HELP! Need adive for picking up diamond from EBAY seller

[ebony1]

Hello everyone,

I purchased a tiff & co six prong ring/diamond on ebay. I have been watching ebay for 4+ months before purchasing.

ebay listing
Ring dicussion thread

My big concern is authenticity. I have spoken with the seller and she ‘seems’ legit. She works in NYC and will meet me in the city to exchange the ring (I''m in Philly). She will meet me at Tiffany or any other jeweler I choose so I can verify authenticity. She will accept escrow.com or a cashier check in person. The ring comes with the original Tiffany receipt, Tiffany cert, and GIA cert.

I am looking for advice on what I need to do to insure the authenticity of the ring.

- Should I have Tiffany verify the ring for me? Does anyone know if they would do such a thing?
- Would it be better to have an independent jeweler look at the ring for me?
- What questions should I be asking? What test should I have the jeweler run?
- Is it possible to match a diamond and cert in a short amount of time?

Basically I need any advice you can give me. Please Help! Thanks, Josh

 

[Mara]

Sounds like the seller is willing to go that extra mile to ensure your satisfaction, that's great. The ring and paperwork look pretty legit, I would find an independent appraiser in the area you are meeting and have them confirm its authentic (if they even can, possibly only T&Co can do this?), and confirm the stone matches the cert and paperwork and that all seems well.




I think this was mentioned before--but this stone will not appear face up like a 1.5c. There is probably some extra weight in the depth, it will appear to be smaller face up than a 1.5c as a well-cut 1.5c stone has a diameter of around 7.5. This stone's average is around 7.4mm. You will probably see a slightly visual difference, but not too much. Anyway figured I'd mention it again just in case when you see it, you may think the stone looks a little smaller. However, for the price you paid, if it really is T&Co and checks out, the deal is great. To buy a 1.5c H VVS from Tiff today would most likely run you upwards of at least $15k.




Just ask the appraiser to confirm the stone matches the cert, that the stone is in good condition as well as the setting. I would also have them run a Sarin and any other info on cut, though it sounds as though that may not be that important to you. You may have to get T&Co to confirm the authenticity, but that may be another trip. Good luck!

 

[ebony1]

Mara,

Thank you for your advice. Is it a relatively easy process for a jeweler to confirm the stone matches the cert? I spoke with Tiffany and they said it will take them two weeks to validate the authenticity of the ring and stone. That seems a little ridiculous and complicates the buying process. Can I be confident that any jeweler I pick will be able to match the stone to the cert?

Also, I appreciate your comments regarding the face up appearance. Just so I am prepared what should I be expecting? Should I be prepared to see a stone that seems like a 1.4c. Or could it seem even smaller?

Thanks again for your help,
Josh

 

[Mara]

No I don't think it will seem that small, maybe more like 1.45c or similar. It really depends on what your eyes pick up. But just an FYI.




Yes an appraiser should be able to match the stone to the cert...they can do this via a few ways. If there are inclusions visible in the stone to them under a loupe, they can match it to the cert. This may be a little harder in a VVS1 because it should be incredibly clean, but hopefully they can do it. Or if there is an inscription on the girdle, they can match that to the cert. Since the stone is set, they can't do as many tests as they may like, but hopefully you can get table and depth etc as well to match to the cert.




If all of that checks out, I would take possession of the stone with one return caveat: I would get something in writing from the seller that says that if Tiffany says this is NOT a Tiffany stone, that you get your money back. Make sure its in writing. Then do the 2 week process with Tiffany. Hopefully everything will check out.




Good luck!

 

[spicolicpa]

Big bold letters on your auction:

"...ALL SALES ARE FINAL. No returns under any circumstances due to the value of this item. SERIOUS BIDDERS ONLY PLEASE....."


What up with this?

If this is true what is the point in getting it appraised? Bad news and your recourse is?

If all is good its a great deal though.

Ballsie move on your part. Nothing ventured.....

 

[caratgirl]

I think that you are probably still okay on this ring. I think that the seller's reputation in this case would be mighty tarnished if they would honor a return if the ring/stone turns out not to be a Tiffany original. I think that their return/refund policy just wants to stress that you can't bid on an item and get buyer's remorse afterward. I noticed that too many Ebay vendors are really not operating in an 'auction' environment, but more like a real storefront, where the items are priced at retail, and so they don't mind that the cost of business is many returns.

 

[ebony1]

Mara - After thinking about your post I have decided to have the seller deliver the diamond directly to T&C for verification. I will then pick up the diamond from Tiffany with the seller, at which time I will provide payment (minus the deposit) if the diamond checks out. If Tiffany validates the authenticity and If the diamond comes straight from them to me I don't think I am at a huge risk. If you see any flaws in my plan let me know. Otherwise, thanks one more time for your advice.

spicolicpa & caratgirl - I think you are both right. From my persepctive the seller is just trying to protect herself from fraud and deadbeat buyers. I guess as long as I can verify what I am buying before I pay, it doesn't really matter what the return policy is. Quite frankly if I was the seller I wouldn't accept returns either. Anyway, thanks for your perspectives.

I will let you know how the transaction goes.

-josh

 

[guslik]

----------------
On 11/26/2003 9:54:17 AM ebony1 wrote:

Mara - After thinking about your post I have decided to have the seller deliver the diamond directly to T&C for verification. I will then pick up the diamond from Tiffany with the seller, at which time I will provide payment (minus the deposit) if the diamond checks out. If Tiffany validates the authenticity and If the diamond comes straight from them to me I don't think I am at a huge risk. If you see any flaws in my plan let me know. Otherwise, thanks one more time for your advice.


-josh----------------

Sounds like a great plan, go for it and hope everything checks out fine. In my opinion since seller is willing to go through this process for you means she is sure in her item and has nothing to worry about as far as authenticity verification. I think you will be fine.
let us know how it turns out. Good luck!

 

[spicolicpa]

Did you talk with Tiff & Co. about this, I recently read in another post that T&C does not verify their product after it leaves their doors.

Just might want to check to be sure.

 

[Mara]

ebony...great idea--good luck!

Let us know how things turn out.

 

[ebony1]

----------------
On 11/26/2003 10:48:19 AM spicolicpa wrote:

Did you talk with Tiff & Co. about this, I recently read in another post that T&C does not verify their product after it leaves their doors.

Just might want to check to be sure.

----------------

You are right that Tiff & Co does not verify their products after they leave the store. However, after several conversations (and many probing questions) with their customer service department in New York, I was able to identify a reasonable solution. Although they won't openly authenticate a ring/stone, they will revalue a ring and provide documentation for insurance purposes. In performing the valuation they will check that the ring is authentic and that the stone matches the certificate. If there is a problem they won't provide a valuation. So, even though they won't tell me direclty, I think the new valuation implies authenticity.

Again, if someone has experience with this or believes I am miss interpreting the information, please let me know.

I pick up the ring from tiffany two weeks from saturday. fingers crossed.

cheers,
josh

 

[69gm]

i hope everything works out for you.

you can feel confident for a couple or reasons.

1. seems like the seller is willing to go the extra mile for you to ensure you will be happy with the purchase.

2. the seller has a feedback rating of "389" with 100% positive rating. that's no small task. you can definitely feel good about that.

an independant appraiser might be a smart way to go. they can at least verify the stone to the cert.

let us know how things go and good luck!

 

[ebony1]

Thanks 69GM for the thoughts. Will definitely let you all know how it goes. Cheers.

 

[Giangi]

Ebony, your plan is really good and accurate. You are definitely minimizing your risks.

And yes, from what you have reported, if Tiffanys issues a valutation report, they are implying it's authentic.