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Tiffany "Rubedo"

Tanzigrrl

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http://press.tiffany.com/News/NewsItem.aspx?id=172

Anyone seen this in person yet? I'm absolutely CRAZY about rose gold so I imagine the color will appeal to me. I'd rather like one of the narrower bangles. I get the markup, the gimmick, the "commemorative trinket" aspects, but I think I might really like the color of this metal.

What do you think?
 

amc80

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I have! I was just a T&CO over the weekend. It's beautiful and looks just like rose gold!
 

Haven

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So, it sounds like it's rose gold with a touch of silver, right? Gold, silver, and copper.

I'm definitely interested in seeing it in-person!

This description had me laughing out loud. Not in an evil way, just in a when-does-the-soap-opera-scene-depicting-this-come-out? way.

"Metallurgists experimented with different ratios over a long testing period until they achieved the desired color, radiant with the glow of “first light” that awakens a sense of wonder and ennobles the spirit."
 

amc80

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Haven|1331060714|3141979 said:
So, it sounds like it's rose gold with a touch of silver, right? Gold, silver, and copper.

I'm definitely interested in seeing it in-person!

This description had me laughing out loud. Not in an evil way, just in a when-does-the-soap-opera-scene-depicting-this-come-out? way.

"Metallurgists experimented with different ratios over a long testing period until they achieved the desired color, radiant with the glow of “first light” that awakens a sense of wonder and ennobles the spirit."

That is awesome, ha!

From what they told me at the store, the idea was to make it with not much gold so it's a cheaper alternative to rose gold. Of course "cheaper" is a relative term when discussing T&Co products...
 

Lottie

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I LOVE the interlocking circles pendant!
 

Enerchi

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Lottie UK|1331064159|3142048 said:
I LOVE the interlocking circles pendant!
+1 Looks like a cool necklace - would be versatile, too - can be for casual or dress up...
Interesting info sheet Tiffany posted
 

Amys Bling

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i love it!!! but not the price tag :errrr:
 

Lotus99

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I'm really curious about durability and tarnish. I hate tarnish.
 

canuk-gal

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HI:

Ohhhh, I love the pieces! I can see myself wearing this.....and that.....

cheers--Sharon
 

AGBF

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Haven|1331060714|3141979 said:
So, it sounds like it's rose gold with a touch of silver, right? Gold, silver, and copper.

Actually the site says:

"This triumph is perfectly expressed in Tiffany’s new RUBEDO™ metal, which marries the richness of gold, the brilliance of silver and the warmth of copper".

It doesn't specifically mention rose gold. To me this just sounds like what would be another alloy of rose gold (rose gold in its entirety once the gold-yellow in nature-the silver and the copper were all mixed in) that is probably too low in karatage to be labelled "gold"! It wouldn't be a very exciting marketing ploy for Tiffany's to offer 2K rose gold, for instance! And that is probably what they are selling with this great new "Rubedo". Or 5K rose gold. Or even 8K. I have no way of knowing since I haven't seen it. But it's a gold alloy full of copper and silver!!!

Deb/AGBF
:saint:

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend
 

Haven

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Deb--Right. Rose gold is a gold and copper alloy, so . . . doesn't that just make this rose gold watered down with silver?

I kind of think that's what you're saying, but the way you quoted my post and wrote "Actually the site says . . . " makes me think you're saying my original conclusion was incorrect, so that would mean I don't "get" what you're trying to say. :cheeky:

Which could be completely true. I could be off. I'm not too familiar with gold beyond "Ooh, this 18K rose gold on my upgrade ring is purdy." But really, I'm not that excited about the prospect of gold that has silver in it, especially since the silver content doesn't seem to be making the product any more affordable!
 

Laila619

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I think it's just sterling silver with a rose tint. On another jewelry forum I read, a gal said the SA told her to treat/clean her Rubedo piece like sterling.
 

chel180

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what a ridiculous descriptions, who would buy it based on that load of rubbish.

its a pretty necklace tho and can't wait to see what it looks like irl next time i visit T&Co's
 

Aerix

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I saw this on the Tiffany website a couple of days ago and it reminded me of something I'd read about before. Hoover and Strong makes a similar metal called 'Karatium' that comes in pink (rose), white or yellow gold. (2-3 years ago I saw a seller on Etsy selling a ring made of it and looked it up.) There aren't many articles I can find on it, but according to this one page:

Karatium Alloys are a new family of alloys containing a percentage of gold and have been formulated in response to industry demand for less expensive metals. They are available in Yellow which contains 20% gold, Pink and White options which contain 10% gold as well as a sterling silver alloy which contains 2.5% gold. Although Karatium alloys polish to a high luster much like traditional karat gold alloys, they can be priced considerably less than 10kt gold and are an attractive alternative to gold filled products since they are a true "Alloy" and not a clad product with a base metal layer making up the majority of your jewelry. Karatium alloys also have the advantage over gold filled that the gold layer will never wear off. Karatium alloys are formulated to work well for all jewelry applications and can be cast, formed and fabricated just like karat gold alloys. All Karatium metal jewelry supplies have been formulated for optimum tarnish resistance. This qualities make Karatium a jewelry making material to investigate and experiment with.

http://www.theartofmakingjewelry.com/jewelry-making-materials.html

I think Tiffany's "Rubedo" jewelry is probably made of something similar to H&S's Karatium.
 

