Tiffany Novo...again

[londonman]

Hi everyone

This is my first post after lurking a lot. My budget was £1500 initially but after seeing the Novo at Tiffany’s yesterday I can’t think of anything else.

My only concern is that it may be small. 0.32 F VVS2 and it goes for £2725. Do you think that 0.32 is a small diamond and it will look small in a size L ring (0.51mm)

I’ve spoke to a shop in Hatton Garden (via email) and they can do one for me for less, but I don’t know if the shop is a reputable one. www.qualitydiamonds.co.uk

Any comments would be appreciated

 

[londonman]

Can anyone help please?

 

[swingirl]

I don''t think we understand your question. Tiffany jewelry is beautiful and some just love it. Others feel it''s over priced and you are paying for the name. It''s a personal choice that you have to make. I can''t comment on the price since I am not familiar with the money exchange rate.

Another jeweler could copy the Novo setting but you''d be using a different stone than what Tiffany uses. There are a lot of settings that look similar to Novos and there are plenty of PS threads about Novos. Have you looked at the threads with photos to see if anyone shows a ring the size you are considering? You weren''t clear whether or not you saw the Novo in person or on line.

 

[londonman]

Sorry if I wasn''t clear first time around.

I''ve seen the Novo in person and I found it amazing. I''m just not sure if 0.32 carat is a small diamond for a size L ring. I''ve looked at other threads but none shows the size that I''m considering, i''ve seen 1.32 carats, 0.60 etc... but not the one I''m looking for.

The other part of my question was if anyone knows this shop "qualitydiamonds" at Hatton Gardens London, they can do a similar ring to the Novo, but I don''t know if they are a good shop as I never heard about them neither can I find any information via google.

Hope this makes sense. Thanks for your help.

 

[Po10472]

Hiya

First off, what style of ring does your girlfriend like? Do you know what shape she prefers, i.e, round, square, oval etc? Is she in to brand names? Would she prefer to have a smaller diamond with a brand name or a bigger diamond without? If it were me, I''d rather have a bigger diamond.

You will get more bang for your buck if you avoid places like Hatton Gardens and shop online. I live in the UK and my e-ring was from a diamond district shop and by comparison to online stores in the US, we paid nearly 3 times what we could have. I have since bought an eternity ring from the US and the quality and price far outways anything I have seen here in the UK. If I had bought it here, it would have cost me 5 times what I paid for - unbelievable eh?

If you take the value of the Tiffany Novo - £2725 and turn it into dollars circa $4750, visit the Pricescope vendors and see what you could get.

Come back, show us what you think and the PS experts will give you constructive feedback.

Seriously, do your research so that you can make comparisons rather than jumping in.

po
x

 

[londonman]

Thanks for your advice

I''m really worried about buying online, I have however heard lots of great things about Excel Diamonds and see some pics. But i''ll admit i''m scarred to death of buying an engagement ring online.

My GF likes cushions or princess, but she doesn''t like solitaires, they must have diamonds on the side.

I''ve looked at this diamond on the excel website can anyone add some information please?

General Specifications

Item # : 221792J
Carat : 0.51
Clarity : VVS1
Color : D

GIA Specifications

Measurements : 4.6 x 4.57 x 2.97
Depth : 65
Table : 62%
Polish : Excellent
Symmetry : Very good
Fluorescence : Faint

 

[Po10472]

What are you scared to death about? Making the wrong choice in the ring or losing your money? Is it compounded by the US online store?

Why don't you try www.bluenile.co.uk and go through the 'build your own ring section'. I had a wee look for you and you could choose a beautiful princess cut 0.74ct GIA cert super ideal for £1332 + £315 for the white gold setting with 10 princess cut stones for £1647 + VAT. £2k, straight to your door, from the UK. A stone that is 0.42ct more than your Tiffany Novo and 800 quid cheaper.

Have a look at what they have and come back with your thoughts.

Also, bluenile are a recommended PS seller so you may get a reduction in the overall cost. I don't know what that is so someone else may be able to jump in here and confirm/deny.

 

[londonman]

i'm scared of making the wrong choice.

For some some strange reason the blue nile website doesn't open in my work place I need to find a way to look at them at home.

I also had a look at adiamor, but most of the reviews here at Pricescope aren't that great.

The appeal of having something unique is great, giving her something that I choose based on her tastes and something that she won't see everyone and their mum wearing. Instead of buying a small novo.

Oh I forgot to mention it must be platinum.

this is from adiamor plus 838 for the platinum pave setting 3.5mm



Sort By:

Item Number:

Price:

Carat Weight:

Shape:

Cut Grade:

Color:

Clarity:

Polish:

Symmetry:

L/W Ratio:

Graded By:

Depth %:

Table %:

Measurements:




Fluorescence:

Girdle:


Culet:



Your Shopping Bag
A Setting
Your Wishlist



Remove

D-7638549

£1,627.05 GBP

Cushion

0.75

Very Good

E

VVS2

Excellent

Excellent

1.16

GIA

58.2

63

6.21 x 5.36 x
3.12 mm

Strong

Thin to Medium, Faceted

Small



Your Shopping Bag
A Setting
Your Wishlist



Remove

D-7946063

£1,433.59 GBP

Cushion

0.70

Premium

E

VVS1

Very good

Good

1.15

GIA

59.6

56

5.82 x 5.05 x
3.01 mm

None

Medium to Thick

None

 

[honey22]

Ok, first things first, if you are scared of making the wrong choice you should think about doing things a little differently I think.

