getting a tiffany ring this weekend. Need advice

[viaoman]

Hi all,

This is my first post to PS, therefore please forgive me if I post in the wrong section. I have been looking for e-ring for several weeks and decided to get mine ( i mean her) in Tiffany. I know that Tiffany has a substantial mark up on the ring just because of the name but I have made up my mind.

I already went to Tiffany store and basically left with two options:

0.46 carats G VS1 and 0.7 carats H VVS1.

I want to get her 0.7 carats but I am afraid that it will be too big for her finger. I do not know her finger size but she is a small girl.

Do you think 0.7 carats is too big for a small girl? I do not know if this will help you in estimating the size of her finger, but her shoe size is between 5 and 6. (I heard that somehow her shoe size relates to her finger size).

Second question, I tried to negotiate the price in Tiffany but the salesman told me that Tiffany does not discount their rings. Is this a fact or should I keep trying. I am already fine with the price but I just want to know if Tiffany ring's price is negotiable.

Thank you.

 

[Gonzodogg]

I know you already said that you've made up you mind but I would not be a good PSer if I didn't try to stop you at least oe more time. Don't do it!!!

Alright, now that that's out of the way, if you are still set on The Blue Box, then let's talk about your stone choices...

The colors I like a lot (I personally think that G,H,I are the best bang for the buck)

The clarity I do not... and here is why... you have already decided to spend a lot of extra money for that blue box so I think you should try to save some money in the clarity - you will NEVER see (with your naked eye) a difference in clarity between any stones at Tiffany's (all are VS2 and up) so I would try very hard to get a VS2.

You also never said anything thing about CUT! Cut is by far the most important of the C's. I know that all of Tiffany's stones are well cut - but you want an ideal - trust me.

As for the carat weight - get what you like. I do not think that .7 is even close to too big for any girl - no matter how small, but again, that is a personal preference and is totally up to you.

They were not trying to scam you - Tiffany's is very firm on their pricing.

If you NEED to have that Blue Box - ask for and Ideal cut, G/H/I, VS2, in whatever size makes you comfortable.

If not - keep reading PS and I am sure you will spend about half and get an even better diamond

just my .02
good luck

Mike

 

[Rod]

I''m sure your girlfriend will be quite pleased with the Tiffany ring. They have very nice quality. I''m a guy, so on the size issue, I''m not sure I have the right answer, but I''m betting a .7 carat stone is not too big, even for a small finger. I think most ladies would, if they could, have a diamond of at least a carat. At least that seems to be what most of my friends wanted and some of them have quite small fingers.

On the price negotiation question, you are not very likely going to see any discount at Tiffany. If you are seeking a better deal, you can get one from one of the fine vendors on this site, but don''t expect any discount from Tiffany.

Good luck

 

[gailrmv]

I''d get the best cut and size I could afford and would definitely compromise color and clarity to do so. Also remember, when you get outside the store and away from the loupe, all people will notice is the size, ring design, and if it is sparkly and alive. From Tiffany I would expect nothing less than great design and (hopefully!) good cut, but educate yourself as well as you can on this site before you buy.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Okay, I am 5''1" my show size is sometimes a 6 sometimes a 6.5. In all I am a pretty small girl with small hands/fingers. Now sometimes I feel like my 1.72 is TOO small! So no, I do not think the .70 will look too larger. I think it will look very proportional with her hand. Good luck.

 

[widget]

Hi, viaoman....

I''m a good PSer (well, most of the time

) and I think it''s just GREAT you''re going to Tiffany!!

I bet the .7 stone will look great on your girl, regardless of her ring size.

widget

 

[viaoman]

Thank you all for your advices. PS is an awesome forum and really helped me in my quest for e-ring.

I am not much a fans of a diamond but after searching the diamonds many times in my e-ring quest, I can see why many people can be drawn to its beauty. I know that this e-ring will mean so much to her and I do not want to get it wrong. So I hope she likes the ring when I showed it on the d-day Now I feel more confidence that 0.7 carats will be the one.

As far as finding an ideal cut, I do not think that Tiffany differentiates its diamond from ideal cut, very good cut, etc. As far as I know, they call all of their diamond''s cut a Tiffany''s cut. So, the only variables in Tiffany diamonds are carat, color, and clarity.
Please correct me if I am wrong. This is what the salesperson told me.