AGBF

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AGBF|1331093352|3142541 said:
Haven|1331060714|3141979 said:
So, it sounds like it's rose gold with a touch of silver, right? Gold, silver, and copper.

Actually the site says:

"This triumph is perfectly expressed in Tiffany’s new RUBEDO™ metal, which marries the richness of gold, the brilliance of silver and the warmth of copper".

It doesn't specifically mention rose gold. (etc.)

Hi, Haven! I am responding to your comment above about not understanding the comments of mine above! I think you didn't understand it because my writing was so poor. Poor writing (as you and I would attest) often leads to the writer causing his readers to misunderstand his intent!

What I meant to say was that Tiffany appeared to have mixed gold, silver, and copper into a weak gold alloy that looked "pink". Or "rose" or "red". I just wanted to be clear that what was being mixed was gold-good old yellow gold-and that the alloy that resulted was rose colored because of the copper. I didn't mean you were wrong. I wanted to cut through the baloney of calling this stuff they are selling by a name other than what it is: a very low karat gold alloy.

Deb/AGBF
:saint:

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend
 

Haven

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Deb--Thank you for responding! And the issue wasn't unclear writing; the problem was all in the reader. ::)

I *thought* that's what you were saying, but I just wasn't sure because my metal knowledge is even poorer than my diamond knowledge. If you can imagine. Now I understand--we aren't really talking about a high karat gold product, here, we're talking about a silver product with some gold thrown in the mix. And whatever it is, it ain't fancy. :cheeky:

I appreciate you taking the time to clarify. I would have been embarrassed to ask almost anyone else for clarification, but I knew you'd be kind enough to respond without asking me what the heck was wrong with me that I didn't understand. Thank you. :))
 

canuk-gal

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HI:

While I doubt any of these pieces will make it to the high carat gold thread here on PS, it is a rose shade that appeals to "me"! My sister (who is very fair/blonde) admired items she saw on the weekend--nice designs and she too like the color of the rose metal--suited her skin tone (or maybe she is just biased! :bigsmile: )

Speaking of that gold thread--it has been rather sleepy these days; nothing new to share ladies???

cheers--Sharon
 

Tanzigrrl

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I'm planning on making a trip to T&Co early next week to see the rubedo line up. I'll post once I've seen it in person and have formed an opinion.
 

JewelFreak

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Laila619|1331097359|3142601 said:
On another jewelry forum I read, a gal said the SA told her to treat/clean her Rubedo piece like sterling.

That tells the tale right there. Lot of money for a gold-karat percentage in the single digits. LOL at Haven -- yes, a big load of rubbish in the flowery prose. If I'd written it, I'd be ashamed of myself. :D

--- Laurie
 

Imdanny

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I'd like to know the percentages of what's used.

I don't know what to think about it.

I thought this part about this often told story was interesting.

"Tiffany was the first American company to incorporate the 925/1000 British standard of silver purity. Largely through the efforts of founder Charles Lewis Tiffany, the U.S. government adopted the standard, and later, the jeweler’s standard for platinum (.950 pure), as wel"

Tiffany goes through this point often in their marketing but for whatever reason this is the first time I was able to get a clear picture of what happened.

Thanks.
 

MissStepcut

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I really like the color but I bet it's less than 10kt gold (the legal min to call it "gold"), and I can't say I feel like paying those prices for that sort of content.
 

rengb6

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If they can not bother to disclose how much gold or silver is in their product I can not be bothered to buy it. I like knowing what I'm paying for!
 

iLander

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More of Tiffany's sell you less for more $$$ marketing strategy.

Don't get me started on their colored stones . . . :cry:
 

AGBF

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MissStepcut|1331240456|3144251 said:
I really like the color but I bet it's less than 10kt gold (the legal min to call it "gold")

Just so. Hence my guesses of 8 karats, 5 karats, 2 karats, etcetera! Although many countries allow 9K gold.

Deb
:saint:
 

distracts

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This came up in my jewelry class last night because someone had seen a billboard for it. The general reaction was puzzlement. Judging from the pictures on the website, it basically looks like copper. I guess adding silver and gold slows the oxidation (and makes it "fancier").

I wouldn't pay Tiffany prices for even gold or platinum pieces... I'm definitely not paying a billion-sized markup for fancy copper.
 

Tanzigrrl

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Alright, so I caved and bought something: the bar drop earrings. Yes, they're too expensive, but you know what, I'm loving these earrings for everyday wear. :appl: My iPhone camera is not what it used to be and I was unable to get a photo that shows the color, so I'll attach the one from the website for comparison. To be honest, I could see having more Rubedo in my collection - not the wildly expensive pieces, mind you, but just enough for some fun. I went into the purchase with my eyes wide open about the markup, the gimmick, the 175th anniversary "commemorative towel effect" etc. and I'm still quite happy with my earrings.

Rubedo.jpg

Screen shot 2012-03-30 at 8.54.56 AM.png
 

VapidLapid

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ok, but don't wear them in a thunderstorm
 

MissStepcut

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Tanzi, do they look pinker in person?
 

Tanzigrrl

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Yes, they are pink. But, they're very much their own thing. They seem to change color in different lighting. I would say they're like "rose gold" because that's the only pink metal I'm familiar with but I definitely pick up silver and yellow (gold) tones. I think it's quite pretty, myself. Unusual and unlike the other metals in my collection.

ETA: quite, not quiet
 

canuk-gal

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HI:

Love your choice! Gorgeous!!! Thanks for sharing...

cheers--Sharon
 
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