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The UK's 25 cheapest 0.25 carat diamond engagement rings

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We've scoured online jewellery retailers to find the UK's cheapest 0.25 carat diamond engagement ring, and we've put together our top 25 results. You'll be relieved to know that we found that not all diamond rings cost more than £1000. In fact, there are many under £200 and under £500 and even a few under £100.

Our criteria was a ring that was:
  • at least 0.25 carat (1/4 carat) in a single solitaire diamond
  • any type of gold (9 carat, 14 carat or 18 carat)
  • any clarity or colour (we've included these details as well for comparison)
  • available to UK shoppers (so, we allowed some US websites, but only those offering international shipping and included the customs duty in the final price)

Searches were carried out in October 2015. Here are the results:
  1. eBay (second hand) - £55, 0.25 carat, I1 clarity, 9 carat white gold

  2. Etsy (second hand) - £95, 0.25 carat, 9 carat gold

  3. Amazon - £221, 0.25 carat, I2 clarity, I-J colour, 14 carat white gold

  4. SuperJeweler - £248, 0.25 carat, I1-I2 clarity, I-J colour, 14 carat white gold

  5. The Jewellery Channel - £250, 0.25 carat, I3 clarity, G-H colour, 9 carat white gold

  6. Argos - £270, 0.25 carat, I2 clarity, I colour, 9 carat white gold

  7. Diamonds Factory - £285, 0.20 carat, I1 clarity, H colour, 9 carat white gold

  8. F Hinds - £299, 0.25 carat, 9 carat white gold

  9. ​Chapelle - £299, 0.25 carat, I - I2 clarity, H colour, 9 carat white gold

  10. Elma Jewellery - £311, 0.25 carat, I1, H colour, 9 carat gold

  11. Purely Diamonds - £350, 0.25 carat, SI2 clarity, H colour, 9 carat white gold

  12. Warren James - £350, 0.25 carat, I1-I2 clarity, H-I colour, 9 carat white gold

  13. Littlewoods - £366, 0.25 carat, I2-I3 clarity, H-I colour, 9 carat gold

  14. The Jewel Hut - £375, 0.33 carat, 9 carat gold

  15. Aspire Diamonds - £385, 0.33 carat, I1 clarity, G colour

  16. Ideal World - £399, 0.25 carat, P1 clarity, G-H colour

  17. Fraser Hart - £399, 0.25 carat, 9 carat gold

  18. Goldsmiths - £399, 0.25 carat, 9 carat white gold

  19. The Diamond Store - £415, 0.25 carat, 9 carat white gold

  20. Shining Diamonds - £419, 0.25 carat, I1 clarity, H colour, 18 carat gold

  21. Overstock - £427, 0.25 carat, I2-I3 clarity, H-I colour, 14 carat white gold

  22. QP Jewellers - £435, 0.25 carat, 0.25 carat, SI1 - SI2 clarity, K-M colour, 9 carat white gold

  23. Ernest Jones - £439, 0.25 carat, 9 carat gold

  24. Diamond Heaven - £445, 0.30 carat, I2 clarity, I colour, 18 carat gold

  25. H Samuel - £499, 0.25 carat, 9 carat gold

  26. Gold Boutique - £499, 0.20 carat, SI1 - SI2 clarity, G-H c0lour, 9 carat gold

  27. Wedding Rings Direct - £504, 0.28 carat, SI1-SI2 clarity, H colour, 9 carat gold

  28. Serendipity Diamonds - £524, 0.25 carat, SI2 clarity, J colour, 18 carat gold

  29. Lloyds Family Jewellery - £525, 0.25 carat, I1-I2 clarity, H-J colour, 9 carat gold

  30. Glamira - £535, 0.25 carat, VS clarity, H colour, 14 carat gold

  31. Orla James - £550, 0.25 carat, SI1 clarity, G, 9 carat gold

  32. Vashi - £578, 0.25 carat, SI1 clarity, I colour, 18 carat gold

  33. Diamond Rocks - £584, 0.25 carat, VS2 clarity, J colour, 18 carat gold

  34. 77 Diamonds - £603, 0.25 carat, SI1 clarity, K colour, 18 carat white gold

  35. The Diamond Ring Company - £632, 0.25 carat, I1 clarity, E colour, 18 carat white gold

  36. Laings of Glasgow - £660, 0.25 carat, SI2 clarity, G colour, 18 carat white gold

  37. Not On The High Street - £750, 0.25 carat, palladium

  38. Samara James - £800, 0.30 carat, SI2 clarity, H colour, 18 carat gold

