tiffany legacy engagement ring

[linol18]

Hello there..newbie on board...

I am planning on proposing to my girlfriend next year and I would like to give her a Tiffany legacy engagement ring. I have visited the tiffany store (in union square san francisco) and the prices are just too steep for my budget (ranging from $14k to $24k) My budget for this ring is $8-$9k. I was hoping that someone could help me in answering the following questions (alternative options would also be appreciated):

1) If i decide to have the ring ''copied'' where does one usually go to get this done (if youre reading this and youre from san francisco, a referral to a local jeweller would be ideal)?
2) If i have the ring copied, how much cheaper will it cost?
3) How can I assure that the ring is an exact replica of the tiffany legacy ring (outside of me having a physical copy of the original ring to show to the jeweller?)

Please bare with me if my questions seem sophomoric. Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

 

[codex57]

My fiancee tells me there''s a jewelry district in SF. Try there? Getting an exact copy may be tougher. I dunno how keen jewelers are about directly copying a design. The whole trademark issue. I know they''ll be happy to make a close copy, but I dunno about an exact copy.

Tiffany rings tends to be overpriced anyways. Just find the stone first. The setting itself won''t cost all that much, particularly if it''s white gold.

 

[laney]

There are several pictures of this ring in the "Show me the Ring" forum - do a search and take a look.

2nd - you could get a "copy" of the ring for that price - in the size most appropriate. Do you have any idea yet what size center stone you''d like to build it ?around?

There are lots of custom jewelery makers - and they don''t necessarily need to be located where you are - you can particpate in the process by looking at images of the work while the wax and casts are made.

Do a search here for custom jewlers and you''ll find lots of options. www.artofplatnium.com (leon mege) makes beautiful pieces not unlike that tiffany setting and he does custom work. So does www.whiteflash.com and mark morrell (Mark is more "modern" in style).

That is a very small list.

There are several personal stories of people who have gotten custom work done - describing the process from start to finish - it''s worth reading if you are considerng custom work.