Purchase a cushion or princess (or whatever shape you know she likes) from a vendor such as GOG or WF, as they have an upgrade policy (if you stuff up, you can change it now or down the track). If you decide you want to return in, then it's ok, or if you find later down the track (a few years whatever) you have more money you can upgrade the centre stone (*check which stones are upgradable first)

Have them set the stone in a simple wgold solitaire and then go shopping for her dream setting together. A more detailed setting can set you back hundreds, even thousands of dollars, so you don't want to get something she doesn't like and you have wasted your money.

You mentioned it has to be plat - this metal is very expensive, so if you budget is tight, you might want to consider wgold. It's looks great, is cheaper, and you may find you only have to rhodium dip it once a year, maybe less or more depending on your skin's chemistry. This is quite cheap, and again, if you are not totally sure, purchasing an expensive platinum setting (min 1k for a solitaire) is quite risky when you don't know for sure what she wants.

You can always propose with the temporary setting - who knows, she may just love it. It has the advantage of being able to mix and match lots of different wedding bands, and then you can take her shopping after the proposal to find her dream setting.

Dont' worry about purchasing from a Pricescope vendor, they are very trusted, and you won't be sorry.

If you are in the UK (not sure?), then you have to allow money for taxes. I am an Aussie so I am not sure of your tax, but you have to pay VAT (?!), could be around the 20% mark. Do a quick search on taxes and you should find some info here on PS.

Good luck!!!

ETA - you can drop your colour and clarity by lots and still get a fabulous ring. If your budget is limited, you can easily drop to at least G colour, VS clarity and still have a very very white, totally eyeclean stone. If you really want to maximise size, I would be aiming at H SI1 (eyeclean of course)

 

[Maisie]

I understand your concerns about buying online. I live in the UK too and I was really worried about spending such a lot of money in another country. I can honestly say that I have no regrets whatsoever. I spend a lot of time talking on the phone to Whiteflash about my concerns and they put my mind at rest. I have bought from them 3 times now and have had excellent experiences every time.

I would never buy a diamond from the UK now. Its just not worth it to me. The quality isn''t there and the prices are ridiculous. Even when you take into account the customs charges you are still better off buying from the States.

I can only recommend Whiteflash because I have never used any of the other online vendors. I know that there are more very good companies to go through but for me its got to be WF.

 

[neatfreak]

Personally I love the Novo, especially in the small size! But it has to be what your girlfriend wants. If she hasn't explicitly asked for the Novo, she might be happier with a bigger stone from somewhere else.

But personally I wouldn't "copy" the Novo. Either get the real deal or get something with a similar feel and style, but not a copy, elsewhere.

And there are MANY happy international customers from Whiteflash and Good Old Gold. Winfield's Jewelers is another I might email, with Wink being your contact. If you don't do a Novo that is what I would do personally.

Also, F VVS2 is pretty high color and clarity. Could you see if Tiffany's has something in the same price range with a drop in color and clarity to make the stone a bit bigger? That's a thought too, they usually can pull stock from their other stores.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree that I would ask Tiffany if they have any G-H color and VS2 clarity Novo''s in a slightly larger size. You can also get the same look buy going with a square hearts and arrows stone from Good Old Gold in NY. You have to call for prices on those stones.

 

[bee*]

Date: 10/18/2008 10:21:11 AM
Author: neatfreak
Personally I love the Novo, especially in the small size! But it has to be what your girlfriend wants. If she hasn''t explicitly asked for the Novo, she might be happier with a bigger stone from somewhere else.


But personally I wouldn''t ''copy'' the Novo. Either get the real deal or get something with a similar feel and style, but not a copy, elsewhere.


And there are MANY happy international customers from Whiteflash and Good Old Gold. Winfield''s Jewelers is another I might email, with Wink being your contact. If you don''t do a Novo that is what I would do personally.


Also, F VVS2 is pretty high color and clarity. Could you see if Tiffany''s has something in the same price range with a drop in color and clarity to make the stone a bit bigger? That''s a thought too, they usually can pull stock from their other stores.

ditto NF. I think that the novo is lovely in that size. Also try Tiffanys in New York and see what you could get with the same money in dollars. It tends to be a lot more reasonable than the Tiffanys in Europe. You will be able to go bigger if you go with an online store, so it''s really up to whether your gf would prefer a Tiffanys or a different ring.

 

[londonman]

Thank you so much for your help.

