Blue Nile vs. Tiffany & Co.

[surfsupp]

Hi all!

Long time listener, first time poster. I have been reseaching over the past few months in search of the "perfect" diamond. That this search stil includes Tiffany''s well... that''s the power of marketing. Taking into account user input, reliability, and ease of purchase I settled on the following three sources: Oscar''s Design Jewelry (B&M Los Angeles), BlueNile (online), and Tiffany & Co. (mktg powerhouse).

I hoped you diamond gurus could get me your input on the following:

1) BN:
Shape: Round
Measurements: 7.37 - 7.43 x 4.62mm
Weight: 1.54
Depth: 62.4%
Table: 55%
Girdle: Medium
Culet: None
Polish: EX
Symmetry: EX
Clarity: VS2
Color: E
Fluorescence: None
Price: $14,100

2) Tiffany & Co:
Color: G
Size: 1.33
Price: $15,300

Which would you choose? Could I also sacrifice Polish/Symmetry/some clarity if I was in search of a bigger diamond?

Thanks for your help!

 

[aljdewey]

There isn't nearly enough information provided to give you any meaningful input.




A diamond's make contributes to it price, and you cannot determine the make without crown/pav angles.




If you really want a bigger, better diamond, check the online vendors. You can get a decent G/H, VS2-SI1 stone of about 1.5-1.6 for much less than either of these two stones.




Here are a few examples:




1.550, H, VS2, 0 (H&A) $11596
A Cut Above, 1.3-EX
ex-ex-ex-ex, 60.4, 56, 34.8°, 40.8°, AGS, f 1.2%-1.9%, pt, id, id, neg, Www.whiteflash.com




1.565, H, VS2, 0 (H&A) $11671
A Cut Above, 1.6-EX
ex-ex-vg-vg, 61.2, 56, 34.7°, 40.9°, AGS, f 0.9%-1.7%, pt, id, id, neg, www.whiteflash.com

1.517, G, VS2, 0 (H&A) $12,599 1.8 - ex
ex-ex-vg-vg, 61.2, 56, 34.9°, 40.9°, AGS, 0.7-1.2, pt, id, id, no, www./www.goodoldgold.com/";" return true;" onmouseout="status=';" href="http://www.GoodOldGold" target="_blank">GoodOldGold.com

1.435, G, VS2, 0 (H&A) - $13001
A Cut Above, 0.9-EX
ex-ex-ex-vg, 60.7, 56, 34.6°, 40.7°, AGS, f 1.0%-1.4%, pt, id, id, neg, www.whiteflash.com

 

[niceice]

Aljedewey is absolutely correct! Without knowing the Crown & Pavilion angle measurements, there is no way for anybody to provide you with an accurate opinion regarding any of these diamonds. However we will say that there is no valid reason to purchase from Tiffany & Co. unless you absolutely need to pay more for a comparable diamond in order to get that Baby Blue Box. Many of the on-line dealers offer diamonds equal to which exceed the quality of the diamonds offered by Tiffany & Co. Last we checked, Tiffany's offered round brilliant diamonds within the proportions range of AGS-2 Very Good up to AGS-0 Ideal Cut. Likewise, Blue Nile offers a variety of proportions from Good to Ideal, a diamond is not necessarily "Ideal Cut" simply because the Polish & Symmetry ratings are Excellent. Ask both vendors to provide you with a full page version of the Sarin / OGI computerized proportions analysis, both vendors do have access to this information.

 

[laney]

Novice Reply here:

Just looked at I color, G, Color and F color yesterday in person.

If you have a choice (and color is NOT the only choice you have here..)

Go with the E.


I agree w/others here - you can find a "lot more diamond" with some internet retailers if you have the time to do so (or even if you don't have lots of time).

Good Luck!

 

[DEVO]

I don't understand the long time listener who don't search on this site first. You will find that you are paying too much. Blue nile diamonds (signiture collection) are ideal cut but not h&a ideal. You will find for the same money you can get an H&A ideal cut diamond with better Cs on a simple search here.

 

[niceice]

One thing we'd like to add on "second glance" to this post is that the total depth of 62.4% is a bit steep on that BN diamond... When the stone is cut deep, the outside diameter of the diamond will be smaller than it would be if it was cut shallower, so in essence you are paying for weight that you do not visually benefit from. We might understand doing so if the stone was a rare weight like a 1.40 - 1.49 or a 1.80 - 1.99 carat stone, but a 1.54 never, you have options in the current market. We've sold off all of our 1.50 - 1.99 carat stones and won't have more until after the first of the year, but no doubt a few of the other on-line dealers have something to offer you.

