Buying Tiffany's on eBay?

[mgrangou]

Hi all,

I've been lurking on this forum for several months now and have been really impressed by all of the hard work that everyone here has put into their ring buying decisions; it's been a source of inspiration as I enter this process myself!

I found a Tiffany's ring that I really like and that I think my girlfriend will love, based on what I've gathered from the hints I've been dropping and that she's been dropping back -- the Lucida with trilliant side stones: http://www.tiffany.com/Engagement/item.aspx?GroupSku=GRP10008&selectedSku=19929701#f+9/0/0/0/0/0.. I understand that Tiffany's is not the best approach if one is looking for "bang for the buck," so I was initially considering going through one of the jewelers recommended on this site to try to designing a close replica. My girlfriend and I have a lot going on right now, as her mother is nearing the end of her seven-year battle with metastatic breast cancer, and going through that process has brought us closer than ever before in our six-year relationship, and I know it would mean a lot to her (and her mother) to take this next step while her mom is still around to see it. However, with all that's going on at the moment, I have almost no time to work on the logistics of ring research and design, so the idea of a ready-made Tiffany ring is back on the table. I am looking into purchasing a pre-owned one on eBay in order to make it a better-value option, and I am very interested in this listing in particular: http://www.ebay.com/itm/TIFFANY-CO-LUCIDA-DIAMOND-W-SIDE-STONES-ENGAGEMENT-RING-1-30CTS-G-VS1-PLAT-/180841954110?pt=Designer_Jewelry&hash=item2a1b053b3e#ht_1222wt_907..

To give some context, I think I may be more comfortable with eBay purchases than some in this community, and I know that my girlfriend would be totally fine with the idea (in fact, she would probably kill me for buying directly from Tiffany's, since she would know I didn't get the best deal). I also feel that, since this is a relatively complex ring design with the proprietary Lucida cut, etc, I the chances of receiving a fake aren't as hight, and I furthermore, I can take measures (e.g. holding payment in escrow pending verification of authenticity at the Tiffany store) to ensure that I get what I pay for.

If I do decide to proceed down this road, I wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts on common pitfalls to watch out for or thoughts on specific questions to ask the seller beforehand. I am totally on board with the general suspicion surrounding buying used items on eBay, but I have been extremely satisfied in the past by working directly with the seller and working out every detail of large transactions beforehand, so it is my hope that I could come out of this with a good deal on an amazing ring. Any input would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for your help.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think it is wonderful that you want to give her and her mom the chance to celebrate your engagement! What a tragic situation, though.

I am all for buying Tiffany second hand, but you absolutely need to be sure of a fair price. The rounds are easy to know the Tiffany current pricing compared to other excellent cut stones. It is harder with a Lucida with trillion sides! Have you priced some in the store? I don't think you should pay more than $15k, but I haven't priced comparable stones (except the Lucida is their proprietary cut so I can't price the exact same stone).

I do not know that seller, though. But I LOVE that they have a return period! But at the top it says 14 day return and bottom, 7 days. You will need 14 days because you need to get the ring authenticated plus you need to propose during that window to be sure she loves that particular ring!

What is her ring size?

 

[CharmyPoo]

I am another who is totally supportive of buying T&CO second hand.

For such a large purchase and where the price is not significantly discounted, I would like to see the original diamond report or receipt. Need to make sure the diamond wasn't switched out. Also, need to check for signs of authenticity - this one looks authentic.

There are some tricks to get the oewnership of the ring transfered to you. I can't find the threads right now but it has been discussed numerous times on here.

 

[Gypsy]

I am another who is totally supportive of buying T&CO second hand.

For such a large purchase and where the price is not significantly discounted, I would like to see the original diamond report or receipt. Need to make sure the diamond wasn't switched out. Also, need to check for signs of authenticity - this one looks authentic.

There are some tricks to get the oewnership of the ring transfered to you. I can't find the threads right now but it has been discussed numerous times on here.

I think it's fine to buy off ebay with a good return policy IF You have time to take it to Tiffany for authentication.

That said-- that doesn't look like a Lucida to me AT ALL. I could be wrong, but... it just doesn't.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Oakgem.com--Dimka on ebay has this to offer. They are a well known vendor:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TIFFANY-CO-PLATINUM-1-31ct-RADIANT-CUT-F-VVS1-DIAMOND-ENGAGEMENT-RING-/200719597516?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ebbd1ffcc

Lucida:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TIFFANY-CO-LUCIDA-PLATINUM-1-11ct-H-VVS2-DIAMOND-ENGAGEMENT-RING-/110835037753?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19ce487639

cheers--Sharon

 

[Gypsy]

I LOVE Oakgem. VERY reputable. Great vendor.

