Beware Tiffany''s

[rosy]

Hi,
I know it''s not Friday yet but I want to start my weekend early. Just a little warning for anyone considering a Tiffany diamond (I know there''s a lot of you out there, har! har!) please, please be sure to request the certificate, the salesperson will gladly print it out for you & run the stats on the HCA before buying. Don''t assume because they''re Tiffanys that all their diamonds are ideal (But you knew that already, right?). I recently went to look at a 1.31 & it scored a 2.4. I looked at a 1.42 & it scored a 6! Imagine paying all that for such poor performance. But all is well, I did find one that scores a .9 which makes me a happy camper if, BIG IF I do decide to break the bank!

 

[oldminer]

I know many on here would be VERY curious to know the specs of the stone you found and see what the results would be if you ran a Pricescope search for a nearly identical diamond. Comparing the different prices would be something very informative. This does not mean you wouldn''t buy the diamond from Tiffany. There is more to buying something than price alone, but it is a personal choice.

It would be fun to know how the money side works..

 

[rosy]

Date: 10/28/2004 9:43

8 AM
Author: oldminer
I know many on here would be VERY curious to know the specs of the stone you found and see what the results would be if you ran a Pricescope search for a nearly identical diamond. Comparing the different prices would be something very informative. This does not mean you wouldn''t buy the diamond from Tiffany. There is more to buying something than price alone, but it is a personal choice.

It would be fun to know how the money side works..

Hi,
I''ve already done a search of comparable diamonds from online vendors & based on that I can get a comparable diamond for $4,000.00 less if I shop online. However the reason I''m considering Tiffanys is because I have a ten year old ring that has been sitting in my closet for the last five years that I may trade in. I have no use for it, don''t want to take it apart & make it into something else like many have suggested or don''t want to sell it on my own, it''s too much of a hassle & don''t think I''d get that much for it anyway. So in this case Tiffany''s is a definite option. If it weren''t for my trade in Tiffany''s would not be an option. Although I''m easily swayed by their georgeous settings......................................

 

[denverappraiser]

Rosy,

I''m curious, Can you tell us more about the trade in program you were offered? If it''s not being too nosy, what is the description and the price on the new stone and what is the discription and trade in value of the piece you''re trading in?

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[Shopaholic]

Neil,

Tiffany let's you trade in a ring bought from them for the full purchase price (or if you no longer have the value documents they will evaluate it for what it would sell for currently and let you use that towards an upgrade from them). But here are the stipulations:

Diamond is from them, in good condition (for example if it has cracks, chips no go, basically it still has to be a VS2 or higher)

Your upgrade has to be 100% more than original ring, ie. your old ring equals $5000, you have to buy something that is $10,000.

There is a 10-20% service fee depending on how worn it is, old it is, what they have to do to it etc.

Hope this helps.


Sincerely,

A huge Tiffany's fan

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

I have read a few of the threads on this message board and I am aware how controversial my next statement is going to be but... here goes

I love the classic Tiffany setting

I guess I am a hopeless romantic, I kinda have my heart set on it...

I am not particulary bothered about paying way over the odds, because I am well aware that you are not just buying the diamond, you are buying into the brand (which I don''t consider to be a negative). Call me a fool for buying into the brand, if you wish (btw - I also drink my coffee at Starbucks

)

However, I am concerned about the popularity of the Tiffany setting and how common they are. Is my gf likely to bump into people with Tiffany rings all the time? I want it to be special

Also, I am a little wary that I may come off as unimaginative and unoriginal...

can anyone plz help?

 

[rosy]

HI,
I love the classic Tiffany setting also & so do a lot of people. Many people try to have it duplicated by having their diamonds custom set. If you do a search here there are pictures of those who have done it. I don''t think a lot of people have Tiffany diamonds because of the premium so you are not at risk of being too much like the crowd. Remember also that the Tiffany solitaire sits lower on your hand than most other brands of solitaire settings which some people think makes their diamond look smaller than it actually is. You may have noticed that most companies that offer Tiffany 6 prong style settings have the diamond sitting higher on the hand, it gives it the illusion of being slightly larger than it is.

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

thankyou for the reassurance

it is worth paying the extra to know that it is going to be special

thanks also for the information about the setting, I just checked the Tiffany and the 6-prong from blue nile for comparison. I now realise that one of the reasons I like the Tiffany so much is precisely because it is set that bit lower. I don''t know why, I just think it looks better, more natural, less awkward... I don''t know... However, I have not seen either except for online pics, so I don''t know how they look in reality.

I don''t really mind too much if the diamond looks slightly smaller, but I will try to get the best spread I can.

thankyou for your help, I am now a lot more confident that Tiffany is the way for me to go,
- now I just have to save up for a year to pay for it

 

[heart prongs]

Aren''t all diamonds special?

 

[solange]

I bought the Tiffany style from Whiteflash along with my stone. They have two versions of this style. One is about $350. Mine was about $1000. My stone is large and they had a custom mounting made for it.
Before it was shipped out, Whiteflash sent me photos and I felt the stone was set too high. SInce the mounting was made for my stone, I asked them to reset it as low as possible. They were able to do so with no problem and the stone is now very low in the setting. You can see it under Show Me the Ring.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/31/2004 9

9:58 AM
Author: heart prongs
Aren''t all diamonds special?

If you want them to be, why not ?

Unfortunately, those stones don''t know how special they are and any two would be more or less different...

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

solange - wow... that is a gorgeous ring!!! amazing setting and an outstanding diamond! I will certainly never be able to afford such a diamond!!! but thankyou, you have given me something to think about... if I can get a better diamond set just as low as a Tiffany diamond, the question is, how much is that Tiffany stamp and the little blue box worth?

 

[solange]

We could never have afforded this either when we got engaged. This ring was an anniversary present. If you take the tutorial on this site you will learn what to look for in a stone. Not all Tiffany diamonds are exceptional in quality. It is strictly a personal matter as to whether you want to pay extra to have a ring from Tiffany''s.
You should look at some rings at Tiffany''s and compare them with what you can get from one of the reputable Pricescope vendors in a similar cut,color and clarity and then decide if it is worth the difference to you.