I''ve resumed my choices to 3 options

1-Novo, I''ll speak to the staff at the shop to see if they have a bigger diamond, sacrifice color and clarity for that. Maybe an H VS1. So Tiffany Novo small diamond 2725 + -

2- blue nile -This 18K White Gold Engagement Ring Setting With Pavé-Set Diamonds has a 1.01 carat Princess-Cut centre diamond with Very Good-cut, H-colour, and VVS2-clarity. With this setting choice, the total carat weight of diamonds for your ring is 1.21. total £2762

3- blue nile This Platinum Pavé Diamond Engagement Ring Setting has a 0.78 carat Princess-Cut centre diamond with Very Good-cut, G-colour, and VVS2-clarity. With this setting choice, the total carat weight of diamonds for your ring is 1.34.
total - £2548

So either a small brand diamond, a bigger diamond in white gold, or a medium diamond with a platinum setting.

What''s your opinions?

Again thanks so much for your help.

 

[LD]

Londonman - I'm a ring size M/N and a .51ct diamond looks ok on my hand but I personally prefer something bigger. I think you know that you'll get a smaller diamond for your money at Tiffanys than you could elsewhere, simply because you're paying for the name. A 0.51ct for nearly £3k is too much in my honest opinion. Why don't you give diamondgeezer.com a call? They have tons of settings to choose from and can also custom make. To give you an indication, I've just bought a 1.01ct pear shaped diamond at half of what you're considering paying - ok it was a special deal and I had to wait for the perfect diamond to come along but it was worth the wait!

Don't forget if you buy from a seller in the US, you'll have to pay import tax which, as a rule of thumb, is just over 20% of the purchase price and can be higher.

 

[londonman]

Thanks Lovingdiamonds.

Yeah I know that at Tiffanys I won''t be getting a big diamond for the price, but it has the brand appeal.

I think that I''ll stay either with Tiffanys or Blue Nile, they seem to be having good reviews and while I''m considering online, I not quite prepared to go overseas yet.

 

[bee*]

keep an eye on signedpieces.com also as they sell second hand tiffany jewellery. I don''t remember ever seeing a novo on there yet but if you email them, they can contact you if one comes in.

 

[londonman]

Thanks Bee…but I’d have to kiss goodbye to the world if I’d offer a second hand engagement ring to my GF, I don’t think she would appreciate.

 

[bee*]

I can totally understand that! D and I got a Tiffany ring last year and although I was very tempted to go with signedpieces, for one they didn''t have the ring we were after at the time and for two, there''s definitely something great about going in and getting the champagne while picking out your ring

 

[londonman]

champagne while picking out your ring?? That''s a plus...

That''s probably their secret they get you drunk and then you end up handing them your credict card

 

[londonman]

After reading a couple threads I realize that Blue Nile is not so great as I thought. I had a look at Whiteflash and the ring settings look much better.
How much am I looking at for delivery? I can tell that it won''t be cheap to get the insurance. And then I have to pay VAT when it arrives right?

I''m considering H for colour and the minimum VS2 for clarity, with the best cut I can get.

after reading a little bit on the old gold website I think i''ll buy in white gold that way I think i''ll have about $2900 to spend in a ring.

 

[londonman]

The ring

 

[londonman]

the diamond

 

[neatfreak]

The diamond is stunning. I have to say though (and don't kill me here) that I don't love the setting...it's a bit bulky and I don't love the channel set rounds with a princess center...


Has your lady given you any input into what she likes? Princess stones are often a love it or hate it thing.

 

[DMBsGirl]

i must chime in that the vvs1 might be overkill. A VS1 would still be eyeclean and would save you $ or afford you a bigger stone (which is always nice!)

 

[bee*]

Date: 10/20/2008 2:48:45 PM
Author: DMBsGirl
i must chime in that the vvs1 might be overkill. A VS1 would still be eyeclean and would save you $ or afford you a bigger stone (which is always nice!)

ditto. Also I have an I and it''s totally white so it might be worth looking at an I, provided that it''s well cut.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, I would also go with an H VS1 or VS2 and get a little larger stone. I''ll see what is available.

 

[E B]

If you want a Novo lookalike, I'd contact Whiteflash and ask them for their prettiest square cushion in this setting:

Petite Open Cathedral

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Unfortunately, there aren''t any x-factors from WF in your preference range. I''ll be honest and tell you that I do not consider a princess cut a good substitute for the Novo at all. The Novo is closer to a cushion or square hearts and arrows stone and is very classic looking. I consider the princess cut more modern and trendy. If you want a similar look to the Novo, call Gold Old Gold and ask about cushions and square hearts and arrows stones accessible in your price range. I do like the cut cornered square stones like the x-factor, too, but I am not seeing any under a carat in E-I color and VVS2-SI1 clarity.

 

[E B]

I don''t know a whole lot about cushions, but this one looks like it might be nice and is in your price range. JA has a good return policy in case it doesn''t perform well, but someone at JA should be able to tell you more about its performance.

.70 ct H, VS1

18 ct White Gold Common-Prong Engagement Ring