Just some notes on getting a bang for buck shiny rock for the missus; couldn't find any previous posts on engagement rings.
-Find lab diamond on Aurelinne (cheapest website with igi diamonds I could find).
-Copy the IGI number abd check if the same diamond is available on Rare Carat. If so, price match diamond on Rare Carat during one of their 40% sales via chat.
-Unfortunately price matched diamond will not get an additional 40% discount, but you can retain the 40% discount on ring settings by stating something along the lines of: "without the setting discount it'll break the budget :(". Keep on looping back to that point in a non-entitled manner and eventually they'll allow it.
-Ship to NZ via freight forwarder like MyUS.
-Pay customs tax.
Found that even after all that hassle of above:
-price of ring was still significantly cheaper than local's equivalent (margins on diamonds in particular are absolutely insane. Seriously, having a slick website is just marketing perceived value, not actual value add).
-extra flexibility on diamond choice is terrific (eg finer carat increments. You can also find proportions better than the highest cut rating; I just took a stricter criteria from some diamond nerd's post online).
-waayyyy more setting options.
Hoping this will help a cheapie in the future, also curious if there's an even cheaper way for the same level of quality (hope I haven't missed out on any significant savings lol).
Another direction on cheap jewellery if you've less specific requirements; buy second-hand. You need to educate yourself a little about what to look for but you can save a tonne of money.