Battle of the Brands

[makhro82]

In another thread I noticed that everyone was getting quite heated about "branded" diamonds. Me personally, I don't care what the brand is. I pretty much have brand name everything and I really don't think a diamond can have a brand. They all come from the same places before they hit the stores, right? Or are diamonds in little blue boxes mined in a more special place? So the question is which which would you prefer:

 

[neatfreak]

For me, it totally depends. If we are talking about something like a round solitaire, give me an AGS0 stone from anyone anyday. BUT if it is something specific, like the Tiffany Legacy ring for example, I would want the real thing. It's not so much about the fact that it is the BRAND but that the stone cut is copyrighted and thus I couldn't get the exact same look elsewhere even if I tried. Plus I am not really about copyright infringement, so I wouldn't want to hire someone else to even try and copy it exactly. I would rather just get the real thing and be sure it was exactly what I wanted.

 

[musey]

Brands serve their purpose. For those who are not educated about diamonds in general, a brand (in most cases, but not all) comes with a quality guarantee. Many people who buy from Tiffany do so because the blue box means a certain quality level, without the extra time and effort required to research diamond specs, etc.

Then again, most people who find their way to PS don't need the brand guarantee to find something great. Saves more deals for us

ETA: In addition, ditto what Neatfreak said, and applied to settings as well

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I am a setting girl. Not to say it has to be a certain brand but it all about the details for me. EVEN if that means having a smaller diamond.

 

[makhro82]

I had 2 other options:

C) I''ll take the brand, but only because they offer this cut.
D) Yeah, its all about the brand.

Me personally I love settings. I am getting a modification of a Hearts on Fire setting. I had to sacrifice and get a smaller stone, but the ring is being made so that I can get that definite PS upgrade. Which brings me to another question.... How soon is too soon for an upgrade? I am getting the ring in a few months and probably next year this time it will be upgraded. We are looking at .80-.90, ideally I''d like a 1.5 round.

 

[musey]

In that case, I vote for a combination of A, B and C

. They're not mutually exclusive options.

For what I wanted, brand didn't matter. I would've gotten a generic asscher in a second, but my RA practically fell into our laps with an unbelievable price. Actually, I was ready to buy a (comparatively) cheap gemstone before we found our royal asscher. So I have a "branded" stone, but all things being equal, I would've gone for whatever fit the budget, as long as it spoke to me

Upgrade whenever you feel comfortable. There are no rules in that arena!

 

[Clio]

It really depends for me. I do have a desinger setting. Not because of the name but because I fell in love with the way it looked and it was quite unusual at the time (nearly 15 years ago now). The same look really wasn''t available then the way it is now.

For the most part, I''m not a big label person, though, as long as the quality is good.

 

[Gypsy]

I didn''t know how to respond because I''m a quality girl and value girl. As someone said, brand names serve thier purpose. I have a generic asscher which will be in a custom setting. But I shopped around and made sure that the quality I was getting was a good value for the money I was spending. When you buy a name brand you are buying that company''s assurances of quality and their reputation for service and excellence. That has intrinsic value that I am not immune to. In addition there are patented designs and cuts that you can''t get anywhere else idenitically-- both in craftsmanship, and in design. And that exclusivity also has value.

In a way a certificate from GIA or AGS is a ''branding'' of sorts... its an assurance. And it''s worth the premium, to me. I would not have bought an uncertified stone.

And I would have paid the premium for a branded cut or design IF it were a patented and exclusive cut or design I fell in love with.

So I don''t know, and don''t think, it answers your question... but I think that had I fallen in love with a setting or a design, I would have MUCH preferred the original than a custom copy. If another desgin line had a similar interpretation of that original design though, at a lower cost... but that line was also known for value craftmanship and and quality then I would most likely have been willing to setting for something less than the ''ideal'' design.. if it allowed me a larger stone.

 

[kcoursolle]

I don''t need a special brand, but I absolutely need superior cut and craftsmanship.

 

[luckystar112]

I'm a huge cheap-o, so I could care less about brands. If I had to pick between a bigger diamond or a name brand setting, I'll pick the bigger diamond every time, and I have no problem wearing a knock-off setting. I just think most settings (even non name brands) can be insanely overpriced. Just looking a wedding bands right now, I'm like GEEZ that's expensive.

My setting cost probably 10% of what most people spend on them, and I'm happy with it, except for some minor things with it. Still trying to decide if I'm going to keep it or change it before the wedding. That's probably another reason why I don't care about name brands....I can't make up my mind!

But I think it's a classic case of economics. I'm sure if I had the funds I'd be more than happy to get the real thing.

 

[sera]

I''m not into brands for the sake of the name.

I am into brands when that brand assures me of a certain level of quality I want or a certain setting style or diamond cut I can''t get elsewhere.