Harry Winston Diamond

[maddogcredit]

I am new to this board. I have been searching for a diamond engagement ring. I saw one in Harry Winston that I liked. There is an obvious premium though (over $20K for a 1.50 oval E, VS1 with 2 side stones at .3 each and same quality). The question is: is a harry winston diamond worth the premium. I saw similar diamonds only for approx $10-12K on the net. I dont know about the cut, they are sending me the GIA report.

Other than name, is there anything "special" about a Harry Winston, Cartier...etc. What about the setting?

thanks.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

The name is pretty special, and I am sure the quality control is pretty good too.
If you have any doubt about the cut you could buy an ideal-scope and check them out .
We would love to hear the results!

HW will have a higher resell value than an internet stone.

Depends what value you put on the name.

 

[maddogcredit]

Interesting. I looked at the web site and may buy an ideal scope. But I have 2 questions: Does it work for oval stones? Does the stone have to be removed from the setting?

thanks.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

1. yes, we will have a fancy shape page up soon.
Email me at [email protected] and I will send it to you (or anyone else)
2. it works on set stones - read the page on the website.

 

[scg]

maddogcredit,
I'm sure she'll love what you give her...not because of the name on the box but because you gave it to her. There are beautiful rings at all different types of stores, so dont feel like you have to break the bank...
scg

 

[charlesw4]

If I may add to this, as an ex-Winston employee and member of the family...something you need to consider are these facts.

1) a D-FLawless diamond can have different values for the same size stone. You must look at the GIA reports and see the cut and depth percentages, refractive index, etc.

2) When I left Harry Winston, Inc., to start my own business, they hand made every single mounting. For example, in a tennis type necklace, each individual setting was created from platinum or 18kt gold wire and plate, then hand assembled.

Essentially, is a Rolls Royce worth more money than a Mercedes? If you want the comfort of knowing you bought the best, then the answer is yes. You do get what you pay for in this world.

In the world of jewelry, I beleive, there are now true bargains. It really is a comodity business. To lower the cost of an item you have four places to save.
1) Quality of stones
2) Value of metal
3) quality of labor
4) Profit margins.*

Don't believe for a minute that anyone is not making money. Even on the internet, there is a cost to placing that add, handling the charge cards and shipping and handling. Anyone that claims to not be making money, will not be in business long to help you with warranty issues.

Finally, if you decide to check out my website, www.charleswinston.com, please know that I went the route of CZ jewelry, using the manufacturing techniques I learned while working for my late, uncle Harry Winston. We can produce items similar to HW in diamonds and platinum, but we feel that appealing to a broad market is a better approach for our business model.

I hope this helps you make an informed decision.

Regards,

Charles J. Winston

 

[pricescope]

Hi Charles,

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Iiro]

Hi Charles
Does your CZ show H&A pattern?

S

 

[charlesw4]

Okay, I admit it...what is H&A Pattern?

My shows are on cable and DirectTV. In the USA we are on ShopNBC. In Europe and UK we are on QVC and in Canada we are about to be on The Shopping Channel.

~Charles~

 

[Iiro]

www.pricescope.com/tutor_hna.asp

some sims show arrows butr hearts are a bit dark.

www.van-graff.com/ing/indexin.html

S

 

[charlesw4]

Oh, the 'Hearts and Arrows'...

No, our CZ's are brilliant cuts. The H&A are cut specifically for them. For the most part, we are using Signity brand CZ's when available. Up to 6.0 - 7.0mm they are machine cut.

Over that size, we go to Korea for the better hand cut stones.

CJW

 

[maddogcredit]

Thanks for the response Charles. Just an update, I got the HW ring and never looked back. I am very pleased with my decision.

 

[Mara]

Sounds like its the same style of ring the Bachelor decided on in the latest season (oval center, 2 side stones) Though his was $34k... I think his side stones might have been trillions though I can't remember.

Congrats on your ring!

 

[GiGi]

Hi Charles,

Do you somehow miss the "feel" of a real diamond when setting the stone in your jewlries? Other than business reasons, do you like some aspects of CZ better than you like diamonds?

Thanks,
GiGi