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Help with Tiffany ring

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vuster

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 30, 2004
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My budget is $10,000 Australian and I wish to purchase a white gold tiffany & co diamond ring. If you were in my position what tiffany ring would you buy? i.e. What design of ring would you pick and what would be the optimal 4 C variables that would make you happy?
 
Are you truly set on T&C? I used to think that they were one of the best jewelry stores, but have since changed my mind. For a stone with nearly the same specs that I found through a PS vendor for under $18000 (T&C was one clarity level higher), T&C wanted $92000!
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I guess it just comes down to the ease of going into a store like T&C knowing they do not accept stones lower than "I" in color and "VS2" in clarity--they take a lot of the guesswork out of the equation for you. IMO, I would much rather have the size stone that I ended up with (especially considering it has the same or better light return) than the Tiffany name. If you are set on T&C, you really just need to choose the style that fits you best. They will take care of everything else!
 
thanks for your reply.
I am pretty much set on the tiffany brand only because my girlfriend loves branded stuff and she's willing to sacrifice the size of the diamond just for the tiffany label.

I've been told that you can not negotiate the price with tiffany and Co. Is this true?
What can I get for 10K AUD for a non tiffany diamond ring so I can benchmark with?
 
Tiffany's trademarks their diamonds and/or settings, so they honestly don't negotiate prices--there are always people who will pay for them. If you haven't discovered this yet in other posts, it seems that Eclipse/Vatche designs the Lucida setting for T&C so you can always get a very similar look. However, I have friends who are also very much into brands and seem to feel it's more important to know it comes from a particular store than it's higher quality/more "bang-for-the-buck". At any rate, I would need to know what shape of stone you're considering to provide you with a benchmark. You can, however, use the PS (pricescope) link "price stats" to examine stones with a particular cut, shape, color, clarity, etc. If your G/F is aware of your intent to purchase a stone, you might want to mention that she can still get a designer ring (made by the same designer as the T&C setting but without "T&C" on the inside of the shank) with a much larger, just as brilliant (or more brilliant) stone and see what she says. When my B/F and I realized that I could either get a 1 ct T&C ring or a 3+ ct ring it was an easy choice!
 
Well, it's not like you have many choices at Tiffany, for solitaires there're only Lucida (which might not come in white gold so this option may be out) and the classic 6-prong round diamond ring. It's really up to you to see what you or your girlfriend would like. They do have 4-prong round diamond rings with baguettes on the side setting, so that's another choice.

Perhaps you should go into the store and see what catches your/her eyes first.

There are ways to get *some* discounts here in the U.S., but since you're in Australia I don't know of any.
 
If that's what your girl wants, then that's what she wants and you should get it. You'll probably be able to get a nice 0.75 carater or so, or maybe a little larger, from Tiff's for $10 000. You definitely won't reach the one carat mark. Don't overbuy on clarity (stick to VS-2) because all of Tiffany's stones will be eye-clean in a VS-2 and there's not reason to pay for something like a VVS. I have a well-cut H colour (not from Tiffany's) and it is really white, so I think H should be fine for colour.

One choice of style that hasn't been mentioned is the etoile, which is a wider semi-bezel style. It sits very low to the finger and would be suitable for an active girl. Otherwise their six-prong is lovely and classic, and their lucida seems to get good reviews. I prefer the six-prong, personally. There are other styles with side-stones that are also lovely as well.

I do have one suggestion, though. There is a seller on eBay who is very legitimate and sells designer stuff that's second hand and they get in a lot of Tiffany rings. Their seller name is signedpiecesinc. They also have a website where you can browse their styles--it's signedpieces.com.
Like I said, they are very reputable (start another thread on here an ask about them and you'll hear from people who have visted their shop in NY and those who have bought from their eBay store). Their Tiffany rings are usually sold for about 60-70% of the retail price, and they are authentic with the paperwork and everything.

This would allow you to get the brand name your girl wants, but perhaps get a bigger stone or save some money.

And lastly I just have to say that you should just plain call Tiffany's and ask what kind of engagement ring you can get for that amount of money. They will be more than happy to tell you. We bought our wedding bands from their and we did a lot of it over the phone.

Let us know how it turns out!

