Purchasing Advice needed on secondhand Tiffany E ring

[Cookie96]

Hi everyone ,
please excuse me if I have put this thread in the wrong place ...I'm completely new at this and I'm desperate for some good knowledge and advice on purchasing a second hand tiffany ring.

For my price range aus $9000 - $$12000 I can only get a brand new .75ct from tiffany in the channel band, is the following second hand e- ring worth it...????

Round tiffany diamond 1.3 ct
I - colour
VVS2 - Clarity
Excellent - Cut
Set into beautiful channel band setting with 5 diamonds on each side.

In negotiation between $11000-12000.

Now as there is NO Original documentation with this second hand e-ring, I have called Tiffanys in Australia to verify the diamond inscription and band sku.. All checks out perfect and everything matches, but due to not being the original purchaser the customer service lady cannot give me anymore info on ring, ie how old ect..

Certificate supplied -GIA ( which has all relevant matching tiffany numbers on band and diamond inscription )
Not supplied - original tiffany diamond certificate, no valuation certificate or replacement value cert, basically no original documents at all !!!

My questions:
Am I paying to much?
Do I need to do any other checks before purchasing as the ring is coming from USA and I'm in Australia ?
Will I have any issues getting a valuation from tiffanys for insurance purposes?
The ring is a size 7, need a 6, will resizing it down affect the diamonds on the sides?
Can a second hand platinum ring be polished up to look brand new proposal ready?
Shipping worries, who is the best company to use for shipping a ring of $12000 from USA to aus???

Hope that's everything and someone has some advice
Once again my first post so sorry if I've made any mistakes...

 

[Cookie96]

Also is fluorescence good or bad???

 

[teobdl]

If tiffany says the serial number matches the stats of the diamond verified by a Gia report you should be fine. I don't know if that's a good price overall, but I looked at T solitaires in that range recently-1.37 I VS2 was almost $17,000 so you're getting a decent price for what sounds like real tiffany.

 

[teobdl]

Also is fluorescence good or bad???

Fluoro brings the price down a bit. It won't be bad in a tiffany diamond. The lowest fluoro they sell, if I remember correctly, is faint.

 

[VirginiaZee]

Can a second hand platinum ring be polished up to look brand new proposal ready?

Yep, that's one of the nice things about plat - it scratches and can get a patina, but you don't lose metal, it just gets displaced. So polishing it will make it look like new.

The ring is a size 7, need a 6, will resizing it down affect the diamonds on the sides?

You mentioned that the stones are channel set. I'm not an expert on sizing rings down at all, but from what I can tell from a bit of online research the bigger question seems to be how far down the shank the diamonds go. For instance, if they're five large diamonds that cover the top of the finger when worn, then it will be more challenging to size that ring down since it has to stay round overall. Not sure if that made sense, hopefully someone else will jump in on this question.

Am I paying to much?

That depends. You're definitely paying for the Tiffany name. Is that important to you or her?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think buying Tiffany second hand is a great idea! You bring the price down closer to regular retail without paying so much of the brand mark-up. I would ask Tiffany about the sizing issue. If at all possible, I would want the ring in my exact size so it didn't have to be sized when there are diamonds on the shank. I would also prefer a ring that had the paperwork. Almost anyone would have the original paperwork and it would make me concerned that the ring might have been lost or stolen. Does this diamond have the inscription on it so that you are certain it is the original stone for this ring?

 

[cflutist]

Almost anyone would have the original paperwork and it would make me concerned that the ring might have been lost or stolen. Does this diamond have the inscription on it so that you are certain it is the original stone for this ring?

The serial number of the diamond should be lasered on a star facet adjoining the table (don't ask me why Tiffany doesn't put it on the girdle like AGS and GIA do). It should be seen with 20-30x.

 

[baby monster]

I think buying Tiffany second hand is a great idea! You bring the price down closer to regular retail without paying so much of the brand mark-up. I would ask Tiffany about the sizing issue. If at all possible, I would want the ring in my exact size so it didn't have to be sized when there are diamonds on the shank. I would also prefer a ring that had the paperwork. Almost anyone would have the original paperwork and it would make me concerned that the ring might have been lost or stolen. Does this diamond have the inscription on it so that you are certain it is the original stone for this ring?

That would be my concern as well. People usually make sure to keep Tiffany paperwork. Are you buying from a private party or dealer? Will seller refund your money if it's not authentic?

As far as price, oakgem has 1.16 G Vs1 for sale with .5ct of side stones for 14.5k. Cert included. Oakgem is a reputable dealer.
http://m.oakgem.com/Products/Tiffany_(and)_Co_Platinum_1.16ct_VVS2_G_Diamond_Engagement_Ring_10650.aspx

 

[optimizedlife]

Make sure to check the cut out, maybe with HCA. I recently looked at two (new) Tiffany diamonds and they were atrocious :/ I was really surprised. I didn't expect HCAs of 3.7 and 4.4 from 2 1.59cw Tiffany's rings. I actually asked for the certs because they just didn't seem to be as flashy as they should have been.