 

[Mara]

AL posted some great alternative options. BN is an okay place to shop but for me it's kind of like using AOL vs a real ISP.

It's mostly for the masses, but not for those who are more discriminating. Doesn't mean they don't have some great stones. But they are far and few between. Also I tend to think they are more expensive than similar stones through other online vendors, maybe you end up paying for all their marketing that they do!




Definitely not Tiffany, what a ripoff and waste of hard earned money.




For a 1.5 F VS2 or even SI1 (eye clean SI means more bang for your buck!!) you wouldn't need to spend anywhere near the $15k. Something like about $13k would get you an amazing stone. Keep looking

Always get the crown and pavilion angles of the stones and stay away from those with depth over 62% (e.g BN stone).

 

[Mara]

Some other options....from GoodOldGold.Com..they are brokered H&A stones, so you'd have to see what Jonathan thinks about them, they won't be listed on his site, hence the slight discount. They are all going to be excellently cut with true H&A and great HCA scores.




1.53 F VS $14900


1.57 G SI2 $9300 (great bang for your buck if its eye clean!)


1.50 F SI2 $9600 (another great potential bang for your buck)


1.53 E SI1 $12800 (see how the price rises with the color/clarity combos?)


1.57 G VS $13800




Good luck!

 

[joeq]

For an example, I saw a 2.13 I VS1 at Tiffany for $25,300.
A comparable stone online would be about $14,000, plus $1,000 for Tiffany-like setting.

So you pay about 2/3rds more for the little blue box. I can understand how some people would be willing to pay an extra 2/3rds for the piece of mind and the Tiffany name. It's not like a diamond is a practical purchase.

Actually, the prices at Tiffany were not that out-of-line compared to what I have seen at other B&M jewelers. The difference is that you can bargain the price down at other B&Ms --- the Tiffany price cannot be negotiated.

 

[domer]

Any reason you're not considering GOG or one of the other online vendors discussed her (WF, NiceIce, etc.)? I JUST went through what you are going through, and let me tell you, Tiffany's isn't worth it unless the name is necessary for you. As for buying online, information is key, and these guys will give it to you. GOG has some of the most well documented diamonds on the internet. I was skeptical of buying from someone who wasn't "well known" on the internet, but I quickly found that in the world of diamonds, GOG, WF, and others are very well known by those who know diamonds, including all of those on this forum, and the third party appraiser I went to in the Bay Area.

Anyway, you and I sound pretty similar in our budgets and in our buying logic (Tiffany vs. online vs. B&M), so check out some of the following posts. They document my "transformation" from a typical buyer (finding comfort in and valuing Tiffany, Blue Nile, and the like more for their reputation), to a more discerning diamond purchaser, who would never by anywhere other than one of the online niche dealers who deal with super ideal cuts.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/is-tiffany-or-any-premium-jeweler-worth-the-price.11061/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/emergency-need-buying-advice-quick.11149/

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/huge-success-story.11399/

Mara - Great call on the BN to AOL comparison

I can't STAND AOL for what they have done to masses. Most people can't even comprehend email, IM, and web browsing apart from the AOL client! Great job for AOL getting the product out there, but TERRIBLE for the the consumer!

 

[domer]

Jonathan set my stone in a wonderful, classic, platinum 6-prong "tiffany" solitaire setting for $475. Don't do the Tiffany thing. You're paying for the name.

 

[valeria101]

There is a wealth of great advice on this thread already, I can just hope to add my 0.2 to it, but here it goes...

Neither of the original choices is what Pricescope leans toward, and the arguments above regarding price and cut quality show why these two can be seriously improved upon.
On top of it all, BN and Tiffany are not in the same league to start with. Both places ask for som premium based on their reputation rather than hard evidence of quality, but "Tiffany" and "Blue Nile" are not exactly direct competitors in the premier league. Optimizing quality via a well-informed independent purchase and custom jewelry work can well compensate for a brand name any day. This becomes obvious once one understands what a brand offers besides their name. I surely like the quality of Tiffany rings; this is exactly why I insist on the details of any custom piece of jewelry !

All you need to tradeof for a bigger, better diamond is those brand names and B&M markup, as far as I see.


Best of luck with your purchase!

 

[surfsupp]

Thanks all for your input on this one!

Your input has made quite an impact. I decided to do a bit more investigating. Without having more information regarding the blue nile diamond, it's hard to give a true apples to apples comparison... but given these 2 choices, which would you choose?

