Dream upgrade. Please help with my choice!

[lovedogs]

Sounds absolutely wonderful! That is exactly the kind of ring I would love to have: something that makes me smile every time I put it on. Would you happen to have a picture of your ring? I would love to see it.

I have a few threads about it, but having issues linking them on my phone. But if you search "show me your CBI" , there should be a huge thread in the 'show me the bling' section where tons of people have posted their pics! My stone is warmer than most (I specifically asked for a low color and they special cut me an N ), but most of their stones are colorless.

 

[VeryUndecided]

While looking for a pic of my old ring for another topic I have found pics of some rings I have tried. None have made my heart sing so I am still searching

My old lovely ring...ahhh, the memories....
We were just starting out, working hard. I only have good memories.


These days...Maybe something bigger would suit my ever expanding frame better!




Which one's gonna be?
Well, none of these. Still looking...

 

[xxxxxx]

Jewel of the Week - A 5-Carat Dream Diamond Named Holly

By Erika Winters Fabulous Jewelry Shared by Pricescope Members Thud. We’re stunned speechless! This week’s featured jewel, a 5.31-carat diamond ring posted by Phoenix, has us reaching for proper adjectives. […]

www.pricescope.com

Here’s a huge round solitaire (I wouldn’t recommend Leon Mege out of personal reasons - but the setting he made truly is very beautiful)

Here is a beautiful 4.5ct ACA

My 4.5 ct Whiteflash ACA!

Hi everyone! :wavey: It's time for the big reveal!!! I finally found my holy grail stone...a 4.5 ct I VS-2 ACA diamond from Whiteflash! :bigsmile: I've always admired Phoenix's/Bliss'/Sparkle's big ol' MRB rocks on PS! I've also been a big fan of ACA's in general! So when I saw this...

www.pricescope.com

This is a totally different direction a big solitaire with a custom new cut diamond in an antique style and a beautiful halo made by Victor Canera.

4 carat custom cut Canera European Round in an Emilya halo

I have officially given up waiting for a sunny day to take good photos of my new upgraded engagement ring! Sorry for the delay. Here's the story: Since our 10 year anniversary, my husband has allowed me to search for an upgrade to my engagement ring. I thought I really wanted an antique style...

www.pricescope.com

 

[VeryUndecided]

Jewel of the Week - A 5-Carat Dream Diamond Named Holly

By Erika Winters Fabulous Jewelry Shared by Pricescope Members Thud. We’re stunned speechless! This week’s featured jewel, a 5.31-carat diamond ring posted by Phoenix, has us reaching for proper adjectives. […]

www.pricescope.com

Here’s a huge round solitaire (I wouldn’t recommend Leon Mege out of personal reasons - but the setting he made truly is very beautiful)

Here is a beautiful 4.5ct ACA

My 4.5 ct Whiteflash ACA!

Hi everyone! :wavey: It's time for the big reveal!!! I finally found my holy grail stone...a 4.5 ct I VS-2 ACA diamond from Whiteflash! :bigsmile: I've always admired Phoenix's/Bliss'/Sparkle's big ol' MRB rocks on PS! I've also been a big fan of ACA's in general! So when I saw this...

www.pricescope.com

This is a totally different direction a big solitaire with a custom new cut diamond in an antique style and a beautiful halo made by Victor Canera.

4 carat custom cut Canera European Round in an Emilya halo

I have officially given up waiting for a sunny day to take good photos of my new upgraded engagement ring! Sorry for the delay. Here's the story: Since our 10 year anniversary, my husband has allowed me to search for an upgrade to my engagement ring. I thought I really wanted an antique style...

www.pricescope.com

These are all beautiful in their own different ways. I think that I like the Whiteflash one the most. I am gonna look at their website too. Thanks!

 

[VeryUndecided]

I am reading all the forum and a ton of sources online. Learning!

However, it seems to me that the entire price scope forum and many online sources are simply operating on a strong prejudice against the established brands. This is just an opinion. I simply don't understand why there aren't many more Tiffany, DeBeers or Cartier pics here? Do all the ladies, who own them think that their rings are horrible? Weird. Are we to believe that all their diamonds are horrible, dull and dead?

