Tiffany classic or Cartier 1895?

[t3]

I am planning to propose to my girlfriend of 3 years and am currently undecided between a ~1 carat Tiffany classic 6-prong setting from T&Co and a ~1 carat Cartier 1895 4-prong setting. Both round brilliant, VS1, F color, platinum. About the same price.

She's pretty classy, likes to dress simple and clean, doesn't wear much jewelry except on special occasions, so I'm not interested in anything too showy like paves or huge/multiple diamonds.

Tiffany or Cartier? Blue box or red box? American or French? If price and the diamond quality are the same, and you have to pick one or the other, which would you pick? And what's the general consensus about 4-prongs or 6-prongs (I know nothing).

Thanks a bunch!

 

[tyty333]

All things being the same it would be Cartier for me.

 

[Collee]

I assume you are referring to the Cartier 1895 solitaire plain shank and not the Cartier 1895 pave solitaire, correct?

IMO the Tiffany name as well as the Tiffany setting is more classic than the Cartier. However, I much prefer the Cartier.

I know you did not ask but have you seen the Fine Line Setting by Whiteflash? If the purchase was my decision, I would forego the brand name and price tag and opt for this setting with a larger stone.

 

[t3]

Plain ring solitaire on both the Tiffany and Cartier.

The thing is I don''t really care to increase the size of the stone, she has really small hands, so 1 carat will already look ginormous.

I''m just trying to gauge on a purely sentimental and aesthetic perspective, who would win? It sounds at least two are in favor of the Cartier setting here. What makes you guys pick the Cartier one? The 4-prongs? The fact it''s less copied? Interested in hearing some reasons. Thanks.

 

[AprilBaby]

My preference would be the Cartier.

 

[tyty333]

The Tiffany is also a lovely ring but for me it seems to be very popular. The Cartier name seems like a
more grown up name to me and also a little more unique.

I''m not against the Tiffany...but for me it would be Cartier. Actually for me it would be a much larger diamond
from a no-name company

!

 

[Collee]

What size is her finger? If interested in determing/visualizing diamond finger coverage %, this thread features a chart. I cannot comment on the accuracy but it is nonetheless very interesting.

In re: to my preference for the Cartier, I like the simple lines, tapered shank, basket, and 4 prongs.

Out of curiosity, have you compared the price and quality of Tiffany and Cartier diamonds to other retailiers and vendors?

 

[mariel]

Cartier all the way

 

[IwannaCushion]

Love the Cartier 1895 for its clean lines and delicate profile.

 

[cellososweet]

The Cartier. Visually, I like it better and it''ll be easier to match a band that sits flush with it.

 

[Sam82]

I LOVE the way a classic Tiffany 6 prong solitaire looks. So, my vote is for the Tiffany.

BTW, you can get a similar ring for a lot less. WhiteFlash and Excel both sell Tiffany style rings that are pretty close to the real thing. There have been stories of people with these rings going into Tiffany''s and having the salespeople assume the ring was a real Tiffany.

 

[E B]

Cartier!

 

[Imdanny]

Cartier 1895! There is a photo essay someone at pricescope did of her platinum 1895, no diamonds on the side. Incredible quality, very beautiful.

It's a different look, not only the difference between 4 and 6 prongs. Look at them closely, and I think you might like one or the other. They're not very similar looking, at least I don't think so.

 

[bleeblue]

I vote for the Cartier! It''s proportions are so elegant

 

[LGK]

Cartier. If you have to go brand name, I would say I find the Cartier solitaire a bit more unique and... I don't know, a bit more upscale/exclusive than the Tiffany. (That's not quite the word I'm looking for but close.) The Cartier is just a little more interesting to me stylistically. The Tiffany solitaire is one that you will definitely see on other people; Cartier not so much. The Tiffany solitaire is pretty but it doesn't do much for me, personally. I also don't love knife edges.

