For all the ladies who love owning diamonds, Dubai is one of the best, if not the best, place in the world to purchase diamonds and diamond engagement rings. This is primarily due to its tax free status, highly competitive local market as well as its position as one of the top 3 diamond trading centers in the world. These environmental factors have created a perfect storm for picking up a bargain!

Luckily we’ve done the hard work for you and consolidated the best places for Diamond buying to help you find your perfect diamond at the best possible price!

Dubai Diamond Trading Websites & Workshops

There are a number of strong website diamond traders located in Dubai who offer unbeatable prices on a huge range of diamonds and diamond jewelry and could be the best place to buy engagement rings in Dubai. Some of these companies have over 50,000 GIA certified diamonds listed at prices lower than anywhere else on the planet. We reviewed all of them and found that when buying diamonds online in Dubai Fergus James has a really strong reputation and an army of highly satisfied customers and really high quality products. Located in the Jewelry and Gem Complex, just over the road from Dubai Marina, this British owned and managed jeweler offers honest advice, highly competitive prices and attentive, professional customer service. They price very competitively first time so all customers get a great deal. Fergus James only sell GIA certified diamonds and their entire team is GIA qualified helping to ensure that customers get the best guidance and advice. Typically customers only need to send a 10% deposit to secure an order with the balance paid upon collection. Read some of their customer stories here

Gold Souk – Deira - Dubai

Located next to the Creek the Gold Souk is best for gold and Indian style jewelry. Advertised prices are really high so you’ll need to haggle long and hard to get a good deal which can be frustrating and slightly confusing and may not be to everyone’s taste. The location of the Gold Souk, in ‘old Dubai’ is real experience so even if you don’t buy anything it’s well worth a visit as it’s Creekside location is stunning – a real step back in time and a world away from New Dubai.

Large Retail Chains – Dubai

There are a number of large retail chains with hundreds of stores located across the emirate of Dubai in shopping Centre’s, souks and even supermarkets. Companies such as Damas, Joyallukas and Pure Gold are 3 of the larger players with a number of stores and large product ranges. However we found that, with retail space to rent, and large product ranges held in store, prices tend to be on the high side when compared with other options in Dubai. Additionally staff diamond knowledge also seemed to be somewhat diluted as their primary product focus is on branded jewelry rather than GIA certified diamonds and diamond engagement rings. If you are looking for a memento to remember your stay in this great city then these stores are definitely worth a visit.

Dubai Mall – Gold Souk

Dubai Mall has a huge range of retailers – from high end stores such as Cartier, Tiffany and De Beers (to name but a few) to smaller more traditional retailers. It’s pretty much all here in a very glamorous setting. The mall has approximately 150 jewelry retailers and is located just off the Sheikh Zayed road as well as having its own Metro connection. Prices vary dramatically from store to store and most do not entertain haggling (especially the larger branded retailers) so prices are probably higher than elsewhere in Dubai. If you are looking for a bargain then this is probably not the best place to find it – if you are looking for expensive branded jewelry from the likes of Tiffany and Cartier then this is the best place for sure! They have a website with the complete list of retailers that can be found here – www.thedubaimall.com

Gold and Diamond Park - Dubai

The Gold and Diamond Park (or GDP if you are local) is a relatively small mall located close to the Mall of the Emirates facing the Sheikh Zayed road. There are a number of independent retailers peddling their products in a reasonably competitive environment. There is a large selection of diamonds and diamond jewelry on offer but prices tend to be higher than online retailers and workshops as expensive retail rents need to be covered and large stock holdings are costly. Diamond prices can vary from store to store and the advertised prices from pre-made products are really high so you’ll definitely need to haggle. If you have great knowledge, and are a confident haggler then you stand a good chance of getting a good deal. There are some things you need to watch out for - many of the stores here sell IGI, EGL and IDL certified diamonds which are over graded. Staff will probably not tell you this as they want to make the deal, but these certification laboratories are nowhere close to the GIA standard (an EGL F color will be the same as a GIA H color). Also be aware that many of the diamonds sold here are second hand as these stores all buy back products from customers wanting to upgrade – if you are looking for a new diamond (first diamond owner) then you need to be very careful indeed as staff will not tell you if it’s been used before. Check the certificate date and, if it’s older than 6-8months, the chances are it has been returned by another customer. Keep your wits about you and you’ll be ok!

For more information please visit www.dubairocks.com