Tiffany & Co. or Michaeal C. Fina ?!?!?!

[PerfectGentNYC]

I''ve had diamond consultations at both jewelers here in NYC, and I''m torn between the two. I''ve purchased numerous gifts for my girlfriend from Tiffany''s and she loves the gifts, and always tells me about the compliments she gets on them. On the other hand, I walked into Michael C. Fina one day on my lunchbreak, and I was wowed by the large number of designer settings they offe (I love the Tacori line of settings). I know the quality that I will be getting from Tiffany''s, but I''ve heard very good things about Michael C. Fina as well.

I plan on proposing early next year, somewhere between the begining of February and the end of April. I want to have my mind made up asap on which jeweler to choose when I make my purchase. Please share any thoughts and/or experiences you have on either jeweler. Many thanks in advance!!!

 

[nwhysee]

I am definitely no expert, but in my (sadly) ongoing search, I did go shopping there during their recent "sample sale" when they had (they said) a larger than normal number of loose diamonds there to view when considering settings. They carried some good stuff and the person I worked with was extremely friendly and low pressure. I did however get the sense that the average knowledge of the salespeople is quite low (they can talk about the settings they think are pretty, but can''t say very much about diamonds). I did not feel comfrotable buying a diamond there, particularly after I asked if the diamonds I was looking at came with certifications and if they could tell me the basic specs on those I was viewing. They said they would provide certificates at the time I decided to buy (but weren''t willing to show them to me until then). In fairness, they were busy that day (probably more than normal) so this might not be their usual approach, but it doesn''t really matter to me--anybody who even slightly seems to be hiding the ball when you are buying something potentially mystifying did not inspire me.

 

[mrssalvo]

both are reputable obviously. I guess I''d find out what ring your girlfriend wants and go from there.

 

[Asschergirlnyc]

I am not an expert, but I think that Michael C. Fina''s brands are much more designer. Tiffany you are paying for a name.

 

[bee*]

Try and find out which she''d prefer and go with that. Both would be great.

 

[lisa1.01fvs1]

Date: 8/27/2009 8:46:57 PM
Author: Asschergirlnyc
I am not an expert, but I think that Michael C. Fina''s brands are much more designer. Tiffany you are paying for a name.

Actually both stores carry "designer goods" with name recognition.

Sounds like you want to go with a B&M store vs. internet.

If u don''t want to spend a lot of time researching diamonds cut, etc and want to see the diamonds yourself.....Tiffany''s is a good choice IMO.

U do pay a premium, sometimes slight, for the advantage of seeing everything in person and possibly purchasing a patented product.

But since you are on PS you may do better with an online vendor and you have a fair amount of time before your proposal.