Please Help

[slizatch]

I don''t know much about diamonds. I''ve read lots of things online and tried to learn enough so that I don''t look like a sucker when I go in to look. Here are some things I need help with.

Is a Tiffany''s Diamond worth it?
(I was there yesterday and saw the best diamonds I''ve ever seen but I''m not sure if you''re just paying for the name)


If it is worth it can you hagle with them?
(I was a little intimidated just walking in and wasn''t sure if it was appropriate to bargain with them.)


If Tiffany''s is no good then where should I be looking?


Is Blue Nile any good?


If you can''t tell I''m in the dark here. Any help would be great.

 

[bling]

hi there and welcome!
theres no doubt that tiffany diamonds are fantastic, but yes, you are going to pay for the name. if you do a search on the forum for tiffanys, you will find many posts about this hot topic and everyone has their own opinion on it. most feel that you can get just as good a diamond or better than tiffany and at the same time save a whole lotta money here online. but as always, stick around, learn mucho here and some of the others will give you advice when you need it!

 

[aljdewey]

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On 12/4/2003 10:17:41 AM slizatch wrote:

Is a Tiffany's Diamond worth it?
(I was there yesterday and saw the best diamonds I've ever seen but I'm not sure if you're just paying for the name)

Is Blue Nile any good?
----------------

Hi, Slizatch: "Worth it" is a relative term. Buying a diamond at Tiffany's means you won't be buying the crap that's out there in the big chain stores.. BUT, it also means you're paying a HUGE mark-up for the Tiffany name. You can get equal or better quality diamonds without having to pay for the Tiffany name if you shop smart.

Keep in mind, too, that all jewelry stores have KILLER lighting to make the diamonds look amazing, so it's hard to ascertain how they really perform.

The oft-talked about online vendors here carry stones that would rival ANY Tiffany's stone. You'll save a ton of money buying online and you'll have more vendors to shop with who carry nice stones.

On the front page here, do a search by cut quality in your color/clarity/price range and you'll find many diamond that will fit the bill from several different vendors.

On Blue Nile: They can be a good option if you aren't horribly fussy about the documentation. I asked for what I thought was very basic information on a few of their stones and they weren't able to provide it to me. Based on this, I eliminated them from contention.

 

[stephcola]

Hi,




Tiffany has beautiful stones but you will be paying so much more for the same diamonds as you can get at one of the online vendors. I purchased my stone from Blue Nile and am extremely happy with it and the service I received. I also returned one I wasn't quite happy with to BLue Nile and they have a fabulous return policy. No questions asked.




After saying that, I will tell you that there are many online vendors listed on Pricescope that have fantastic reputations for honesty, quality and service. Read as many of the threads(posts) you can and read the tutorials before looking at any stones. After my online experience - I would never shop retail again!!!! You will get a better quality, larger stone for less money. There are several expert appraisers that regularly post here that you can have the diamond sent to for verification. My stone had a GIA cert and I did receive a Sarin report. You will learn this is as important because it list the angles you need to know about. I sent my stone and reports to Rich Sherwood in Sarasota, Fla. to appraise my stone. He is very well respected by the people on Pricescope as are Dave Atlas and New England Gem labs (sorry if I left anyone out). Rich gave my Blue Nile stone a great report and I am thrilled with it.




Many of the online vendors will send the stone to one of these appraisers before you actually purchase the stone (at your cost) to verify the quality, etc. if you want. Buying online - to me - is actually safer - the vendors listed have alot to either lose if they mess up and alot of customers to gain if they have great testimonials from satisfied customers. Do your homework and don't pay retail!!!!! Just my 2 cents!!! Good luck!