Here are some Lucida rings. If you can negotiate a 7 day no questions asked (If there is a Make an Offer button then in your offer terms and conditions you type: "7 day no questions asked full return policy. Buyer only pays return shipping.") Otherwise email them and if they agree they change it and put it into the listing before you buy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TIFFANY-CO-LUCIDA-DIAMOND-ENGAGEMENT-RING-1-41-CTS-E-VS1-GIA-CERTIFIED-/180827707084?pt=Designer_Jewelry&hash=item2a1a2bd6cc

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tiffany-Co-PLAT-Lucida-Diamond-Solitaire-Ring-1-65CT-I-VVS1-/320827074321?pt=Designer_Jewelry&hash=item4ab2c8a711

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SALE-TIFFANY-CO-1-4ct-D-VVS2-LUCIDA-DIAMOND-ENGAGEMENT-RING-BOX-PAPERS-/230764406685?pt=Designer_Jewelry&hash=item35baa1679d

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tiffany-Co-Platinum-Plat-1-26ct-G-VS1-Lucida-Diamond-Solitaire-Engagement-Ring-/160746655408?pt=Designer_Jewelry&hash=item256d3f4eb0

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tiffany-Co-Lucida-GIA-Certified-1-55-ct-G-VS1-Square-Cut-Diamond-Platinum-Ring-/110848249402?pt=Designer_Jewelry&hash=item19cf120e3a

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tiffany-Co-Platinum-1-58-TCW-Lucida-Diamond-Ring-/300681964071?pt=Designer_Jewelry&hash=item46020aaa27

I prefer these. And even if you don't get the return policy. EBAY (not paypal, they are comparatively useless), again, ebay buyer protection would cover you if it's not real.

 

[mgrangou]

Thanks so much for these helpful responses! It all sounds like very sensible advice to me. I have contacted the seller with some more questions, so I will see what they have to say.

diamondseeker, she's a size 6, so I'm assuming it would be possible to get a 4 sized up to that -- is that right? I also noticed the discrepancy in the return periods, so I asked that the 14-day window be allowed in the case that the certification comes back with bad news. I would probably also confirm this by writing it into the final offer as Gypsy suggested. And my instinct was that I didn't want to pay more than about $15k for a ring of this size, etc, so I was glad to hear that echoed.

Gypsy, I can see what you mean about the facet pattern looking a bit more "cushion-like," so one of the things I've asked the seller to do is to send me some higher resolution shots of the stone so that I can check that.

CharmyPoo, thanks for letting me know about the other resources out there that deal with how to get ownership transferred, etc -- I will look into that.

canuk-gal and Gypsy, thanks for the specific links to other options. The one with the radiant was especially interesting, as it was clearly very similar to what I was looking at, but I did not know that they had that option... must be an older style that is no longer available directly from Tiffany, so I didn't even know to look for it.

I will let you all know what the seller says. Thanks again for your help!

 

[Gypsy]

Thanks so much for these helpful responses! It all sounds like very sensible advice to me. I have contacted the seller with some more questions, so I will see what they have to say.

diamondseeker, she's a size 6, so I'm assuming it would be possible to get a 4 sized up to that -- is that right? I also noticed the discrepancy in the return periods, so I asked that the 14-day window be allowed in the case that the certification comes back with bad news. I would probably also confirm this by writing it into the final offer as Gypsy suggested. And my instinct was that I didn't want to pay more than about $15k for a ring of this size, etc, so I was glad to hear that echoed.

Gypsy, I can see what you mean about the facet pattern looking a bit more "cushion-like," so one of the things I've asked the seller to do is to send me some higher resolution shots of the stone so that I can check that.

CharmyPoo, thanks for letting me know about the other resources out there that deal with how to get ownership transferred, etc -- I will look into that.

canuk-gal and Gypsy, thanks for the specific links to other options. The one with the radiant was especially interesting, as it was clearly very similar to what I was looking at, but I did not know that they had that option... must be an older style that is no longer available directly from Tiffany, so I didn't even know to look for it.

I will let you all know what the seller says. Thanks again for your help!

I don't think it looks like a cushion. It looks like a radiant. The faceting on a Lucida is very distinctive. Better pics would help. Good luck.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree. The one you are looking at may be a radiant, not a Lucida. Sharon posted one just like it from Oakgem with a similar size listed at $14,500. I think the proportions look better, too. But if your girlfriend likes Lucida, you need to be sure you are looking at Lucidas.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TIFFANY-CO-PLATINUM-1-31ct-RADIANT-CUT-F-VVS1-DIAMOND-ENGAGEMENT-RING-/200719597516?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ebbd1ffcc#ht_2227wt_922

 

[Amys Bling]

Def take it to get authenticated.

 

[mgrangou]

Thanks, Gypsy, I hadn't thought that it might actually be the same ring style as that other eBay listing from Oakgem -- you may be right.

I am still waiting for a reply from the seller. It's been a couple of days, so I am starting to wonder... I will share an update when I get a response.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

They have a phone number on the listing. I would definitely call them and ask for magnified images of that diamond.

 

[mgrangou]

Hi all, Just following up here. I never did get a response back despite sending two messages, so that worried me enough that I don't want to proceed with this seller. But thank you, diamondseekr, for pointing out the phone number!

Anyway, after spending even more time looking around on this site, I think that I may actually decide to do something more custom after all. It would be hard not to get what we absolutely want when spending this much money. I want to make sure I get something she will love for decades and hopefully if I do my research quickly I can still get it done with a fairly quick turnaround time.