The salesperson also told me that the ring only come with size of 6. Tiffany will have to send the ring to New York to resize it and it is free for the first resize. Is this common? I hope that Tiffany will not damage her ring if it needs a resizing.

Thanks again for all of your advices.. I really appreciate it..

 

[rosy]

If Tiffany''s damages your ring during resizing I''m sure they''ll repair or replace it for you, they are such a large, reputable company. Yes the first sizing is free. Any sizing after that is subject to a charge.

I''m sure your girl will be happy with the .70 Tiffany. I personally think that the Tiffany setting in the .75-1.00 carat range looks so beautiful. It really fits those sizes. In the larger sizes 1.5 & up not as nice, because they start looking squat & wide.

If she''s not thrilled with the diamond you do have 30 days to return it. So I would say give it to her & tell her about the 30 day window & let her have the final decision.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I do not think the .7 stone would be too big. However, since you are here, use the diamond search to see what a stone in that color/clarity range is going for so that you can do some comparisions. A VVS1 is overkill to alot of us; you can also define the parameters of color/clarity and ask Tiffany''s to show you stones in that range. They may not have it in stock but they can get it from other stores.

Whether a stone is too big for a particular person is really up to the person wearing it - but I certainly think you would be safe going up to the 1.0 carat mark. While it''s true that Tiffany''s doesn''t ''negotiate'', going down in color or clarity could mean getting a bigger stone for the same price.

Good luck - please let us know what you decide!

 

[mrssalvo]

I wear a 3.5 and had a 1 carat solitaire as my original e-ring. It was not too big at all. i think the .7 will be great. you''ll have to come back with pictures after you get it

 

[pad3006]

Hi Viao;
Yeah that is standard practice for Tiffanys, all there engagement rings are a size 6 and then they size them after the sale. Some of the stores use to be able to size the rings but now there is one facility that does it and it is not in a store. But from what I know it does not take long to get done.
Tiffanys doesnt discount there rings at all, so yeah the sales person was right, it isnt worth mentioning again to them.
I too think that Tiffanys is excellent and your making a good choice going with them
Good luck.

Phil

 

[ame]

Date: 1/20/2006 3:55:09 AM
Author: rosy
If Tiffany''s damages your ring during resizing I''m sure they''ll repair or replace it for you, they are such a large, reputable company. Yes the first sizing is free.

Not true in my experiences.

In fact...I say do anything you can to avoid Tiffany''s. Go to walmart if you have to.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Lucky girl! Absolutely go with the .7!!!

 

[MiniMouse]

I agree with other posters who vote for the 0.7ct. I don''t think it will be too big at all. I''m sure your girlfriend will love it and if she doesn''t, like Rosy said, you have 30 days to return it, so you can''t really go wrong.

 

[amyrock]

I live in Washington DC area and we sent a ring to Tiffany on Saturday for resizing and got it back on Tuesday of the following week.

I would agree that 0.7 would be the better choice. You can''t never be too big with diamonds

 

[Patty]

I do not think that .70c is too big for anyone. But I agree that the VVS1 is overkill. Why pay for something that you can''t see? I''d ask them to get in more options for you in that size range that are VS2 clarity.

Actually, what I would buy is something more like this...

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/2106.html An .80c H, VS2 for $3525

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/diamond/1883.html A .78c G, VS1 for $4010

and then put it in this setting...

 

[portoar]

Hi, I know that a lot of people on this forum do not like Tiffany''s due to the markup, but they do have beautiful diamonds. The .7 will be a winner. I think most women (even the small ones) would prefer a larger diamond. I don''t know what price you were quoted, but sometimes you can get authentic Tiffany rings on resale. Here is a reputable company that just happens to have a lovely 1 carat Tiffany & Co. ring for sale in a size 5.5 for $11,400:

http://www.signedpieces.com/item.cfm?item_id=3778

How does the price compare to what you were looking at? The color is better and it''s bigger.

 

[solange]

I certainly do not think the .70 is too large. I doubt that she will either. Have you had any input from her about this? Also, her views about size may change when she sees other stones.

