Premium for brand name?

[pulp_princess]

I know it''s not Friday yet, so don''t feel you have to respond until then.

Just playing with some numbers and wanted some feedback on how it could be improved, might not be accurate, etc. A ring at that unmentionable blue box store (okay, I''ll say it, Tiffany''s!) was $2,850 on July 2, 2003. It was a 0.24 ct, D, VVS1 in the platinum six-prong setting.

Looking into the argument that a better quality ring can be put together at a much lower price, I tried to assemble a ring based on current prices, which don''t seem to be too far off of last year''s prices. Converting $2,850 CDN to US on July 2, 2003 using the currency converter at bankofcanada.ca gives $2,132.75 US ($1 CDN = $0.7483). Then, on the price stats page, I picked the average price for a H&A 0.30-0.37 cts, (the closest carat weight available), D, VVS1. Taking $4,919 /ct * 0.24 cts = $1,180.56. Then, adding the cost of a similar setting ($900), the total cost of a similar, better quality ring is $1,180.56 + 900 = $2,080.56. Before CDN taxes, US shipping, bank transfer costs are added, it seems that the ring built online is just $52.19 less than the Tiffany ring.

Is there something I missed or are the markups more prevalent in larger stones?

 

[valeria101]

There is something missing: I somewhat doubt that the 'other' setting is going to be quite as good as Tiffany's

 

[Nicrez]

Have you checked Tiffany's prices this year? I would if I were you, only because when I compared the price of the Lucida with the SAME size, color and clarity with the stone I got, and the price was almost 80% higher than what we paid, and mind you we got a branded cut (Radiant cut by Henry Grossbard).




I have noted that in larger sizes, sometimes it is hard to get deals, so Tiffany's can be a better bet sometimes. Perhaps this is the case in your size as well. The more average sizes with lower color are much more competitvely priced in the market?

 

[pulp_princess]

Don't know about that Ana, I've been looking for months with a loupe and still can't see any difference in the finer details.

And believe me, I've been looking!! Tiffany's has thought that it belonged to them (but granted, they can't possibly be looking as hard as me!

).

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On 3/15/2004 2:53:33 PM valeria101 wrote:


There is something missing: I somewhat doubt that the 'other' setting is going to be quite as good as Tiffany's

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[pulp_princess]

Haven't been to Tiffany's in a very long time.

I'm not sure about the Lucida, maybe that's a special case since it's a Tiffany's creation? It was a RB in both cases that I was comparing to, forgot to mention that.

A 0.24 ct, D, VVS1, I wouldn't have thought too average sized/low in colour?

This was just a curiousity point as I already have my perfect pricescope ring approved by peachy pricescope folk.

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On 3/15/2004 3:09:17 PM Nicrez wrote:


Have you checked Tiffany's prices this year? I would if I were you, only because when I compared the price of the Lucida with the SAME size, color and clarity with the stone I got, and the price was almost 80% higher than what we paid, and mind you we got a branded cut (Radiant cut by Henry Grossbard).


I have noted that in larger sizes, sometimes it is hard to get deals, so Tiffany's can be a better bet sometimes. Perhaps this is the case in your size as well. The more average sizes with lower color are much more competitvely priced in the market?
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[pulp_princess]

I just remembered the duty charges. The ring is taxed at 25% when it comes over the border. Almost makes Tiffany look like a bargain. Sheesh!

 

[ClownFishFunk]

I'm confused - didn't you say that the non-tiffany was the better quality ring, and of a higher carat? Sorry, I get easily lost in all those numbers.

 

[Mara]

I think the difference may be more prevalent in the larger stones.

Some people have posted re: something like a 1c I SI being around $9k at Tiffany...and then others have shown they can build their own 1c I SI H&A for much less, say around $5k.

The 40% markup # has gotta from somewhere!

SPYGIRL! where are you?

 

[pulp_princess]

Sorry to be so confusing.

My ring now is a non-Tiffany, bigger carat, nicer quality, but I was just comparing my old Tiffany ring to what it would have worked out to if I had bought the same specs from Pricescope. It was what I kept hearing from the forums, but I wanted to see the numbers for myself.

It was something that the dear boy brought up when we had returned the original ring. I didn't know how much it was and said that it might have been cheaper if it had been bought online. To that he replied, he was quite certain that the price difference was not enough to make him shop online, ring unseen. Now that I know how much it was, I think he's right.

To add an additional note, the stone did fall into the ideal cut parameters. I made sure of that, and that's why I compared it to H&A prices.

It only had a small fraction of the fire outside of the store though, IMHO.

