i got the ring!... now what?

[Atenay]

So I bought the ring from signed pieces

It is a .45 carat F VS1 tiffany solitaire and I''m incredibly excited about it.

now, I have MORE questions about what to do with it once I receive it. I want to take it to tiffany''s and get it polished and authenticated (if they will do that for free, do they?) and I am wondering if I should also get it appraised there. The ring comes with a retail replacement value paper already, but it is from 2002 so I am wondering if the value will have changed. I have not extensively researched insurance options either, but do I need an independent appraisal or will the tiffany one work? I don''t have a huge budget for an appraisal, especially since I only paid $2000 for the ring in the first place, but I do want to make sure that if something happens I will be able to replace it with an equally valuable diamond so I want to do things right. I want a policy that covers anything from damage to mysterious loss, as my girlfriend is not careless but most definitely clumsy.

Also, i haven''t heard back from signed pieces about sizing... do they do it? otherwise I will do that at tiffany''s as well.

so hopefully that is enough questions for you. thanks again to everyone for their help. i feel like i never run out of questions (this is a complicated process!) but now that I have the ring I''m hoping it will all be downhill from here.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Oh my goodness! I''m not going to be any help at all, I just want to congratulate you on getting the Tiffany''s signed pieces ring!! I saw it when you posted last time and thought it would be perfect for what you were looking for! Woohoo!

I would definitely go to Tiffany, have the papers switched to your new name, get it polished and sized there--I think that working with a high-end B&M like Tiffany it''s best to get everything done there so they always have a record of what''s been done to the ring. Besides, they''ll do it all for free. As for the updated appraisal, I have no idea if that''s something that will cost your extra or if it''s something that they will do every x years for free. I''m sure somebody else will chime in, though!

 

[Kissmark]

Congratulations! Hi from my exprience, Tiffany''s will clean for you for free, but polishing they usually charge a small fee (less than $50). Resizing might also cost you, in my case around $50. I would recommend getting it resized by Tiffany''s and not Signed Pieces.

As for insurance, with Chubb''s I think you can just use your sales receipt for declared value. Of course if you believe that the ring is worthy more and want to use the appraised value then you can get it appraised somewhere, but just remember the higher the declared value the higher the insurance premium.

 

[rainydaze]

hi Atenay! once again, congrats on the ring purchase, i''m excited for you!

i do not have experience with Tiffany''s myself, but i had two thoughts i wanted to throw out there. first, i would recommend having Tiffany do the sizing for you, even if there is a charge to do so. they make the rings, so personally i would trust them most to make it seamless and i think it''s a good idea to get established with them now so that down the road when you need more work on it (repolish, cleanings, etc.) you are set with them. basically, it would be peace of mind for me. second, you want to insure it for its value, not what you paid for it (i.e. don''t use the receipt to insure it, especially since you paid far less than a replacement of like-and-kind would cost you as that would most likely have to be new, unless you got super lucky again!). hopefully Tiffany will update the appraisal for you, this i don''t know, but if not i say it''s worth it to get an independant appraisal.

good luck, i hope someone with actual experience can chime in and offer more than a somewhat educated opinion!

 

[sachmo]

You won't need an outside appraisal. There is nowhere else but Tiffany's that you can buy a brand new replacement. I asked one jewelry insurer and they told me a Tiffany's appraisal is preferable because only they know how much a brand new equivalent would cost. You should call a company like Jewelers Mutual and ask for their take.

As for polishing and cleaning, it's free. Resizing will cost you maximum of $170 plus tax. I think if you don't tell them it's a second-hand ring, they will charge you less than $100.

BTW: You should take the ring out into the sunlight to witness the sparkle of a well-cut diamond. It will look larger than you'd expect out of 45 points. Very impressive sight.

 

[Atenay]

thanks for all the congratulations, i am pretty psyched.

I called tiffany''s and they told me they charge $170 for sizing up, in my case from a 5.75 to a size 7. They told me that as long as they can verify that it is a tiffany ring then they will not charge extra because it is secondhand, everyone is charged the same. I would rather they knew so I would be listed now as the owner in their database. They also confirmed that an appraisal from them costs $200.

Signed pieces told me they can size it to any size I want. Is it worth the extra $170+tax to go get it done at tiffany''s or is it really not that big a deal? If sizing is the type of thing anyone can do with minimal risk than it seems like a lot of money to spend to get it done at tiffany''s. But I do want it done right so if it is one of those tricky things, especially sizing up, I want it done right. I confess that I have no idea how sizing actually works.

 

[SeattleSweetheart]

Congratulations!

I bought an Tiffany etoile solitaire through Signed Pieces. I did get it sized and appraised at Tiffany''s.

If I were you I would get everything done at Tiffany''s. I''m pretty sure if any other jeweler alters the ring then you won''t be able to get it authenticated at Tiffany''s.

I also insured my ring so if it is ever lost/stolen my insurance company has to buy me a new Tiffany''s ring, not replace it with something similar. An authentic Tiffany''s appraisal is important to prove to your insurance company that you do have a designer Tiffany ring and not a look-a-like.

Your girlfriend is going to love taking her ring to Tiffany''s to get it cleaned periodically. They do that for free!

 

[Maisie]

$170

Thats a lot of money!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 12/18/2007 11:44:27 AM
Author: Maisie
$170

Thats a lot of money!

I agree, that is nuts! Is it platinum??

 

[Atenay]

i know, $170 sounds like a lot doesn''t it? the ring is platinum and it is being sized up though so... adding platinum I imagine costs tiffany''s something.

I would really like to get it done at tiffany''s though, for the peace of mind. I read a post here about someone who got a ring from SP got it sized at tiffany''s and SP gave them $100 towards the resizing, but that is not really something I feel comfortable asking them for... especially since they offered to size it themselves.

 

[mrssalvo]

$170 is a lot, but I''d still take it to Tiffany''s and let them size and do the appraisal. You still are coming out ahead with the wonderful price you got on the ring and I''d just feel better letting Tiffany''s take over from here.

congrats again on your purchase...that is just wonderful!!!!

 

[bee*]

Did they just recently bring in the charge for sizing? I got my ring in Tiffanys in July and had it sized from a 6 to an 8 and they did it free of charge.

Congrats on getting the ring!!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 12/18/2007 6:49:49 PM
Author: bee*
Did they just recently bring in the charge for sizing? I got my ring in Tiffanys in July and had it sized from a 6 to an 8 and they did it free of charge.

Congrats on getting the ring!!

They probably size it for free when first purchased. This is for a later resizing.

Atenay!!! I am very excited that you bought that ring! It is so nice and she is getting a great ring for a wonderful price! Please take some pictures for us once it is ready! Like the others, I recommend that you only have Tiffany work on the ring.