I am really curious. What makes Whiteflash, Brian Gavin or CBI diamonds better than the established brands? I suppose that they all source their diamonds from the same vendors/mines, don't they? I've heard some 'rumours" how AGS skews toward the better cut and GIA toward a better colour. Or maybe it was the other way around

You've made me all think A LOT about my future ring. I've seen absolutely amazing bling in the pics here. But seriously, nobody here has a sparkly Tiffany 4-5 carat ring? They just don"t sparkle at all, huh? It seems so strange to me that there are only new brands represented on the forum (no offence meant).

I find it hard to believe that the established brands would have no contacts in the industry to get very good stones. Also, it is so strange that there is virtually noone here talking about Tiffany rings. Or Cartier. Or the DeBeers. Nobody at all. It's weird to me. Like a sales pitch that has gone too far.

I do not know which way my journey will go but I certainly appreciate all your recommendations and expertise. There is a very good chance that I will get a stone from Whiteflash, Brian Gavin or CBI. But seriously, nobody has seen a Tiffany stone that was simply amazing? I think you might be taking brand loyalty a bit far.

In any case, thank you for all your help! Happy shopping to you! I'll take my time.

 

[Jsand]

I don’t think anyone has said Tiffany stones don’t sparkle? Lol. There are lots of threads on Tiffany here, and many die-hard fans!

It seems like people were just trying to help you get more diamond for your money.

 

[jp201845]

Only you can decide if your eyes can see a difference between an established brand like Tiffany vs WF or CBI.... simply compare 1 stone to the other side by side and you will get your answer, but not always easy to do since most people don't have the resources. 9 times out of 10 WF or CBI will have a better cut diamond due to their precision facetting hands down....

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Haha honestly I think there is “prejudice” and the “prejudice” is related to wanting to get the most ideal diamond for money and not paying for the Tiffany brand. I think if it had been Cartier or Harry Winston in question you’d get similar responses. I think there’s a lot of self selection in who finds their way to Pricescope. And those tend to be people who want to know they’re getting the best product for what they pay for. And for many people that means the biggest and shiniest! And it’s just fact that famous brands cost more in part due to the fame of the brand.

So it’s not about Tiffany diamonds not being sparkly. It’s just for the price, a lot of pricescopers would prefer bigger and sparklier in a visually similar setting

But we all have different preferences that are all equally personal and not necessarily rational lol. I could argue that those obsessed with maximizing cut and size should switch over to lab diamonds, they’ll get bigger and shinier for the same money! And saying “but it’s not earth mined” has similarities to saying “but it’s not Tiffany’s”. We all have different ideas in our head about what it is about something that imparts value. We’re all diamond junkies and most of the world probably thinks we drank the marketing kool aid and are irrationally valuing diamonds. If the Tiffany brand has value to you and makes you feel the piece is more special then you do you! If you could care less about brands and just want to optimize size, I’d go with one of the already mentioned vendors.

 

[foxinsox]

I think the bias here is toward brands that cut their own stones to high tolerances and standards (WF, CBI, Brian Gavin) and give you the objective imaging etc to prove it rather than brands that tell you their stones are amazing but don’t give you the objective information to back that up (Tiffany, Cartier etc). I don’t know if Tiffany et al cut their own stones or simply source them already cut.
As a consumer-oriented forum, the super ideal vendors represent better value for money if what you’re looking for is ideal light return. There are other scenarios to solve for where they’re not the first choice.

 

[lovedogs]

No one said tiffany stones are dead or dont sparkle. But CBI/ACA are better cut stones bc they are cut to stricter standards

 

[daisygrl]

No one said tiffany stones are dead or dont sparkle. But CBI/ACA are better cut stones bc they are cut to stricter standards

Agreed! I don't care just about the sparkle... I care about the amount of sparkle.

 

[new-beginning]

CBI Europe:
Durham Rose
Mr Manu Bhardwaj
http://www.durhamrose.com/
14 East Bay Lane, Plexal, E15 2GW, Stratford
England (United Kingdom)
Tel: +44 337 422 4600


Fortrez
Mr Rob van Beurden
www.fortrez.com
Vestingstraat 59 2018 Antwerp
Belgium
Tel: +32 3 226 93 93
Fax: +32 3 226 96 20


Precious
Mr Eoin McDonnell
www.precious.ie
Studio 2 Trinity Design Tower Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel: +353 1 671 00 55
Fax: +353 1 671 00 54


Suokko Kultasepanliike
Mr Iiro Suokko
www.finndiamonds.com
Aleksanterinkatu 25 33100 Tampere
Finland
Tel: +358 10 4204880
Fax: +358 3 2123440


www.bestdiamonds.co.uk
2 Royal Exchange London EC3V 3DG
England (United Kingdom)
Tel: +44 777 0381 882

 

[MsShnooks]

I’m in the UK and Blue Nile delivers in Europe and has tons of diamonds to choose from. I think their office is in Ireland.