Daniela
 
thanks for your replies.
I just wanted to be prepared before I go into Tiffany's and pick a ring because I hate shopping and I don't enjoy being put on the spot by salespeople so most of the time I make up my mind before going in the store. It is quite disappointing that I can not get 1 carot for the money I'm willing to spend.
 
Yeah I did go to there site. I like the Lucinda or classic setting.
 
After reading more posts and thinking about it more I'm starting to get swayed away from buying from Tiffany's.
Is anyone here from Melbourne who can offer advice as to where I can get well priced quality diamonds. Preferrably ones with similar designs as Tiffanys?
 
Here's my advice: buy a loose diamond online or from a local vendor you trust, and get it set in an Eclipse/Vatche setting (http://www.dvatche.com/). Because this designer makes the Lucida setting (and possibly others) for Tiffany's, it will still be a designer/brand ring that will look like the ones your G/F loves (and your G/F can just say that you got it straight from the manufacturer but it's the same as those from T&C). Are you interested in round stones or fancy?

Also, you can always go to a website such as signedpieces.com and buy her a beautiful T&C wedding band for a lot less!

http://www.signedpieces.com/item.php?type=brand&cat=11&ItemID=4148
 
Hi!

I'll recommend Garry Holloway's B&M. It's located in Canterbury & Brighton - you can be sure u'll get ideal cut stones there
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Ah, another case where a little bit of Pricescope reading sways the Tiffany buyer. You will definitely get more bang for you buck buying online.

Superbcert and Niceice both make wonderful Tiffany six-prong replicas. You could buy a diamond from any vendor here on Pricescope (I used Good Old Gold and loved working with Jonathan), and have the setting shipped to the diamond vendor. Or you could just buy the setting and the diamond from the same place. Don't worry about having it shipped to you in Australia, it's a smooth process and even with the taxes/duties you'll pay, it will be well worth it.

Garry's store, which has already been suggested, is another place to look at high quality jewellery. His store is a traditional B&M though, so it is probably more expensive than buying online.
 
Not sure if it can be of help but, from what I know, the lowest quality Tiffany's-1ct-solitaire (1.00ct I/VS 2) should be about $8800.
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LOL...Sorry Daniela
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You know, I just want to add that you seem like such a nice gal...the way you repsonded to this post and my 'blunt'
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tiffany opinion very graciously!
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oops- that was actually the other thread...!
 
Good boy vuster!!!
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You know, it's all about the diamond...not the name!! And who the heck is going to know it's Tiffanys...I said this on another post....If someone comes up to you/her and says...What a beautiful stone....what's your response going to be....Thanks, I got it from Tiffanys? UGH. That was be so utlra obnoxious! I like my Loius bag like the next gal...but I want bang for my buck...!!!!
 
I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I'm very skeptical that Vatche produces the Lucida setting. They're definitely similar, but they are not close enough that would warrant that. Plus, I've never seen a statement saying: 1.) Yes, Vatche produces the settings for the Lucida or; 2.) No, Vatche can neither confirm nor deny producing the Lucida for reasons of proprietary information yadda, yadda, yadda, legal mumbo jumbo.

If they never say anything, and people just assume, then it works out better for them.

PS: I love the Vatche X-prong.
 
I also want to note that I first looked at Tiffany rings and it was going to be something like $5,000 for a 0.35 Lucida or something equally horrible. If you're going to go for the straight RB classic setting, it probably won't be nearly as bad.
 
OMG- that is crazy...I recently sold a .35 princess on ebay for 150 bucks..lol...
 
I'm not a Tiffany fan, but if your GF wants the Tiffany name and knows she'll be getting a smaller ring, I think you should just get the Tiffany. Women are very particular about what they want. Unless, of course, you can drag her into a store and show her the difference in size between what you can get at Tiffany and what you can get elsewhere.
 
But see that's a problem. Some women think they know based on childhood dreams, tv, magazines, friends, whatever... then after they get their rock and learn more about diamonds, they'll change their mind. (Woman's prerogative my butt!)

I think, it's the responsibility of any woman in a committed relationship to do her own research in order to help a brutha out either directly or indirectly.
 
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On 6/2/2004 11:27:47 AM verticalhorizon wrote:
But see that's a problem. Some women think they know based on childhood dreams, tv, magazines, friends, whatever... then after they get their rock and learn more about diamonds, they'll change their mind. (Woman's prerogative my butt!)

