B&M questions for a newb

[nycDR]

Hi everyone, I''m new to the forum and any help would be greatly appreciated. I''m looking for an engagement ring and despite discovering the many positives that can be had from purchasing at trusted online vendors, I have decided to splurge and go the branded route because that''s what my gf really wants. I intend to visit Tiffany, Cartier, and Harry Winston and was wondering what the general consensus was on the quality of their products. As to price, I know it may be naive for me to wonder but would any of the 3 aforementioned boutiques budge on their prices at all? It may seem rational that a discount would be offered when you buy items in the $20K+ price range but my initial sentiment is that no discount would be offered from the above jewelers. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Most people who shop at those places and plan to drop $20k can afford to, so why should they offer deals? I don''t believe they offer any sort of deal. I know there are people on PS who have gotten fabulous deals on high end jewelrey through Signed Pieces (http://www.signedpieces.com/home.cfm) Ebay, pawn shops, estate sales, etc so if you want a deal and don''t care if something is second hand then maybe try this route.

 

[mrssalvo]

I know Tiffany doesn''t deal but I have heard of cartier and HW coming down a bit on price. it never hurts to ask...

 

[nycDR]

Thanks for the replies. I''m not necessarily looking for a deal but would like to know before entering the store. Nobody wants to pay more than they have to, regardless of budget. Thanks again.

 

[egs1]

From personal experience and from reading these forums, in the $20,000 range Tiffany definitely does not negotiate. HW and Cartier maybe. One Cartier store told me 3-5% and another told me not on engagement rings.

The quality of diamonds at these stores was generally good. Cant beat the settings IMO, but I havent seen many either. Tiffany has a huge inventory so just tell them your specs and they will find something very close. Cartier has a good range and can search but much less so than Tiffany. HW doesnt have much in the $20,000 1 carat range, and from the two they ordered in for us one had a 42.0 PA and 31.0 CA, and it still looked better than the other one. Dont think I''d call that quality...but I''m no expert!

The service at all of the stores was great...especially Cartier.