these factors impacts
 the price of diamonds in one way or another. For example,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/ideal-cut-diamond-proportions/">Ideal Cut diamonds</a>&nbsp;are
 pretty costly. The same holds for flawless diamonds.

To get it right:

<ol start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal">Establish your tastes and preferences.</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">Assess your budget needs.</li>
 <li class="MsoNormal">If you can afford it, settle for nothing but
 top-quality diamonds.</li>
</ol>

However, your budget may not be sufficient for the quality you desire. In such
 cases, you may consider sacrificing any component of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/4cs-of-diamond/">four Cs</a>, though it
 is usually a tricky balancing act. Thankfully, you may enlist the services of a
 certified gem consultant.Check for Grading Information

After establishing
 your needs and finding a diamond store, could you check the grading information? Most jewelry merchants in Hatton Garden sell their diamonds along with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/diamond-certification-gia-ags-hrd-igi-egl-gsi-gcal-pgs/">grading certificates</a>.
 But as it were, not all grading certificates are reliable. Thus, it would be best to trust certifications from reputed organizations like the GIA and the AGS.

A diamond grading
 report from the GIA covers all the Four Cs. After analyzing such documents, you
 can determine whether the price tag is worth it. But it is not all
 that the certifications contain. Besides the Four Cs, grading reports from
 reputable organizations also provide information on other parameters, such as
 the diamond's width, depth, and <a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/diamond-depth-and-table/">table size</a>.
 The findings may also consider details like symmetry, polish, and
 finish. All these aspects go into determining the final price of the gemstone.

Take Your Time

After you take care of
 every other precaution, take your time and sample all the available offers.
 With all factors remaining constant, remember that diamond prices vary from
 store to store.

Please only fall for
 sellers that appear to be rushing you into buying their diamonds because their prices may be equally high even if they are of high quality. Take your time
 and compare prices across as many stores as possible. We must again reiterate
 that the best place to compare prices is online.

What Precautions Must You Take?

Buying diamonds&nbsp;online has numerous
 advantages, but we will highlight some. For starters, you can shop
 from the convenience of your residence. It does not matter where you are in
 London; you only need to place your order. Then, wait for the store to
 deliver your jewelry.

<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/best-place-to-buy-diamonds-or-engagement-rings-online/">Shopping for diamonds online</a> also enables you to compare prices, which is not easy in
 brick-and-mortar because you would need to physically walk from store to store.
 However, the case is quite different when shopping online. You can compare
 prices in as many stores as possible in the same window. Some stores have
 incorporated price calculators that you can only operate online. Price
 calculators come with respective fields. You fill these fields with various
 parameters such as color,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/diamond-carat-weight/">carat weight</a>, etc.
 Each time you do, the calculator estimates your diamond's price.

Another notable
 significance of buying online is that you get variety. It is often strenuous
 walking through an entire physical store scouting for your preferred diamond.
 But when shopping online, you can seamlessly sample through the displays. You
 do not have to worry about the visual appeal of these displays either. Some stores
 make use of 360-display technology. With this technology, you can examine a
 diamond from all dimensions—a visual appeal nearly as realistic as a physical store.

But buying online only sometimes guarantees the best deals, so you must insist on trading only
 with reliable diamond dealers.

Should You Buy Diamonds in London Online?

First, reputed diamond
 traders offer variety; regardless of the design, shape, or style you
 require, they will have it. From their vast stockpile of diamonds, you are
 likely to find a custom-made stone for you. Whether you need halo settings or
 custom solitaire rings, you will always find them with professional diamond
 dealers. That way, you can save time getting the seller to custom-design
 your diamond.

Another reason you
 might consider reputed stores is their fantastic feedback. Shopping for jewelry
 is primarily a learning experience. It does not matter how often you have done it; you will always have something new to learn. As you shop for
 the stone, questions will keep popping up. Such issues vary depending on the
 reasons you are buying the diamond. For example, you'll need to ask&nbsp;about a diamond engagement ring thoroughly. The last thing you want is to buy a ring your significant other finds less romantic. So, you would deserve a professional store that can offer interactive feedback. Such
 feedback could be through online chat support, phone calls, or quick
 emails.

Reliable online diamond
 merchants also deal with high-end, luxurious brands, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/ritani-review/">Ritani</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.petragems.com/education/verragio-review-/">Verragio</a>, Vatche, and Danhov, to mention but a few. These are some brands you may not
 find in the London diamond district. But if you somehow do, their prices will
 be higher than what reputable diamond stores charge.

Last but not least,
 reliable stores come with exceptional returns policies. Such policies often
 come in handy if you need to make a purchase return. A notable
 mention here&nbsp;is the Blue Nile, which offers exquisitely-cut diamonds and is locally available. You may desire a brick-and-mortar
 experience after sampling their offers online. In that case, you can head to
 their physical offices in Dublin.

London is a
 prestigious city, and that tag reflects nowhere else in the city's
 commerce and industry. Most commodities tend to be high priced in London than
 in neighboring cities, which also holds for jewelry prices. With that in mind,
 you should go shopping with only one mission: to get it right. Moreover,
 because retail dynamics are often challenging, you should always buy diamonds
 from reputable dealers. We recommend buying your diamonds online. But if you
 prefer a physical shop, consider Hatton Garden, the heart of London's diamond
 industry.

What are the advantages of buying online from a reputed store?

Most people buy
        diamonds to remember something significant in their lives, such as a promotion,
        an engagement, or a birthday. Ideally, you would

Best Jewelers in London for Diamond Engagement Rings

Sharif Khan

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