I am just in the process of upgrading my engagement ring and I’ve been round the high end shops in London but what I’m finding is that the price difference between a branded diamond vs a comparable diamond from BN is huge. Basically you can have a 2ct from a top brand or a same quality 2ct from BN + a brand new Mercedes for the same price. So if you look at 5ct diamonds, the price difference will probably be enough to buy a house.

Personally, I’ve decided to put in the work/research to choose a better diamond online. However, I do love the beautiful collections and do have some jewellery from those high end jewellers and will get more in the future.

It’s just that for simple designs and big diamonds, like solitaire rings or diamond studs, the mark up is just insane so vast majority of people can’t justify paying the premium for the brand and nice shopping experience.

EDIT

3.05-Carat Round Cut Diamond | Blue Nile UK

www.bluenile.com

For example, this diamond looks lovely. I’d be most surprised if a top end shop could come up with a similarly priced diamond even if you went down to G/VS2

 

[hmr_mama]

Hi veryundecided! Welcome to Pricescope!

You asked earlier why pricescope seems biased against the more established brands (I.e. Tiffany, Cartier, graff, etc.). I thought I would share my upgrade story. Last year I upgraded my 1.543/I/vs2 to a 2.67/H/vs1.

While on vacation, I went into a Tiffany store and tried on various sizes of stones, between 2.5-3.0. I had already price shopped using the “usual” price scope recommended dealers. I knew about how much I would expect to spend. What I wasn’t ready for was just how much Tiffany was wanting for a diamond with the same specs. We’re not talking a few thousand dollars here. I took a screen shot of how much they want for a diamond with similar specs as mine. I could not find a diamond with exact specs, this diamond is one clarity grade higher than mine. I spent around $45,000 less than this on my upgrade (total purchase price, not including my 1.543 trade-in in this price).


Diamonds from Tiffany are beautiful. Just not worth the mark up to ME.

Here’s what you can get for the same price, if you’re willing to forgo the brand name:

Loose Diamonds for Sale: Discover Our Exceptional Range

Discover your perfect gem from our extensive collection of loose diamonds on sale. Buy loose diamonds that align seamlessly with your style and budget.

www.whiteflash.com

https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/diamonddetail/HPD10791

If I had the budget for a 3.5-5 carat Tiffany, I would be on the phone with CBI for a custom cut!! Happy shopping!

*Full discretion: I purchased my 1.543 and my 2.67 from Whiteflash. I have never purchased anything from CBI....yet.

 

[AprilBaby]

Tiffany is nice but not worth the price differential. CBI and WF are much better cut.

 

[HappyNewLife]

Hi guys,

I have no idea about diamonds and I've been reading everything available on this forum but really, a lot of it just goes over my head. I appreciate all the amazing info but I am not sure that I have what it takes to make a good decision on a diamond purchase. I need your help please!

First a bit of a background. When we got engaged we were in an entirely different life situation and any of these consideration did not enter into our thinking at all He went to Tiffany's, got me a a really lovely, sweet, simple ring, which he could afford at the time and that was that I've never had any complaints though being slightly on a more rounded side my fingers don't exactly look great with delicate rings Fast forward some years and as our bigger round anniversary is approaching, my husband, bless his heart, brought up a subject of an upgrade. This is when I started having headaches

He is an absolutely wonderful guy but won't become a geologist any time soon And neither am I - so I guess this marriage still works, haha His idea was to go to Tiffany and just "upgrade" to something about 3 - 3.5 carat, color G-H, VVS1-VVS2. Theoretically, we could go bigger...but there are more anniversaries and I don't wanna scratch my handbags either so 3-3.5 carat would be a great everyday size for me though to be completely honest something around 4 or 5 carat would probably fit my frame and finger size better. Barbie has always been a rather unattainable ideal for me

However, I was really curious about how this entire system works because a friend bought her ring from James Allen and I started researching it and it looks like it is such a huge price difference between anything I compare at Tiffany's and James Allen or HP-Diamonds. Why is there such a difference? What is behind it?

Since we're just not "in the know" at all, should we go with Tiffany"s recommendation just "to be safe" and forget the price difference? How complicated is it to get a "nice" ring from another vendor? Where should I start looking to try other options?