(Well, if it were me, I'd actually wouldn't go for a brand name at all, but if that's your thing, that's fine.)

 

[Gleam]

Brand preferences aside, I find the Cartier design more aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Cartier all the way! I think the overall design of the 1895 (the sleek lines, the simplicity) is much more "classic" looking than the Tiff.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/3/2009 7:46:02 PM
Author: LittleGreyKitten
Cartier. If you have to go brand name, I would say I find the Cartier solitaire a bit more unique and... I don''t know, a bit more upscale/exclusive than the Tiffany. (That''s not quite the word I''m looking for but close.) The Cartier is just a little more interesting to me stylistically. The Tiffany solitaire is one that you will definitely see on other people; Cartier not so much. The Tiffany solitaire is pretty but it doesn''t do much for me, personally. I also don''t love knife edges.


(Well, if it were me, I''d actually wouldn''t go for a brand name at all, but if that''s your thing, that''s fine.)

I feel the same way. I wonder if part of it is brand dilution (for Tiffany), with the silver pieces, etc. aimed for younger buyers diluting the exclusive quality of the Tiffany name. At least for me, if I had to pick the more "upscale" brand, I''d choose Cartier in a heartbeat.

 

[HVVS]

I prefer the 6-prong Tiffany type, either the actual Tiffany or a "generic." As a general rule, I just plain do not like cathedral shanks. And on that size of diamond, I''d prefer 6 prongs to 4.

 

[LabRatPhD]

My general brand preference is Cartier however from a design perspective, I would (and did) go with the Tiffany classic. When trying on both the 1895 and Tiffany solitaires, I found that I like the knife-edge band and prefer the look of 6 prongs over 4 prongs. I have very small fingers and the Tiffany solitaire looked more dainty on my hand -which was the look I wanted. Good luck with your decision - you can''t go wrong with either!

 

[t3]

Thank you guys for all your comments! They were all very helpful.

Date: 11/3/2009 8:29:10 PM
Author: LabRatPhD
My general brand preference is Cartier however from a design perspective, I would (and did) go with the Tiffany classic. When trying on both the 1895 and Tiffany solitaires, I found that I like the knife-edge band and prefer the look of 6 prongs over 4 prongs. I have very small fingers and the Tiffany solitaire looked more dainty on my hand -which was the look I wanted. Good luck with your decision - you can''t go wrong with either!

How big of a diamond did you get? Her fingers are also very small, size 4.

 

[t3]

Here''s a photo of the Cartier 1895 setting in profile from another thread on pricescope. Is the diamond raised higher than the Tiffany classic setting? It seems like it as I remember the bottom of the Tiffany diamond touching the ring base.

 

[Circe]

Date: 11/3/2009 7:57:51 PM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

Date: 11/3/2009 7:46:02 PM

Author: LittleGreyKitten

Cartier. If you have to go brand name, I would say I find the Cartier solitaire a bit more unique and... I don''t know, a bit more upscale/exclusive than the Tiffany. (That''s not quite the word I''m looking for but close.) The Cartier is just a little more interesting to me stylistically. The Tiffany solitaire is one that you will definitely see on other people; Cartier not so much. The Tiffany solitaire is pretty but it doesn''t do much for me, personally. I also don''t love knife edges.



(Well, if it were me, I''d actually wouldn''t go for a brand name at all, but if that''s your thing, that''s fine.)

I feel the same way. I wonder if part of it is brand dilution (for Tiffany), with the silver pieces, etc. aimed for younger buyers diluting the exclusive quality of the Tiffany name. At least for me, if I had to pick the more ''upscale'' brand, I''d choose Cartier in a heartbeat.

Dead on, ladies - along much the same lines, I''d pick the Cartier as having more cachet in today''s market. Harry Winston and VCA fall into much the same category in my head, with Tiff''s a step below.