1) BN:
1) BN:
Shape: Round
Measurements: 7.37 - 7.43 x 4.62mm
Weight: 1.54
Depth: 62.4%
Table: 55%
Girdle: Medium
Culet: None
Polish: EX
Symmetry: EX
Clarity: VS2
Color: E
Fluorescence: None
Price: $14,100

2) GOG
Carat Weight: 1.52
Clarity: VS2
Color: E
Shape: Round brilliant
Cut External
Polish: GIA ~ Excellent
Symmetry: GIA ~ Excellent
Proportions: AGS ~ Ideal
Cut Internal
Symmetry ~ Hearts & Arrows
Light Return ~ Excellent
Price ~ $ 15,184.
Bank wire discount ~ $ 14,850.

Are the diamonds somewhat comparable? It does not seem that BN is that far off from GOG. Also, can you get a superbcert setting and a gog diamond and set them locally?

Thanks all for your help! It does make a difference...

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
Mara - Great call on the BN to AOL comparison

I can't STAND AOL for what they have done to masses. Most people can't even comprehend email, IM, and web browsing apart from the AOL client! Great job for AOL getting the product out there, but TERRIBLE for the the consumer!----------------

I understand it all. I choose to *ignore* it.

My life is way too complicated to introduce another facet. I had both AOL & Mindspring for several years. I hated Mindspring/Earthlink & only used it when necessary. Our problem is we only have the choice of dial-up. We have no cable.

That said, I'm not a BN fan - too big & all the stuff that goes along with it.

As far as Tiffany's, while one can expect a certain level of quality, better & less expensive can be found elsewhere. A diamond is basically "generic" at Tif's. They don't cut their own, blah blah blah.

 

[Mara]

Hands down I would choose the GOG stone..it's H&A and it will be much better cut, and it's only marginally more expensive in this dollar range if you do the bank wire transfer to get the savings. Then again I would probably not buy from BN because I tend to want more information than they can give me on a purchase that expensive.

 

[strmrdr]

----------------
On 12/27/2003 6:45:01 PM Mara wrote:



Hands down I would choose the GOG stone..it's H&A and it will be much better cut, and it's only marginally more expensive in this dollar range if you do the bank wire transfer to get the savings. Then again I would probably not buy from BN because I tend to want more information than they can give me on a purchase that expensive.

----------------

Same here.
Nice thing about GOG is you know exactly what you are getting up front with good people backing it up.
Other sites can get you more information than they have posted on their website but you have to go thru the hassle of asking for it and most of them can not provide as much information as GOG does.
Maybe someday the others will get the message and start providing more information up front.
If the price is close on 2 like diamonds Id go with GOG because all the added information is worth it to me even if it costs a little more.
No I don’t work for them nor have I bought anything from them and to be fair there are some others that provide almost as much information up front www.superbcert.com comes to mind.

 

[valeria101]

It seems that there is a catch with all these choices: the same kind of data is not available for comparison for both diamonds. So, of course, you will be advised to get the diamond for whice THERE IS MORE INFORMATION even though the other, incompletely described rock, has good potential too. This is some obvious bias.

If there is little difference between the COMPARABLE grades / measures of the two stones, I guess this bias is completely harmless. Should the two stones be priced the same? Obviously one should expect to pay for the info, and both prices compared to some average baseline. After all, no diamond seller separetes "consulting fees" from the price of the stone, even though the extra cost of specialized selection is there. Otherwise, all is well. I am writing to point out why choice can only be quite imperfect among the alternatives lined up until now.

 

[blingslinger]

Without question, Blue Nile is superior. That diamond would bling. A must buy!

 

[Mara]

Bling...loving Blue Nile are we? Your 5 posts have all been singing their praises, did you have a good experience with them or do you work for them?




BN tends to be overpriced on many of their items IMO and doesn't give enough information on their stones(e.g. pictures, crown and pav angles) which is why they don't usually get my vote.

But I think they work well for the mass-market.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Blue Nile IS overpriced! Sheeeesh, what a joke. People turn to the internet to save money, but yet STILL consider paying a huge premium for Blue Nile! lol

BUT, BN DOES offer online financing, which is a plus. This is the only positive I can think of.

Michelle

 

[aljdewey]

----------------
On 12/30/2003 11:51:05 PM blingslinger wrote:

Without question, Blue Nile is superior. That diamond would bling. A must buy!
----------------

Blue Nile is superior? Give me a break!

BN is a retailer, and they get their diamonds from the same suppliers everyone else does. That clearly does NOT make them superior. At BEST, it makes them equal......

that is, until a shopper who knows ANYTHING about well-cut diamonds asks for relevant information, and that's where BN really falls down. BN is fine for the 90% of shoppers who buy blind, but isn't really a sound choice for the discriminating shopper in most cases......in my opinion.