I have learned that not everything that looks great on paper looks great in real life. A really huge Tiffany ring in I color looked horribly yellow IRL so we have eliminated it completely from our choices and decided to go with G to avoid any problems with that. I still find it so hard to make judgements based on some "paper criteria". Unfortunately, we live in a town (Europe) where we have very limited choices to look at anything at all. And if you start ordering things everyone wants you to commit to something you haven't seen at all. And I don't wanna do that either.

Do you have any advice for me? It would be greatly appreciated guys! Thanks in advance for your help!

I'd look at Whiteflash. I have a 2.937ct (that faces up bigger) I/VS2 and it was roughly a $32k stone. I think Tiffany would charge 3x that. Look at my pics - I'm obsessed with it

 

[Dancing Fire]

I'd look at Whiteflash. I have a 2.937ct (that faces up bigger) I/VS2 and it was roughly a $32k stone. I think Tiffany would charge 3x that. Look at my pics - I'm obsessed with it

Plus most likely not a H&A stone.

 

[VeryUndecided]

I think that reading some of the old topics made me really jump the gun and just become a bit over the top paranoid and critical (blushing here). Sorry guys! Thanks for all the new info and feedback! Keep it coming please. I am still learning so much from you!

As a side note, my local jewerly store has offered some stones to me just based on GIA certificates Between 3.5 and 3.9 carat, both with medium fluorescence. But they told me that they could show us similar stones before we commit to the one they would then order for us Haha. You look at a "similar" stone...Well, very interesting approach.

Actually, I do not wanna do any of this at all... I just want to go, get a fiery, sparkly stone that looks nice on my finger and makes me smile. Then just forget it all

 

[VeryUndecided]

Haha honestly I think there is “prejudice” and the “prejudice” is related to wanting to get the most ideal diamond for money and not paying for the Tiffany brand. I think if it had been Cartier or Harry Winston in question you’d get similar responses. I think there’s a lot of self selection in who finds their way to Pricescope. And those tend to be people who want to know they’re getting the best product for what they pay for. And for many people that means the biggest and shiniest! And it’s just fact that famous brands cost more in part due to the fame of the brand.

So it’s not about Tiffany diamonds not being sparkly. It’s just for the price, a lot of pricescopers would prefer bigger and sparklier in a visually similar setting

But we all have different preferences that are all equally personal and not necessarily rational lol. I could argue that those obsessed with maximizing cut and size should switch over to lab diamonds, they’ll get bigger and shinier for the same money! And saying “but it’s not earth mined” has similarities to saying “but it’s not Tiffany’s”. We all have different ideas in our head about what it is about something that imparts value. We’re all diamond junkies and most of the world probably thinks we drank the marketing kool aid and are irrationally valuing diamonds. If the Tiffany brand has value to you and makes you feel the piece is more special then you do you! If you could care less about brands and just want to optimize size, I’d go with one of the already mentioned vendors.

I find your perspective very refreshing and balanced. You'd probably get along with my SO very well

 

[msop04]

Actually, I do not wanna do any of this at all... I just want to go, get a fiery, sparkly stone that looks nice on my finger and makes me smile. Then just forget it all

If this is how you feel, then you're the perfect consumer to get a super ideal cut stone, whether it be a CBI, ACA by Whiteflash, Canera H&A, etc... and I typically don't recommend going super ideal at first. Sounds like you want guaranteed best cut/sparkle with zero work on your part... super ideal would be best for you!

BOOM! There ya go.

 

[VeryUndecided]

If this is how you feel, then you're the perfect consumer to get a super ideal cut stone, whether it be a CBI, ACA by Whiteflash, Canera H&A, etc... and I typically don't recommend going super ideal at first. Sounds like you want guaranteed best cut/sparkle with zero work on your part... super ideal would be best for you!

BOOM! There ya go.

I really appreciate your advice. At the end, we have decided for Tiffany's because:

a. We were looking for a an upgrade to an existing engagement Tiffany ring (Tiffany's told us that they will credit the original purchase price to us). Long range (5 years...) perspective (if things go well) we might be looking g at 5-6 carat upgrade. Or selling the existing ones! Huh!
b. My husband only wants to purchase things he can actually see. He finds online sales easy but difficult if anything goes wrong (especially finding service if anything's problematic)
c. We have an existing relationship with the store and have only made very good experiences with Tiffany's sales associates and customer service.

