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Great deal on Tiffany ring????

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Nalgene1894

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 23, 2007
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Hey everybody,

It has been a long time since I was last lurking around in this forum, actually about 9 months. I was originally interested in purchasing a ring from Tiffany''s, the round brilliant bead set ring to be exact, here (https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-on-a-tiffany-round-brilliant-with-bead-set.74889/)here is the original posting.

Unfortunately I have not been able to find anything in the right price range as of late since I just got out of school and money has been extremely tight in the past 6-9 months. I have stumbled upon what I think may be my best option to obtain this ring and propose
It is a .38ct H VS1 with 10 side stones totaling .27ct F-G VS
The price is $1900 which is extremely affordable. My only question is this:
Can I get a better deal from a store other than Tiffanys? I have looked other places but the ring is just never the same which is what has been holding me back and waiting for a deal such as this.
 
Yes you can do better pricewise probably, but you said it all. It''s never the same for you. Which means that you should go with your gut and get the Tiffany ring. But please please please get it independently appraised before the sale to make sure it is as it was represented to you.
 
So it seems that the original ring is already sold but there is a .66ct F VVS1 ring of the same sort for sale at $4800. The dealer is in Chicago but I live in Boston so I requested to have the ring appraised in Boston before actually purchasing it and the dealer said that they are not comfortable shipping the ring without getting payment.
Is this shaping up to be some type of scam or something?
Also, can I not have the ring shipped to a jeweler here in Boston for an appraisal and shipped back without worries for the dealer?
 
I''d be weary about sending money without knowing for sure that it''s what they''ve described it as. Is there anyway that they could send it to a Tiffanys near you or to an independent appraiser-that way the store could send it back directly to them if you chose not to go ahead with it. Keep an eye out for signedpieces-they also tend to have them from time to time.
 
Date: 9/16/2008 6:15:12 PM
Author: Nalgene1894
So it seems that the original ring is already sold but there is a .66ct F VVS1 ring of the same sort for sale at $4800. The dealer is in Chicago but I live in Boston so I requested to have the ring appraised in Boston before actually purchasing it and the dealer said that they are not comfortable shipping the ring without getting payment.

Is this shaping up to be some type of scam or something?

Also, can I not have the ring shipped to a jeweler here in Boston for an appraisal and shipped back without worries for the dealer?
Click to expand...

They should be comfortable sending it out, but at the same time the without payment thing might be scary for them. You could pay, but make sure there is a rock hard return policy if it doesn''t appraise as it should...but I would only do this if it''s a real bricks and mortar reseller, not someone on craigslist ya know?
 
Please don''t pay for a VVS1. You can get a larger diamond that is VS2 and perhaps H or I color for the same money. I''d be patient. Contact Signed Pieces and tell them what you are looking for. They get in Tiffany pieces frequently.
 
I know some people may not agree with me but ebay might be an option. There are a few Tiffany rings on there that fits your budget. Of course, you have to be careful to make sure it is a reputable seller.
 
I have found an appraiser here in Boston that is willing to accept the ring as a neutral party, he is a member of the Jewelers Board of Trade and he said that the seller should feel comfortable sending the ring knowing that. Had anybody heard of or used the JBT to get a neutral party to appraise a ring before making a purchase?

As far as not paying the price for this VVS1, I am not overly concerned since this is the ring that I have been in search of for a very long time and it has been ''proposal time'' in this relationship for quite some time now. If this sale does fall through however, and was not truly meant to be, I will be heading back out into the world to re-compare the rings that I did find in this style....
 
Date: 9/17/2008 9:54:37 AM
Author: Nalgene1894
I have found an appraiser here in Boston that is willing to accept the ring as a neutral party, he is a member of the Jewelers Board of Trade and he said that the seller should feel comfortable sending the ring knowing that. Had anybody heard of or used the JBT to get a neutral party to appraise a ring before making a purchase?