  39. Beaverbrooks, £950, 0.25 carat, I1 clarity, I colour, 9 carat white gold  
Boring notes to go with this league table
  • Carat is the weight of the diamond. We have searched for the cheapest ring of at least 0.25 carat (1/4 carat). Anything smaller than this is really very small!
  • Clarity is a grading of how many imperfections there are in the diamond. The usual scale is (from highest to lowest): IF (internally flawless), VVS1 (very very slight inclusions), VVS2, VS1 (very slight inclusions), VS2, SI1 (slight inclusions), SI2, I1 (inclusions) I2, I3. I would be reluctant to buy anything at the very bottom of the clarity scale, but most differences are only really visible under magnification.
  • Colour determines whether the diamond is a nice white colour or a less pleasant yellow colour. The scale goes from D (white) to Z (yellow), although anything up to an H is pretty decent in my view.
  • Rings are usually gold (9 carat, 14 carat or 18 carat) or platinum. The cheapest is usually 9 carat gold, platinum is the most expensive. See our guide for more detail.
  • Second hand ring where noted. Prices vary but you can expect to get a ¼ carat ring from eBay for £40 to £100 depending on how much it has been worn, whether it includes a box and receipt etc.
  • We have added import duty for non-UK based jewellers. Correct at time of writing. 

Conclusions

A few conclusions from our search for the cheapest diamond ring online in the UK:
  • There is a huge range in prices for fairly similar diamond engagement rings in the UK. Yes, clarity and colour are important but there are hundreds of pounds difference between some rings which are quite similar, at least on paper. The range between the cheapest and most expensive brand new 0.25 carat ring was around £750.
  • As far as I can see, clarity is what really increases the price of a diamond - the cheapest rings are all rated as having several imperfections. It is worth asking whether that will bother you or not - do you want something that performs well under a microscope or just a diamond that makes a nice sparkle? Or perhaps a more relevant question is: if you are on a budget (and who isn't?) where would you rather compromise - on quality or on size? For more on this, see our guide to 10 things you need to know when shopping for cheap engagement rings online in the UK.
  • An engagement ring doesn't need to cost £1000 or £500. If you're on a tight budget, you can pick up a reasonable diamond ring for about £200 or £300.
  • Second hand is cheapest, by far (eBay, Etsy). Buying used jewellery isn't for everyone, but it is cheap as chips.
  • Amazon is hard to beat in terms of price for a new lower priced engagement ring.
  • Buying from the USA (SuperJeweler and Overstock for example) is a money saving option if you are willing to deal with any extra hassle that comes from returns and the fact that import duty needs to be paid on top (generally about 20% extra which we have included in the prices above). Some US retailers include the import duties and taxes in your total price at checkout.
  • Big name high street retailers (H Samuel, F Hinds, Argos and Goldsmiths) were somewhere in the middle. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive. Beaverbrooks was expensive in this particular test, but it is considered a luxury brand.
  • There are several lesser known jewellers operating online, which don't have the profile of the high street names, but have built up good reviews and which outperform many others on price (try Diamonds Factory, and Purely Diamonds).

For more detail on many of these sellers, see our guide to 10 of the best places to buy cheap engagement rings in the UK for under £1000, £500 or £100.