I think, it's the responsibility of any woman in a committed relationship to do her own research in order to help a brutha out either directly or indirectly.
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Hear, hear, VH. I *totally* agree with you.

But what about women who want to be surprised? And not want to know anything about it because it will ruin the surprise?
 
What if her research includes wanting the "history" behind Tiffany? I think that's a woman's perogative.

Look, we're all diamond geeks here. I choose my stone and my setting together with my now husband. BUT, like Mara with her purses, and some guys with their cars, I know that certain brands mean a lot to certain people. It's not about logic. Perhaps this gal will just be thrilled that her BF got her a huge rock. OR, she'll tell her sister that even after dropping a million hints he obviously STILL didn't have enough of a clue to get her a Tiffany ring.
 
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On 6/2/2004 10:27:49 AM moremoremore wrote:

LOL...Sorry Daniela
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You know, I just want to add that you seem like such a nice gal...the way you repsonded to this post and my 'blunt'
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tiffany opinion very graciously!
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No problem, MMM. My take on the diamond purchase is that people should buy what they want as long as they know what they are getting into.

Also, I come from the perspective of someone who was willing to pay through the nose for the Tiffany etoile band if I had to because I have loved it since the beginning of time ($2100 Cdn! Ouch!), but for the engagement ring I was all about the bling. So sometimes you're in it for the design and the name, and sometimes you're not. It really depends on the purchase and the person buying, and then of course, the person wearing it. There's no one cookie cutter way to say what's best for everyone.
 
BadKatness,

My suggestion doesn't preclude that there won't be a surprise. It DOES presuppose that if you're in a committed relationship, that ring research means you are hedging your bets that you will eventually get married.

Actually, I take that back. I say, ANY woman who wants a diamond engagement ring, whethor or not she is currently in a committed relationship CAN and SHOULD go out and research diamonds to learn what she wants.

First of all, it's fun! Second of all, it will help you figure out what you like and confirm a realistic goals in terms of price. Third, if you are in a relationship, you can drop SUBTLE hints, just in case. You can ALSO drop hints about how romantic it is to be surprised, like such and such couple we know.

This way you get the best of both worlds. He can surprise you, with a good certainly of a rock that you'll love.

It's all about the subtle manipulation you women say you're good at.
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BTW: Has anyone seen "Love Stinks"? It's quite possible the funniest movie for anyone in a long term relationship on the brink of marriage! Go rent it if you haven't seen it.
 
My gosh. Now I know how to get quick responses from people on this forum. All you need to do is tell people you are thinking of buying something but a Tiffany. Maybe I should drop the line "I'm thinking of buying online".
I don't think I have the guts to buy online so I'm pretty firm on the idea that I will go directly to a physical location. It would be great to go to a vendor who sells online and has a physical store in Melbourne but I guess most of those ones are in the States.

Jadeleaves is Garry Holloway's B&M a diamond wholesaler or is it just another retail store?

Also because the Lucida cut is a square shape should I be worrying about dimensions? i.e. Even if I went in to tiffany's and bought a Lucida are the ratios for the dimensions all the same for that particular stone?
If so is there a link where I can read to inform me what the ideal cut is for that stone.

Can you tell the difference between the real Lucida and a copy besides the Tiffany engraving?

Thanks.
 
Lucida is a patented cut own by Tiffany so the copies cannot look exactly the same. I think you can see a star in the middle of the Lucida diamond.
 
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On 6/2/2004 7:45:00 PM vuster wrote:


Jadeleaves is Garry Holloway's B&M a diamond wholesaler or is it just another retail store?----------------
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Garry's B&M, Precious Metals, is a retail store - Garry is *THE* Garry Holloway of the "Holloway Cut Adviser" & "IdealScope" fame
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- you can be sure to get quality ideal cut diamonds from him. Do a search for Garry Holloway and you'll find that he is well respected in the industry
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Check his B&M out - it's a retail store so it *is* a tad pricier than online diamond merchants, but if you are adamant to buy a stone from a B&M, Precious Metals is the way to go for top quality stone.

(listen to me - I'm like an ad for PM)

*disclamer* I am in no way affliated with Precious Metals in any way
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and am not getting remunerated in any form for this.
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