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On 3/15/2004 7:52:17 PM ClownFishFunk wrote:

I'm confused - didn't you say that the non-tiffany was the better quality ring, and of a higher carat? Sorry, I get easily lost in all those numbers.

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[pulp_princess]

I think I've come to that conclusion too, that the markup goes in to the pieces that can handle it better. I thought I remembered hearing at least one jeweller say that it's been worth it for people to fly in, while taking into account the 25% duty tax! Wonder how much that ring was! Yikes!! I'm beginning to see how it's very tempting to not declare it at the border... But that would be wrong. Very very wrong. Bad me for thinking of it!

Does that mean that Tiffany is not wholly unreasonable for some of the pieces they sell? Somehow that must be wrong. Isn't it?

My world is being shaken up....

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On 3/15/2004 9:39:00 PM Mara wrote:

I think the difference may be more prevalent in the larger stones.

Some people have posted re: something like a 1c I SI being around $9k at Tiffany...and then others have shown they can build their own 1c I SI H&A for much less, say around $5k.

The 40% markup # has gotta from somewhere!

SPYGIRL! where are you?
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[pulp_princess]

https://www.pricescope.com/forum/topic4944.html

I think it was this post that I was thinking of.

 

[hoorray]

I've only comparison priced Tiffany's for diamond studs. I have 2 examples: 1.02cttw I/VVS1 (why you would want VVS1 in an earring is beyond me...) $7800. You can easily make this pair from loose ideal cut online stones for $3000 or less. The others were 1.2cttw G VS1 for just over $10,000. You can easily put these together for less than $5000. Neither time could they tell me anything about cut, but I assume it was ideal or close.

The other part of the issue is that for something like earrings you certainly don't need to pay for high clarity, so you could pick super ideal cut stones at lower clarity and save even more than in these examples.


So....here I go....responding to a Tiffany's thread.

I don't know about all of their jewelery, but in these cases, the premium was significant.

 

[Mara]

hee hee...yes i have an earring example too. when greg was shopping for my earrings he went to Tiff and was quoted something like $5600 for a 1ctw of G VS in platinum I believe.




insane considering you can build your own in platinum for 1ctw G VS for about $3700.

lets just say I am REALLY glad he didn't buy there, because I'm sure that I would have felt the pain from that financial expenditure, such as mac&cheese for 6 months, all to wear a pair of Tiff earrings? nooo.

 

[sharonzhere]

Tiffany doesn't carry any SI's. All their diamonds are VS1 and above.

At Tiffany you are not only paying for the diamond, but you are paying for the setting as well, as they do not sell any loose diamonds there. And I'm sorry, but you can advertise that you have a Tiffany-style setting all you want, but it just isn't the same as the real thing. Just because it has 6 prongs doesn't make it anything like a real Tiffany setting. I am SUPER picky about settings and while I would buy a diamond online, I would never buy a setting sight unseen. I notice these things

 

[caratgirl]

Actually, it is VS2, not VS1 that is their lower limit.

 

[sharonzhere]

You're right, it is.

My point is, though, that that $9000 SI comparison above can't be correct because Tiffany wouldn't carry such a diamond.

 

[pulp_princess]

I wish people would stop saying that it can't be like Tiffany's and how they're so much more picky than I am. I honestly held a Tiffany ring in my hand over a period of months (not complete months, but sporadically while Tiffany was trying to fix it) and I truly cannot see the difference. If you can, well, bless you, but except for the signature engraving, I can't. I find it truly hard to miss anything with the super blow up of the setting on the Tiffany website. There is nothing obviously amiss about mine, I can assure you that. People who work at Tiffany thought it was a Tiffany e-ring.

In confirmation of my super pickiness, it was I who handed the ring back to Tiffany's five times because the setting wasn't right. (prongs too claw-like, engraving not right, etc.) Unless you see my ring in person, you can't say it definitively is not like the real thing. I thought it didn't exist too until I saw it.

I'm very protective of my precious.

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On 3/16/2004 9:25:46 PM sharonzhere wrote:


And I'm sorry, but you can advertise that you have a Tiffany-style setting all you want, but it just isn't the same as the real thing. Just because it has 6 prongs doesn't make it anything like a real Tiffany setting. I am SUPER picky about settings and while I would buy a diamond online, I would never buy a setting sight unseen. I notice these things

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[Mara]

Hey Pulp...which Tiffany style did you get? Was it from SuperbCert or NiceIce or another?

 

[pulp_princess]

Aw, Mara! You already know all!

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On 3/15/2004 9:43:12 PM Mara wrote:

SC Tiffany-twin setting----------------