First off, I'd like to thank all the users of this site for being so insightful and allowing someone like me to glean a ton of knowledge about buying an engagement ring for free just by browsing your forums. A couple weeks ago I knew absolutely nothing about diamonds, settings, the 4 Cs, etc and now I feel like I minored in engagement rings.
I plan on proposing soon and have been ring shopping with my girlfriend. I wanted to get a feel for what she liked so I took her to all types of jewelry stores as well as browsing all the typical online stores pricescope users typically recommend. She fell in love with the round brilliant cut solitaire from Tiffany and that is what I plan to get her. I realize I could find a larger and better color/clarity diamond for the same price or a close replica of the ring for much cheaper but I know she would absolutely adore the Tiffany ring and to me the price difference is worth it for a one time purchase of something she will wear everyday for the rest of her life.
Here's my dilemma....
After visiting a few Tiffany stores and comparing prices of different color/clarity/carat combos I found one I liked in the .80-.90 carat range for ~$9000. Now, I know she would be happy with this size ring (or any size Tiffany ring), but when I was telling my dad about the ring I was thinking of purchasing he suggested I should probably get something that is at least a carat. The rings I looked at that were over a carat ran from ~$13,000-$15,000 and while I could afford to pay that if I needed to I'd much rather put that extra money toward a vacation or down payment on a house. Out of curiosity, I ended up browsing used Tiffany rings and came across one that looked amazing, was bigger (1.05-1.15 carats) and also cheaper ($7500-$8500). This ring has the same color/clarity of the new ring I was looking at and has excellent precision of cut/polish/symmetry as well as an excellent grade using the HCA tool to measure cut. The carat size also happened to be a number that is very significant to both of us and because Tiffany engraves that onto the inside of the ring I think that would be a really nice added touch. She was initially hesitant about getting a used ring but now seems to be on board because this ring seems so perfect and I suggested we might be able to get it remounted into a brand new setting that would make the ring feel brand new and not used. It looked great in the pictures they had and appears to have the original diamond certificate and appraisal from Tiffany. It also comes from a jewelry store that has nothing but good feedback.
Having said all that, here are a few questions I had:
Would Tiffany allow one of their rings to be remounted into a brand new setting and if so, how much would that cost for a platinum solitaire?
I would also want to get the ring re-appraised by Tiffany, any idea what that would cost?
It would need to be resized 3 sizes anyway so getting it remounted with a brand new setting would be well worth it to me as I could get a bigger ring that felt new for as much or cheaper than the smaller ring I was looking at even taking into account the cost of remounting and re-appraising.
I know Tiffany doesn't like seeing used rings sold, would it be better if I pretended I inherited the ring?
What precautions should I take when buying a used ring?
The store offers a 30 day money back guarantee policy and appears to have all the paperwork for the ring assuring that it's legitimately a Tiffany and Co ring so assuming the appraisal checks out I feel fairly safe that it's not a fake.
My only real concerns are
A) Tiffany won't remount the ring in a brand new setting
B) They won't re-appraise the ring in my name
C) It wouldn't be wrapped in the little blue box
If I could be sure those 3 things would happen I'd definitely go with the used ring and never look back.
Which ring would you go with in my situation? Any other advice for how to proceed?
I plan to call the jewelry store selling the ring tomorrow and get more pictures and possibly haggle on the price and then call Tiffany and ask about getting the ring re-mounted and re-appraised. I also plan to let them know that I will be shopping for wedding bands at their store so they have an added incentive to keep me a happy customer.
I plan on proposing soon and have been ring shopping with my girlfriend. I wanted to get a feel for what she liked so I took her to all types of jewelry stores as well as browsing all the typical online stores pricescope users typically recommend. She fell in love with the round brilliant cut solitaire from Tiffany and that is what I plan to get her. I realize I could find a larger and better color/clarity diamond for the same price or a close replica of the ring for much cheaper but I know she would absolutely adore the Tiffany ring and to me the price difference is worth it for a one time purchase of something she will wear everyday for the rest of her life.
Here's my dilemma....
After visiting a few Tiffany stores and comparing prices of different color/clarity/carat combos I found one I liked in the .80-.90 carat range for ~$9000. Now, I know she would be happy with this size ring (or any size Tiffany ring), but when I was telling my dad about the ring I was thinking of purchasing he suggested I should probably get something that is at least a carat. The rings I looked at that were over a carat ran from ~$13,000-$15,000 and while I could afford to pay that if I needed to I'd much rather put that extra money toward a vacation or down payment on a house. Out of curiosity, I ended up browsing used Tiffany rings and came across one that looked amazing, was bigger (1.05-1.15 carats) and also cheaper ($7500-$8500). This ring has the same color/clarity of the new ring I was looking at and has excellent precision of cut/polish/symmetry as well as an excellent grade using the HCA tool to measure cut. The carat size also happened to be a number that is very significant to both of us and because Tiffany engraves that onto the inside of the ring I think that would be a really nice added touch. She was initially hesitant about getting a used ring but now seems to be on board because this ring seems so perfect and I suggested we might be able to get it remounted into a brand new setting that would make the ring feel brand new and not used. It looked great in the pictures they had and appears to have the original diamond certificate and appraisal from Tiffany. It also comes from a jewelry store that has nothing but good feedback.
Having said all that, here are a few questions I had:
Would Tiffany allow one of their rings to be remounted into a brand new setting and if so, how much would that cost for a platinum solitaire?
I would also want to get the ring re-appraised by Tiffany, any idea what that would cost?
It would need to be resized 3 sizes anyway so getting it remounted with a brand new setting would be well worth it to me as I could get a bigger ring that felt new for as much or cheaper than the smaller ring I was looking at even taking into account the cost of remounting and re-appraising.
I know Tiffany doesn't like seeing used rings sold, would it be better if I pretended I inherited the ring?
What precautions should I take when buying a used ring?
The store offers a 30 day money back guarantee policy and appears to have all the paperwork for the ring assuring that it's legitimately a Tiffany and Co ring so assuming the appraisal checks out I feel fairly safe that it's not a fake.
My only real concerns are
A) Tiffany won't remount the ring in a brand new setting
B) They won't re-appraise the ring in my name
C) It wouldn't be wrapped in the little blue box
If I could be sure those 3 things would happen I'd definitely go with the used ring and never look back.
Which ring would you go with in my situation? Any other advice for how to proceed?
I plan to call the jewelry store selling the ring tomorrow and get more pictures and possibly haggle on the price and then call Tiffany and ask about getting the ring re-mounted and re-appraised. I also plan to let them know that I will be shopping for wedding bands at their store so they have an added incentive to keep me a happy customer.
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