As far as not paying the price for this VVS1, I am not overly concerned since this is the ring that I have been in search of for a very long time and it has been ''proposal time'' in this relationship for quite some time now. If this sale does fall through however, and was not truly meant to be, I will be heading back out into the world to re-compare the rings that I did find in this style....
Click to expand...

Is he an independent appraiser or does he sell jewelry or stones too? If the former, and a BBB search on him doesn''t turn up any bad reviews or anything, you''re probably fine. If he sells to then I personally would pick another. Did you check the PS appraiser list under "resources" up top? There might be some good ones there and it succinctly tells you a lot of info about them too.
 
He actually is an independant appraiser and does not sell his own stones. I actually found him through google and then checked out the PS appraiser list and he was also there. He has an office very close to my work so I feel comfortable with this decision....now the only trouble is getting the seller to send the ring to him for the appraisal.
 
JBT is a credit bureau that specializes in jewelers and the related fields and, yes, it’s a good sign that he’s rated. Obviously sellers with sense are only interested in sending things out for inspection to folks who pay their bills and/or return things that don’t sell and merely claiming to be an appraiser doesn’t automatically make them someone you would want to send an expensive item to without checking them out. JBT is the usual way this research is done although they also often ask for references from others who have sent things before and had it go well (either ending in a sale or a valid return). In the end, it’s up to the seller if they want to do it with the understanding that they get to make a sale if it goes well so they do have some level of incentive to cooperate.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Jewelry Appraisals in Denver
 
Date: 9/17/2008 12:27:05 PM
Author: Nalgene1894
He actually is an independant appraiser and does not sell his own stones. I actually found him through google and then checked out the PS appraiser list and he was also there. He has an office very close to my work so I feel comfortable with this decision....now the only trouble is getting the seller to send the ring to him for the appraisal.
Click to expand...

Perfect! Good luck and let us know how it works out!
 
Tiffany will also appraise the ring for $100-200, I can''t remember. Can you pay by credit card and then return the ring within 30 days if its not as sold?
 
So I spoke with the seller today and they are willing to have the ring appraised where they live before sending it to me. They also mentioned that they are willing to sell to me through Ebay....and I could pay through PayPal....so I would be paying through a credit card which is good and I would know how the ring appraises....Tiffany will appraise their own product but it takes 2 weeks and is $100 if you have all of the paperwork which I would if I purchased the ring and $200 without the paperwork.
Does anybody know how the return policy on Ebay works? I am planning on contacting them tomorrow, as well as PayPal...but the g/f will be home in about 7 minutes so I cant do that just yet.

One more question, does Tiffany inscribe the ct weight on the inside of the ring? I checked and there seems to be mixed opinions on this. (Again I am calling Tiffany tomorrow to verify and will let you know as soon as I do)
 
Paying through PayPal is not like paying directly with your credit card. I am pretty sure PayPal only offers up to $2000 buyer protection. Plus, you do NOT want the seller to have the appraisal done unless they send it to Tiffany. That is your best bet anyway because they can verify most accurately whether the ring is real or fake.

There is no set return policy on ebay. It depends on the individual seller and how they choose to do it. But I'd never do this on an expensive item! You need to have that ring sent to an independent third party (such as an appraiser) to be evaluated, and then I might consider it. Some people work through something called escrow.com (I think), so you might want to look into that. But I'd never send money to this person without that ring being totally verified. You may never get your money back if you try to return it.
 
So after some more debate with the seller here are the final options that I am looking at and what I think about each option under it.

1. Bring the ring in myself to have it appraised at the XXXX jeweler that you mentioned, but you will have to cover the fees for that.
**Not exactly the best option in my opinion since the jeweler charges a pretty good amount of money just for the appraisal and then more on top of that to confirm that it is a Tiffany product. I could have the same appraisal done through Tiffany and it would probable cost half as much.