 

[MissGotRocks]

So have you decided what exactly you are going to get from Tiffany? Size, color, clarity?

 

[VeryUndecided]

So have you decided what exactly you are going to get from Tiffany? Size, color, clarity?

MissGotRocks,

Kind of Thank you for asking!

Here is more on that choice:

Which one? - I am still so undecided...

Hi guys, In the last months I have read your forum and learned a lot. It is an amazing source of info. Thank you! Regardless of the new knowledge gained, we won't be going for an online diamond. My SO is just not ok with it and I am not ok with having to nag and convince him. It's just not me...

www.pricescope.com

 

[MissGotRocks]

MissGotRocks,

Kind of Thank you for asking!

Here is more on that choice:

Which one? - I am still so undecided...

Hi guys, In the last months I have read your forum and learned a lot. It is an amazing source of info. Thank you! Regardless of the new knowledge gained, we won't be going for an online diamond. My SO is just not ok with it and I am not ok with having to nag and convince him. It's just not me...

www.pricescope.com

Gotcha - I did offer an opinion in that thread for what it is worth!

 

[LLJsmom]

Haha honestly I think there is “prejudice” and the “prejudice” is related to wanting to get the most ideal diamond for money and not paying for the Tiffany brand. I think if it had been Cartier or Harry Winston in question you’d get similar responses. I think there’s a lot of self selection in who finds their way to Pricescope. And those tend to be people who want to know they’re getting the best product for what they pay for. And for many people that means the biggest and shiniest! And it’s just fact that famous brands cost more in part due to the fame of the brand.

So it’s not about Tiffany diamonds not being sparkly. It’s just for the price, a lot of pricescopers would prefer bigger and sparklier in a visually similar setting

But we all have different preferences that are all equally personal and not necessarily rational lol. I could argue that those obsessed with maximizing cut and size should switch over to lab diamonds, they’ll get bigger and shinier for the same money! And saying “but it’s not earth mined” has similarities to saying “but it’s not Tiffany’s”. We all have different ideas in our head about what it is about something that imparts value. We’re all diamond junkies and most of the world probably thinks we drank the marketing kool aid and are irrationally valuing diamonds. If the Tiffany brand has value to you and makes you feel the piece is more special then you do you! If you could care less about brands and just want to optimize size, I’d go with one of the already mentioned vendors.

So well said...

 

[LLJsmom]

If this is how you feel, then you're the perfect consumer to get a super ideal cut stone, whether it be a CBI, ACA by Whiteflash, Canera H&A, etc... and I typically don't recommend going super ideal at first. Sounds like you want guaranteed best cut/sparkle with zero work on your part... super ideal would be best for you!

BOOM! There ya go.

I know the OP already decided to go with Tiffany, but what you said is so true. If the OP was open to super ideal vendors, their stones would meet all her criteria. Oh well. To each their own. At least she knew the option was out there.

 

[VeryUndecided]

I know the OP already decided to go with Tiffany, but what you said is so true. If the OP was open to super ideal vendors, their stones would meet all her criteria. Oh well. To each their own. At least she knew the option was out there.

Hey,

I look at this encounter as a learning experience. I have learned a TON from this forum and for that I am very thankful. Most people have been so kind and soo helpful! Thank you a million times. A
You have really made me aware of many more options than just my local jewerly store (which wanted a commitment without even having any details of the stone...) and Tiffany's. Would I be open to super ideal vendors? Sure!

I think for the cost of Tiffany 3 carat I could have easily gotten a 5 carat ACA from Whiteflash. I was astounded to learn it. My goodness, wow. Of course, here in Europe we we don't have the choices American have, There is a 19% VAT surcharge and custom duties. So add about 30 or 40% to whatever you see on the Whiteflash website. Still, it sound like a steal compared to Tiffany's, doesn't it?

However, I do not exist in a vacuum.

First of all, I have only learned recently (while this "upgrade project" was already going on) about HCA score, ideal cut, the difference between AGS and GIA and all of the things, which to you seem obvious but not to me!.

Second, I am not single and most of my jewerly has been gifted to me. Were it up to me I would live in gym shoes, t-shirts and Luloulemon yoga pants. I am not exactly into any sort of bling. When confronted with a choice, I usually ask which one sparkles more? Or which one would you choose? La Gazza Ladra principle My husband knows that very well so he makes decisions about these things. Why don't vendors market to men more? It is usually men who buy the rings.