If you''re considering Tiffany''s...

[Nicrez]

Oopsie. I guess it was too early in the morning for me to realize. Ok, it all makes sense...wow, me not smart today, eh?

Amanda, good luck, I think it can totally be done, and hopefully the quality is up to par with your taste. If not, you send it back and tell them to fix it. No harm, no foul. But do post pictures! The yummy ring sounds LOVELY!

 

[sharonzhere]

I've been amazed at how riled up a lot of the people get here when Tiffany is brought up. I mean, my goodness...what are we buying anyway? A little tiny rock the size of a pencil eraser (if we're lucky)? Who decided that these would be worth thousands and thousands of dollars in the first place? Some very savvy business man, I presume... And we're all hooked.

You said you love Tiffany jewlery, and that's all that matters.

Sharon

 

[dbgaap]

Yeah, I hear you Sharonzhere.


Way back, a long long time ago,.... WAY back when I got engaged the first time, I went through something very similar with my original ring. It was a lot of drama and anxiety and I did upgrade but I still didn't get the greatest deal or the greatest diamond.


The marriage ended after 10 years, at which time I bought another similar quality diaomnd and created a pair of diamond studs.




Recently, I decided to unload the original diamond (lost theother stud a few years ago, oh well). I sent it to Lippincott estate jewelry liquidators. They offered me $75 for it!




OK, so what a liberating experience.


I truly realized for the first time that these diamonds are meaningful as an emotional sentimental gift, and there is little or no other value in them.


It's worse than used cars, for crying out loud!




Since my BF rejected my offer to help pay for the ring, he did compromise & let me throw this stone into the deal. Our local B&M actually assigned a very generous value to it, and it brought the price of the ring into a realm competitive with web-based vendors.




So, in the end there's not much of a market for used diamonds.


There is no choice but to wear it with enthusiasm and realize that's all it is.

 

[Nicrez]

There isn't a market for used diamonds if you are SELLING...

BUT if you are the jeweler that buys if from that poor divorcing couple, then as many people have pointed out, you polish it, reset it and sell it for 4X what you paid for it!

Aren't we on the wrong side of the equation?

 

[pulp_princess]

Sorry, I guess I was unclear on that. What I was trying to say was that I didn't find that Tiffany's was always much more expensive. I'm also questioning a "300% markup" as well, since the prices were so similar. Does anyone remember where that number came from?

We also compared prices last year in July, long before the shortages were obvious, and it was decided then, that it was not worth the effort to buy unseen online with very minor differences in price. In July 2003, when the discrepancy between the exchange rates were greater, I think the difference was only about $75, the cost of online shipping.

----------------
On 4/6/2004 3:35:12 PM CaptAubrey wrote:

----------------
On 4/6/2004 3:28:11 PM pulp_princess wrote:






So there must be a cutoff mark somewhere that their diamond prices skyrocket??

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

part of the problem is that d-vvs material is in very short supply and high demand right now. you aren't going to find it cheaply anywhere, tiffanys or otherwise.
----------------

 

[dbgaap]

Yes, very true Nic.


The B&M I went to is Smyth, in Maryland. They are huge in these parts and they've got a big 'estate' section where you can get used stones, settings, etc. cheaper than their new stuff.




I've made my peace with it.




I'm glad to be rid of the mediocre half carat.


And I'm glad Smyth can sell it and I'm glad some other budget-conscious couple can get my old stone for their new ring.


It's better than just collecting dust somewhere.

 

[Nicrez]

For a comparison, a Lucida compared to a square radiant in a vatche x-prong I priced out for comparisons at E, VVS2 was almost 203% MORE at Tiffany's.

The branded radiant is a 1.75 from The Radiant Cut, and total with band cost $13,800. They are both E, VVS1s, and the Tiffany's was $28,000.

Perhaps in smaller and larger stone sizes, Tiffany's prices are similar to market, but to say there is a $75 dollar difference between regular stones and Tiffany's as a blanket can not prove correct. Thye carry a greater premium, but as we see, not their round stones, just the priviedge of having the blue box when you walk out.

People will pay what they want for name recognition and whatever they deem as quality, whatever the name. It's just that most people here like to get a "good deal" and get the most they can for the largest purchase they usually make, besides houses and cars... I love Tiffany's and own lots of it, but I would just prefer to buy my expensive jewelery somewhere else, where I can stretch my dollar further. That's just me.

 

[solange]

With regard to Tiffany prices, my experience is similar to Nicrez. I was looking for an eternity wedding band and knew exactly what I wanted--platinum setting,shared prongs, f/g color, 26 to 30 points(total weight about 4.50 carats), vs1,2. What I saw at Tiffany's was well up in the $20,000 range.


I did not know about Pricescope then. Perhaps I could have done even better.I called a jeweler I had dealt with in the Diamond Center and told him what I wanted. He said,"Do you by chance wear a size 6. I have one for you." I took a cab right up. Since eternity bands cannot be resized I lucked out since I did not have to have it custom made. I got a beautiful hand made, shared prong Platinum setting with .28 stones, f/g, vvs2/vs1. I got verbal appraisals from three different appraisers and then a written one. All confirmed that I got what I paid for and the stones were well matched and excellent cut. The ring was appraised for more than twice what I paid. My cost was about 1/3 of the cost of a comparable at Tiffany's.


There may be something about the Tiffany ring that I cannot see.To me the setting looks exactly like theirs. I am now planning to buy a new solitaire and I wore my wedding band to Tiffany's to try on rings recently. The salesperson said,"I see you are wearing one of our wedding bands.I can always tell a Tiffany ring."

 

[ambenj]

Well,
As promised I'm writing to report on my ring which I picked up last night. As a refresher: new 1.5 c. diamond put into my old ring setting (but with new bigger prongs). My original ring was from Tiffany and was .40 C and I wanted a bigger stone in that ring. I had it done with a jeweler and was nervous but believe it or not, it looks great! The stone is fantastic- though it doesn't meet "the diamond guy"'s 61% rule since it has depth of 63%. But to me it looks beautiful- it feels huge compared to the .4 I used to have and the setting looks almost identical to my original ring bought at Tiffany's.

So many thanks to everyone who provided advice and suggestions!

 

[aljdewey]

Congratulations on your "old/new" ring. It sounds lovely.




Wear it happily.

 

[luvmysparklies]

Oh, that is wonderful!

Congratulations! Any chance of posting pics? Close-up so we can see the ring and especially the prongwork?
Glad things worked out for you!
Luv

 

[Nicrez]

Congrats on getting your ring back! What a relief that all worked out well and things seem perfect! Head or prongs replaced?

As long as you like his work, that's all that matters! Just take a look at the prong shapes and sizes and make sure they match up as well as you'd like.

My friend had to get a prong shaved, since one was larger, but then again, she STARED at hers constantly... also, the sooner you go back with any issues, the better they are about fixing them...

We would love to see pictures of the ring, and of course the mandatory pictures on the finger!