I do agree that vvs1 is overkill and you are paying for something you cannot see. If you are determined to buy at Tiffany''s and it means a lot to you to start out this way, then you should certainly go ahead with the purchase. However, you can either go up in color or size if you go to a vs1 or 2 or save a lot of money at Tiffany on a stone in the .70 range. I assume the store you are dealing with would love to sell you what they have in their stock but they should be able to call in some other possibilities from one of their other stores,particularly if you know what you want. I believe they can give you information about cut if you insist upon having it. Many of their salespeople are not that well trained, I found, when I originally starte looking for a ring in their New York store because my husband wanted to buy it there or at one of the high end jewelers in Manhattan. I wanted a larger stone at the price and after searching, wound up buying from a Pricescope vendor at a great price for a beautiful stone.

However Signed Pieces is known to carry Tiffany resales that are much better value and are original Tiffany rings. The one shown here on this site looks good if you are open to buying this way.

The lighting in Tiffany is spectacular and shows stones to their best advantage. I would urge you to see any ring you might buy under different lighting as well because Tiffany''s , as do many jewelers, have lighting that is best to view diamonds.You might want to read through the thread on how lighting affects color. It is very technical but I think it might be helpful to you in choosing a stone that will look good under lighting other than that at Tiffany''s.

 

[gailrmv]

I would snap up that ring from signed pieces in a New York minute.

 

[viaoman]

Rough Rock

Thanks for all the inputs everyone. I really appreciate it.

Actually it is not VVS1. It is one grade lower, a VVS2. Pardon my mistake.

They have 0.6 carats/G/VS1. One color higher but a smaller diamond. The price of this ring is only $200 less than 0.7carats/H/VVS2. I guess I better of getting the 0.7/H/VVS2. I can ask for the 0.7/H/VS1 but if the price difference is just a few hundreds, I will just get this ring and get done with it This thing has been occupying my mind for a while and I am afraid that my prolonged quest in the e-ring search may leak out to my girlfriend ear

So, wish me luck tomorrow. Now I need to find out how to propose to her...

Thank you again for all your advices.

 

[esguy27]

Hmm, one thing I''ve learned about women...no diamond is ever too big for them

 

[Kaleigh]

Good luck tomorrow. I''m glad you decided on the bigger stone. Sizing it shouldn''t take long at all. My ring came from Tiff''s too.

 

[FireGoddess]

Go with the 0.7 ct -- it's definitely not too big. The clarity could still go lower, but if you just want to get the ring, get it! Good luck proposing - once she sees the ring, she's not going to hear a word you say.

 

[Rod]

I had a Tiffany stroll tonight. No matter what anyone says about markup, or conceit, Tiffany's is a class act and their rings are all absolutely beautiful. It's fun for me to see my non-Tiffany stone against the Tiffany stones and my stone blinged as nicely as any.

Good luck tomorrow, I'm sure she's going to be thrilled and I'm sure your buying experience will be quite pleasurable.

 

[viaoman]

I finally got the ring few weeks ago and I just proposed to her on the beach (her fave place) last weekend. She was speechless because I think I caught her by surprise. She did not even answer my proposal and just smiled and kissed me. So i guess this is the way she answered yes

Thank you for everyone''s help in this forum. I also attached the picture for you all. Remember when I asked you whether 0.7 carats is too big for her 4.5 size finger? Well, I asked her whether that the diamond is too big and told her that we can exchange it for a smaller one and use the savings for something else such as plasma TV

or appliances

(Off course I was just teasing her wondering what her reaction might be). Her reaction was " No, I love the way it looks now and it looks perfect".

Well, you all right from the beginning.. no diamond is too big for a woman.

I am just very happy that she loves the ring. It is a new beginning for both of us ...

BTW, Attached is the picture of the ring on her finger.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/19/2006 11:07:02 PM
Author: gailrmv

... when you get outside the store and away from the loupe, all people will notice is the size, ring design, and if it is sparkly and alive.

Spoken from the heart of someone who actually wears those things (and most guys don't have that kind of experience)

Second that!

And so does the picture you have posted... It looks like the ring fit right into place. Good for you guys. Congratulations for the engagement

 

[blodthecat]

Congratulations to you both!

The ring looks perfect!

Blod

 

[BrownEyes]

Wow - your photo could be an add for DeBeers - the ring is just beautiful and very flattering to your fiancee''s hand. From what we can see, it seems like you make a lovely couple! Congratulations!

 

[MissAva]

It looks wonderful, congrats to both of you.

 

[Kaleigh]

What a beautiful picture!!! Congratulations to you both!!!! The ring is just lovely!!!