2. You buy the ring from me for $4,800 plus applicable s/h cost plus insurance using a personal check or you can pay me $5,067 via paypal credit card which will cover the $4800, 4% of paypal fee, and $75 for s/h plus insurance and you can bring the ring in yourself to have it appraised so that way there wouldn''t be any confusion as to whom the appraisal should be addressed to.
**It is a reasonable option but the ring was originally purchased in May according to the paperwork I was emailed. After that it was sold to another person who is now potentially selling to me. According to customer service at Tiffany''s the original seller would need to write a letter of some sort so the warranty would pass from their name into mine, and who knows where the original seller is now...Also according to the valuation dept at Tiffany''s they are not able to confirm that the ring is actually theirs since it has left their store, they are only able to do an appraisal and let you know if the diamonds match what the original sheet claims.
There is also the fact that when you pay through PayPal you are only protected for up to $2000 if the item arrives not as described, which means well over half of the purchase price would be lost completely.
To be honest I think I am going to head back out into the world and attempt to track down a ring that is similar to this one. I know that WhiteFlash makes one that is comparable and I am currently in the process of designing a custom version of what they already make.
Either way I think the quote by ''DiamondSeeker2006'' says it all.....''when in doubt, dont'' and I do not think I will be purchasing this ring due to the doubt/uncomfortable factor with the whole situation.
 
Have you checked Signed Pieces? The carry authentic Tiffany rings. They also put the up for auction on ebay. There is one there now. The are reputable with a good return policy.
 
We had a very very bad experience with PayPal. Personally I would not count on them to protect you. We got ripped off and no amount of proof, independent appraisal, pictures, countless phone calls, emails, faxes, repeated mailing of said proof which they kept claiming they did not receive did any good at all.

We were blatantly ripped off and they did nothing to help us with the situation. Countless others have had horrible experiences with PayPal as well.

On a happier note best luck in getting your dream ring and congrats on this exciting and special time!

1.gif



Mrs.2Artists
 
As others have suggested, try Signed Pieces.
 
Date: 9/22/2008 1:07:08 PM
Author: swingirl
Have you checked Signed Pieces? The carry authentic Tiffany rings. They also put the up for auction on ebay. There is one there now. The are reputable with a good return policy.
Click to expand...
Ditto, I would probably start stalking signed pieces to see if they get the ring in your like.
 
Date: 9/23/2008 2:57:47 PM
Author: 2Artists
We had a very very bad experience with PayPal. Personally I would not count on them to protect you. We got ripped off and no amount of proof, independent appraisal, pictures, countless phone calls, emails, faxes, repeated mailing of said proof which they kept claiming they did not receive did any good at all.

We were blatantly ripped off and they did nothing to help us with the situation. Countless others have had horrible experiences with PayPal as well.

On a happier note best luck in getting your dream ring and congrats on this exciting and special time!

1.gif



Mrs.2Artists
Click to expand...

I''m one of those people. We bought a Wii, never got the Wii, the seller was only "protected" for 200.00 and we paid MUCH more than that....paypal told us they''d give us 200.00

AFTER 3 hours on the phone, 5 million people later, and the final top dog, I had to listen to someone tell me about how paypal works, how you ahve to buy from power sellers, etc. to be "really" protected. Then they gave me all the $$$ back.

I now only use paypal for small amounts.

I also 2nd the WF and getting a larger diamond. Then you KNOW what your getting!
 
Date: 9/18/2008 5:24:47 PM
Author: Nalgene1894
One more question, does Tiffany inscribe the ct weight on the inside of the ring? I checked and there seems to be mixed opinions on this. (Again I am calling Tiffany tomorrow to verify and will let you know as soon as I do)
Click to expand...
I just bought a Tiffany Novo about three months ago and yes, it does have the ct. weight inscribed on the inside. It also has the Tiffany''s serial number inscribed. I''m pretty sure this is the case of all recent Tiffany rings including the one you are looking at buying.
 
For the record I decided to not buy the ring and the seller put it on Ebay. They then told me they had an offer for $5500 I think trying to get me to bid higher or something like that but I turned them down because of all the concerns mentioned above. One more odd thing about the entire situation is that the seller was located in Chicago but the ring was being sold from a location in LA....figure that out.
Thank you everybody for helping me to avoid a potential scam of the century.
 
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