Newest Newbie

[Breakfast at Tiffanys]

Hello All..

What a great forum this has turned out to be. A plethora of info..here''s my question.

I''ve just started "The Hunt" for a good diamond. I know that the first step is education. Being like most laypeople I have no formal gem education and so here I am. My question is, if I were to walk into Tiffanys right now and ask to see 1.5c rings what could I expect? Quality and price wise? I have a $24,000 budget. PLEASE I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET!! Also, if you have any more useful info for this newbie, I''d appreciate it. Sorry for the newbie question..

Thanks,
B@T

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi,

I'm not sure about quality wise at Tiffany's, but you can expect to pay top dollar, so $24,000 isn't going to produce as big of a diamond as many other places (especially online vendors). Reading www.goodoldgold.com is a great way to start your journey in discovering about diamonds. There is SO MUCH to learn. Then, shop around and compare with the knowledge you've gained to guide you.

Michelle

 

[Rank Amateur]

If you have $24,000 hanging out of your pockets, you can expect they will be all smiles. Especially if you are looking at a 1.5 ct SI2 H!

As for their diamonds, the common thought is that they sell great stones, but no better than stones you can get just about anywhere - if you are careful. Tiffany does not cut diamonds. (Is it LK who cuts Tiffany stones?)

I'd advise you to look around at as many stones as you can to get a feel for the cut/color/clarity you prefer. Tiffany makes some beautiful pieces. You will need to decide if the beauty of the Tiffany setting and the je ne sais quois of he blue bag is worth paying the extra 100% markup on the diamond.

I hope you have as much fun as I had!

R/A

 

[Talonnav]

I totally agree with what everyone else has said. Educate yourself at www.goodoldgold.com first. Then see how much $24K will buy you on the internet.

In the end, do you want the BEST diamond for your money or do you just want a ring that says tiffany on it?

Heather

 

[TheDiamondangel]

The appeal of a Tiffany & Co. engagement ring is very nice...however, if you are looking to get a top notch diamond there are many other places that I would not overlook.

If it was me, I would use that budget to buy all three rings at the same time...engagement ring and both wedding bands. I would also check out some of the internet diamond resources for both education and possible purchase.

 

[Breakfast at Tiffanys]

I'll take that information into consideration. I've read a lot of info about diamonds. GOG was a great learning tool do you know of any other's like it? BTW, Thanks for the advice.

 

[rbjd]

Try www.niceice.com They have loads of valuable information.

 

[niceice]

Thanks RBJD

Tiffany carries round brilliant diamonds with a proportions range between AGS Ideal-0 and AGS-2 Very Good. Their minimum clarity requirement is VS-1 and their minimum color is "I"... Historically speaking, they will not disclose proportions information, apparently because they feel that the fact that the diamond is "a Tiffany diamond" should be sufficient - this according to one of our very good clients who used to shop at Tiffany until he was asked to leave the NYC store because he kept asking for the crown angle and pavilion angle measurements... Kind of funny actually when their NYC buying office is supposed to have several Sarin machines on hand... You could probably buy yourself twice the diamond by shopping one of the on-line dealers and be able to verify the proportions, etc. but a lot of people like to buy at Tiffany's because of their time proven reputation.