 

[HopeDream]

I think the Tiffany diamond is also suspended above the ring base, as shown by the image on their website

(Cartier all the way, Tiffany's is a bit pedestrian)

 

[t3]

Date: 11/3/2009 10:07:31 PM
Author: Circe

Dead on, ladies - along much the same lines, I'd pick the Cartier as having more cachet in today's market. Harry Winston and VCA fall into much the same category in my head, with Tiff's a step below.

I don't know... the Tiffany and the Cartier are the same price, it's hard to have more market cachet when you're the same price for the same diamond (+/- 0.02 carat, VS1, F). As someone not knowledgeable at all about diamonds, I definitely did not put Tiffany below Cartier in engagement rings. In fact the first brand in my head when I was thinking about looking for an engagement ring was Tiffany. The Cartier store was just down the street, so I dropped by as well. I guess that makes Tiffany more pedestrian (like a Rolex versus Omega or Panerai), but that doesn't necessarily make it one step below. Otherwise it would be an easy decision for me.

 

[Circe]

Date: 11/3/2009 10:42:30 PM
Author: t3

Date: 11/3/2009 10:07:31 PM

Author: Circe


Dead on, ladies - along much the same lines, I''d pick the Cartier as having more cachet in today''s market. Harry Winston and VCA fall into much the same category in my head, with Tiff''s a step below.

I don''t know... the Tiffany and the Cartier are the same price, it''s hard to have more market cachet when you''re the same price for the same diamond (+/- 0.02 carat, VS1, F). As someone not knowledgeable at all about diamonds (i.e., layperson), I definitely did not put Tiffany below Cartier in engagement rings. In fact the first brand in my head when I was thinking about looking for an engagement ring was Tiffany. The Cartier store was just down the street, so I dropped by as well.

Oh, I''m not downing the workmanship, or even the branding (which is consistently impressive in terms of mark-up in a way that few other companies have ever managed). I have a wonderful book from the ''60s called _The Tiffany Touch_ that examines the origins of the company that I just adore. But I think LGK and BEG are onto something that resonates with me when they talk about dilution, exclusivity, etc: on some level, because of their marketing and presentation, Tiff''s (for me, anyway), just seems more "accessible" than the other companies, for better or for worse.

Less about money and more about target demographic, if that makes sense ... for an analogy, think of Juicy Couture vs. Jaeger. Similar prices, VERY different effect ....

 

[haagen_dazs]

i prefer the Cartier brand and would go with Cartier

 

[sba771]

Another Cartier junkie. I find their service amazing no matter what country I am in and I find they really stand behind their products. I also melt when I get the red leather box.

 

[chiquitapet]

I prefer the Cartier brand over Tiffany''s, however I prefer the look of the Tiffany setting with the 6-prong head over Cartier''s 4-prongs. So if it came down to the final decision, I`d go with Tiffany.

 

[LabRatPhD]

Date: 11/3/2009 9:49:56 PM
Author: t3
Thank you guys for all your comments! They were all very helpful.

Date: 11/3/2009 8:29:10 PM

Author: LabRatPhD

My general brand preference is Cartier however from a design perspective, I would (and did) go with the Tiffany classic. When trying on both the 1895 and Tiffany solitaires, I found that I like the knife-edge band and prefer the look of 6 prongs over 4 prongs. I have very small fingers and the Tiffany solitaire looked more dainty on my hand -which was the look I wanted. Good luck with your decision - you can''t go wrong with either!

How big of a diamond did you get? Her fingers are also very small, size 4.

I got a 2 ct diamond and my finger is a size 2.5. Honestly, the Tiffany design suited me and my lifestyle much better. I think the diamond in the Tiffany setting is set lower than the Cartier, which I wanted. I am a scientist and wear gloves all the time so I needed a setting that would not constantly get caught in my gloves. Even with the size of my stone, I have no problems with this aspect. Also, my personal preference is for a "less metal" look which I felt the Tiffany setting did better. I am very happy with my ring, but it is all a matter of personal preference. Both are very lovely!