Thanks so much for all your quick feedback in response to my question. I'm sure I'll be back with more as I continue on this process.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think that sounds like a very good plan! I just hope you can get it done quickly so that time will be on your side.

 

[farmer gal]

I would call Mark at ERD about their X factor cushions for example

Diamond:
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/modern-x-factor-cushion-gid-81841.html

Tiffany inspired settings:
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/nina-classic-3-stone-diamond-engagement-ring-bpid-302-16.html

or

http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/stefanie-classic-split-4-prong-3-stone-engagement-ring-bpid-307-16.html

 

[pregcurious]

If you're concerned about buying Tiffany's 2nd hand on ebay, I would just email a vendor like Brian Gavin and ask for a Lucida-inspired custom ring. You could send pictures, and would have to make modifications to it to avoid ethical issues with copying the design. The bright is side is that you could make it your own, and get fantastic diamonds to boot. You can choose to be very hands off, and just approve the CAD image before having it made. You may get more bang for your buck, and your girlfriend would get a unique, new ring made just for her.

 

[oldminer]

If the 1.30ct Lucida you said you liked which was G-VS1 at 19K was very close to what you wanted except it was size 4. The one from Dimka http://www.ebay.com/itm/TIFFANY-CO-...516?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ebbd1ffcc of the same weight and F-VVS1 at $14K+ is a way better deal.
and is size 6 already.

I can assure you that Dimka does not fool around with any phoney Tiffany items. He is one of the smartest and best dealers in name brand jewelry on the Internet. I have known him for many years and would take his word on most anything when it comes to name brand items. He also is extremely aware of maintaining a great ebay feedback reputation. He won't accept lower offers, but he will do all he can to make you pleased....

 

[Dreamer_D]

I am not a brand lover per se, but would love a second hand tiffany ring IF it was one of their proprietary cuts. The original ring you posted really does not look like a lucida, though, I think it is a regular radiant.

Custom is another good choice. Price it out. The way diamond prices are now, I doubt you will save a huge amount? And you usually cannot return custom rings!

 

[mgrangou]

You guys are so awesome! Thanks so much for all the good suggestions. But another update is needed because my GF and I have changed directions a bit since I last posted...

We went to Tiffany's a couple days ago and she tried on the Lucida with brilliant sidetones that I thought she would like, but we were a bit disappointed with how it looked in our carat weight range. The side stones really seemed to steal the thunder of the center stone. However, we realized that what we liked about the Lucida was the way the sidetones served as a "bridge" from the shank up to the center stone, so we're now leaning toward a solitaire in a cathedral setting that can accomplish the same thing without showing up the center stone...

Additionally, she found the Good Old Gold site so now it seems impossible to go back to our previous state of (blissful?) ignorance... From watching their videos, she realized that she actually MUCH prefers the vintage cushion with its big bold facets to the more splintery look of radiants or even the Lucida. When she showed them to me I was blown away! She's now got her heart set on an AVC, so we'll be driving up to GOG next weekend to see some stones.

Then of course the next task will be to find a setting. We've got some ideas, and I just posted in a new thread with some specific questions: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vatche-caroline-w-pave-how-much-can-it-be-modified.173837/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/vatche-caroline-w-pave-how-much-can-it-be-modified.173837/[/URL] In sum, I'm wondering about how easy it would be to modify the Vatche Caroline with pave setting to fit our needs or if I really do need to go with custom.

Sorry if it seems like we're all over the map, but I imagine that may be pretty common for newbs like us? I really appreciate the help you have all given already. I feel like we're getting really close to the answer!

diamondseeker -- thanks for the encouragement! always nice to have someone who knows a ton telling you you're on the right track!
farmergal -- thanks for pointing us in the direction of some possible settings. we looked at the x-prong really closely after she tried the regular Lucida on in the Tiffany's store. It's beautiful, but she said she wants the band to have a more uniform width and perhaps be a tad skinnier. I'll take a look at the others you suggested.
oldminer -- thanks for finding that ring from Oakgem. It would have been a great option if we hadn't already changed our minds!
dreamer d -- here we go jumping from one proprietary cut to another... but with the AVCs, it really seems worth it. I'm hoping we still feel that way after seeing them in person.

 

[farmer gal]

You can't go wrong with GOG they will stear you in the right direction

 

[kenny]

The AVCs from GOG look awesome!
I've done business with GOG a few times and I highly recommend them.

Have you seen the Octavia Asschers at GOG?
We bought one and it has truly superb light performance that's hard to believe.

 

[mgrangou]

Yep, we are headed to GOG this weekend, and are SUPER excited to see some drool-worthy samples . Thanks again for everyone's input!

 

[BrainGrenades]

I am another who is totally supportive of buying T&CO second hand.
There are some tricks to get the oewnership of the ring transfered to you. I can't find the threads right now but it has been discussed numerous times on here.

This is a subject I would love to hear more about as I'm on the market for a pre-owned Tiffany engagement ring. I've come across some rings that have all paperwork, including original purchaser info, I would love to transfer ownership in my name if that's possible.