Lastly, their diamonds tend to be higher priced than many of the branded ideals available through the many reputatable vendors here.

I'm sure they have their advantages for the masses who arne't strong on homework and just want to find a reputable place to save a few bucks, but that's it. The product is in NO way superior.

 

[derekinla]

I've said it before but just to provide some counterpoint to the above posts: Their signature series line of round brilliant stones do have some very competetively priced stones and they have the AGS cert online so you can plug all the stats into the HCA. True, BN prices tend to be a bit more expensive but there IS variability in their pricing and good deals in the signature series can STILL be found. The signature series stones come with laser inscription as well as a free appraisal document for mounted stones (for insurance purposes. and yes, it has been mentioned that the appraisal values are probably more in line with "high retail" type appraisal). Unlike some other online vendors, BN offers a 30 day exchange policy which can come in very handy for those wanting a little breathing room to have the stone independently appraised and evaluated. Keep an open mind, do the research, and you may in fact find some good deals on AGS000 stones at BN

 

[derekinla]

Take the following example:

BN 1.530 I SI1 AGS000 HCA 0.8 $9257

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00507877&filter_id=0&sec=&query=20&page=&sortby=size-d

GOG AGS000 H & A 1.503 I SI1 HCA 1$9040

http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_503ct_i_si1__h%26a.htm

In this comparison, the BN is 2.4% more expensive. Also, although the BN is not marked as being H&A, it may also turn out to be H&A as many AGS000 often exhibit varying degrees of H&A pattern (get out those idealscopes!!). In any event, the visual diference between the 2 is probably minimal so they both look like winners to me.

 

[derekinla]

In case you were wondering, between the 2, I would pick GOG because of the additional info (BScope and Isee2 scores, photmicrographs etc..), as well as for their tradeup policy. However, if the GOG stone were not available, I don't think the BN would have been such a bad purchase either. The point of my posts here is that it is important to keep an open mind! True, BN is the 800 lb gorilla but that doesn't mean you can't find a stone from BN at the right price that would earn the approval of the cut conscious folks here at PS.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Derek

I agree that you have to keep an open mind. My main reason for responding was that this Blingslinger character had posted five posts, his/her ONLY five posts for that matter, all claiming Blue Nile's superiority to every other vendor. This doesn't sound too open minded!

Michelle

 

[derekinla]

Yes, I would agree that Blingster's 5 solitairy one line plugs are not in spirit with the advice given out by the regulars here at PS.

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 12/31/2003 3:12:05 PM derekinla wrote:

Yes, I would agree that Blingster's 5 solitairy one line plugs are not in spirit with the advice given out by the regulars here at PS.

----------------

Yes, but I do second BN ability to serve their clients. They are a force to be reckoned with. Quite frankly, they give legitimacy to on-line diamond buying in general.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

--------------[/quote]


Yes, but I do second BN ability to serve their clients. They are a force to be reckoned with. Quite frankly, they give legitimacy to on-line diamond buying in general.
----------------[/quote]


I agree, F&I, BN is great in that they helped jump start the online diamond retail industry. But, would YOU spend your money there knowing what you know about all the vendors out there?

lol


Michelle

 

[fire&ice]

----------------
On 12/31/2003 3:28:39 PM MichelleCarmen wrote:

--------------

I agree, F&I, BN is great in that they helped jump start the online diamond retail industry. But, would YOU spend your money there knowing what you know about all the vendors out there?

lol


Michelle
----------------[/quote]


In one word - Absolutely! They have many stones in stock. I'm not end all be all on accumulating every test known to man. A true discriminating buyer buys with their gut & eye. If I can have a set of eyeballs eye it & it seems right to my gut, I wouldn't hesitate taking a look & buying from BN. I listened carefully to Stephcola's plight trying to replace her 3c after her's was stolen. BN was very responsive. I certainly would check prices & my options elsewhere. But, BN has a nice window of return at 30 days. Also, I did not know they did financing for stones as you mentioned.

I wouldn't count them out. In fact, I still have one of their signature diamonds on my fav. places list. Since sold, but the stone had quite a bit going for it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

F&I I found your responsive pretty enlightening as I'm not at all familiar with BN's customer service aspect. For me, money is a huge issue and even a $200 price difference could mean purchasing a specific diamond or not, so this is the angle I've always taken with looking at online vendors' inventories, BUT, BN's service *is* of interest. I'll look into it more, however, price will be the bottom line, regardless, so if they're over my budget, I wouldn't pay more for their service since so many seem happy with GOG, Whiteflash, etc., too

Michelle