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Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhand?

kb1gra

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On an impulse last week, I went into Tiffany to try to find what I want to do with a reset on my ring. I was feeling a bit blingless as my ring has been off for repair for a week and I am missing it! That being said, I had been debating a soleste-style fancy yellow ring and going to the store confirmed it, and I tried on the PERFECT one. The new price is out of my price range, but there is one available on the secondhand market, in my size, with approximately the stone size I'd want, and right around the price I'd want to pay.

I can go through the whole process of having a lookalike ring made, and I had been considering it until I found this one.

So, do I go through the process of finding the PERFECT fancy yellow cushion, designing the setting, and taking delivery - or do I just buy the readily available item? As this is a RHR/fun piece for me, the added resale of the designer name + the fact that I would be paying roughly 50% of retail is attractive, but I also want the perfect piece, and I've been told that some of the pave workers out there would make me a better quality ring than the Tiffany item. The secondhand item in question is a year old, so not that used at all.

Worth noting that the price of the entire secondhand Tiffany piece, and/or the price of finding a stone of this size + nice but not top-of-the-line setting, would be less than just the quote I got from Victor for the setting alone.
 

tyty333

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

In this case, it sounds like Tiffanys is the way to go (IMO). The quality of pave work may not be on par with Victor but the price
sounds very reasonable. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about Tiffany quality so if you like the way it looks, and the
price on the second hand market is good, then why not?
 

canuk-gal

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

HI:

Is there a question here? :cheeky: ;))

cheers--Sharon
 

kb1gra

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

canuk-gal|1443388571|3932523 said:
HI:

Is there a question here? :cheeky: ;))

cheers--Sharon

I guess more clearly stated, the question is:

Assuming price equivalency, would you buy the secondhand designer piece or the firsthand new piece where you select all the details, assuming the second was going to roughly replicate the first?

But you're right, maybe there is no question here ;-) The secondhand Tiffany piece is a .44 and the two stones I was looking at for my own piece were .50 and .59, but dimensionally they are similar as sometimes happens with cushions.
 

tyty333

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

I thought the price was not equivalent. I thought the Tiffany ring cost less than the Victor setting without the main stone?
 

kb1gra

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

tyty333|1443390268|3932533 said:
I thought the price was not equivalent. I thought the Tiffany ring cost less than the Victor setting without the main stone?

Assume there are 3 rings in question:

1. secondhand tiffany
2. custom made piece with something like an ERD double halo
3. sourcing the stone myself and having Victor or Leon set it

The price difference between 1 and 2 is negligible, #3 would cost a little more than #1 or #2, and does not include the cost of the center stone, so several thousand more all-in.
 

distracts

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

Ultimately I think it depends on whether you value the Tiffany name more (or the ease of buying a ready-made item) or getting to pick your own diamond and setting exactly to your specifications.
 

canuk-gal

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

kb1gra|1443385607|3932508 said:
On an impulse last week, I went into Tiffany to try to find what I want to do with a reset on my ring. I was feeling a bit blingless as my ring has been off for repair for a week and I am missing it! That being said, I had been debating a soleste-style fancy yellow ring and going to the store confirmed it, and I tried on the PERFECT one. The new price is out of my price range, but there is one available on the secondhand market, in my size, with approximately the stone size I'd want, and right around the price I'd want to pay.

I can go through the whole process of having a lookalike ring made, and I had been considering it until I found this one.

So, do I go through the process of finding the PERFECT fancy yellow cushion, designing the setting, and taking delivery - or do I just buy the readily available item? As this is a RHR/fun piece for me, the added resale of the designer name + the fact that I would be paying roughly 50% of retail is attractive, but I also want the perfect piece, and I've been told that some of the pave workers out there would make me a better quality ring than the Tiffany item. The secondhand item in question is a year old, so not that used at all.

Worth noting that the price of the entire secondhand Tiffany piece, and/or the price of finding a stone of this size + nice but not top-of-the-line setting, would be less than just the quote I got from Victor for the setting alone.


Do the original receipts, and documents come with the Tiffany ring? Are you comfortable buying on the secondary market?

cheers--Sharon
 

Niel

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

I would but the Tiffany if it truly is a Tiffany, and is exactly what you want already.

Leon or Victor dont carry the cashe Tiffany does. And I do think this matters, say, when passing down a ring, if for any reason you ever had to sell it.

Plus not everyone finds a custom process fun. So its hard to say you'll enjoy the process or not
 

kb1gra

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

The secondhand piece does come with the Tiffany diamond paperwork but does not come with a receipt, bags, etc. I would take it to an appraiser to verify the diamond inscription but all the other markings check out.

Admittedly I am a little unsure of shipping off $5000+ to someone random, but I think that's the case with all buying and I'd be putting it on an Amex so I'd be fairly well protected.

I have an email out to DBL to see what they could do in the same price range just to be sure, but I do agree that the Tiffany bit does carry some weight if it's not to be a forever piece. However, if you strip the name off, I am paying about retail for the piece if it were unbranded, the resale is just stronger. Basically, taking away the markup.
 

Sphene

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Re: Have a ring custom made, buy the designer name secondhan

Secondhand Tiffany is cheaper then VC - so go with Tiffany

But from reading on the PS site Tiffany diamonds are not always of the highest standard you are just paying for a brand so my question is are you happy with the diamond stats if not go with VC or someone else even if more expensive
 
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